July 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 It's 1850, and you are a young pioneer heading west with your family on the Oregon Trail. In this first of a four-book series, your goal is to make it to Chimney Rock. Just as for the real pioneers, there are many perils along the way: bears, illness, raging rivers, broken wagons, sick oxen, and more. Astute readers will need to make tricky decisions to arrive safely in Oregon City. Readers are presented with an introduction that informs them that this choose-your-own adventure has 22 possible endings. Some are good (settling in a nice spot along the trail), some are bad ( You have died of dysentery ), but only one will take you to the finish line. To help, the author provides a Guide to the Trail at the back of the book, which readers are encouraged to skim before they begin. While the format seems a bit gimmicky, the light educational content and adventure focus might please kids (and their parents, who probably played the same kind of game when they were growing up).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
Readers play the role of pioneers attempting to travel the Oregon Trail in this choose-your-own-adventure narrative. The interactive format and throwback-style graphics evoking the classic Oregon Trail computer game should attract young readers. However, the series glosses over the negative impacts of westward expansion on American Indians; if used in the classroom, pair with more thorough resources on the topic. There are three other books in this series.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)