The Can You Survive? books capture young people’s curiosity

I used to love choose your own adventure books. I read a lot and books where you seemed to be in charge of your own destiny were an escape. The Can You Survive? book series takes the concept of choosing your own adventure and adds a much more modern feel. We received the Treasure Island book as well as Greek Mythology’s Twelve Labors of Hercules.

 

The Can You Survive books give the reader a couple of pages to start an adventure and then provide a decision or a cliffhanger. The reader chooses one of two options (if the reader chooses option A, turn to page 10; if option B turn to page 20). One option will end the story to a quicker ending and the other option will lead the reader further into the adventure. It’s like The Never-ending Story without the catchy theme music.

I enjoyed reading the Treasure Island Classic, so Treasure Island was definitely fun to read. I love the characters and especially talking like a pirate (Rrrrrr).  The aspect of these books that I really liked is the educational elements and the fact that a more advanced story is available. These classic characters get introduced in simple books that children read for fun in hopes that they will want to investigate them further later. (Who doesn’t want to know more about the Hydra, after all?) Still the books have great imagery and definitely a strong sense of adventure.

As an adult I am more critical then I was as a kid, and due to the nature of the book genre, it is virtually impossible to have natural character development.   Now as an adult I am very much into reading and that element is sorely missed from these books.

The Can You Survive? series of books are appropriate for readers aged 7 and up.  Each book is about 150 pages so it’s long enough to keep their attention for while, but short enough to let them read it all and feel accomplished.   They’re priced at $8.95 which is reasonable for books about this thick.