Chose Your Own Adventures

Choose Your Own Adventure

for reluctant readers. 
Review by Christine Cook

Choose Your Own Adventures is a wonderful series for 9-14 year old reluctant readers as well as for teacher read-alouds. These books are filled with wild themed adventures for the reader who wants to be involved in the story. Many times when I ask a reluctant reader why they don't like to read, I hear, "It's boring, who wants to sit still and read about someone else's life" Choose Your Own Adventure is rare in that it is written in second person point of view. The story reads as if you, the readers, are the main characters. At the end of a plot twist the story gives you the option to choose the next direction the story will go. Often times it will ask you to choose between opening a door or going down a long hall way. Or you can choose between a seemingly safe move or more dangerous path. Once you pick an option you jump to the corresponding page and read your fate. Its fun to read whole -class because the students can vote on your next option. Older students also enjoy it because the books don't baby them. Often times you might choose to open a door and then discover your character suddenly dies. Though these books wont win any literature awards, they are a really fun read and great for preteen reluctant readers.