A couple weeks ago, I received an email from a company called ChooseCo, which are the publishers of the Choose Your Own Adventure books. They asked that I take a glance at a new book that will be released in April, 2008, titled The Golden Path by Anson Montgomery, so of course I accepted. I can barely describe the joy I experienced when I started flipping the pages, once again, of a Choose Your Own Adventure book.
As a child of the 80’s, Choose Your Own Adventure books were a staple of my youth. They provided a unique and interactive way of reading, and empowered the reader to make decisions and face the consequences of those choices. Of course, the best part about CYOA books probably comes in the fact that they were immensely re-readable, because the different choices can result in vastly different outcomes.
When opening up The Golden Path, I was amazed at the level of sophistication that this story enjoys. The premise is this (hijacked from the back cover):
It starts with a simple call in to the headmaster’s office on a perfect fall day. It turns into a search for your missing parents that takes you and your two best friends on a trip into the hollow Earth. Part thriller, part travelogue, part personal quest, The Golden Path: Volume One weaves a labyrinthine journey as you search for answers to the truth about your past and the clues to your future…
Some aspects of the book deal with some pretty sophisticated issues, such as a changed world order where government agents are on the lookout for anything suspicious, and where things like personal flying vehicles are par for the course. One interesting aspect of The Golden Path has to deal with the fact that this is obviously a book written to today’s youth… Where I grew up in a “Cold War” era, it’s interesting to note that this book deals with issues that might be much closer to home - government oversight, environmental calamity, and the emergence of technology as a standard part of kids’ lives today.
Reading The Golden Path reminded me of the joys of being in middle school and flipping open my first Choose Your Own Adventure novel. The intro-chapter is a little lengthy for my taste (I don’t remember having to go so far to get to a choice!) but it does the job to establish the world these kids live in. Some of the characters seem archetyped from the Harry Potter books (of which I haven’t read), but I think the effect is worthwhile as long as it gives kids something to ground themselves with - and gets them to read!
If you’re looking for a nice bit of nostalga, or you’re looking for a pre-teen “thriller” for a child in your life, I can definitely recommend jumping back in to this unique niche and giving The Golden Path: Volume One a try. Should be in stores on April 25th.
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