Friday, May 1, 2020

Could you survive the Cretaceous Period? by Eric Braun

I originally had a bunch of the "You Choose" books from Capstone in nonfiction, but earlier this year I moved most of them over to fiction under the call number "YOU" and ordered more. One of the sets I ordered was a selection of prehistoric times and I showed this one to my staff, whose answer was "no." Happily, the kids are a bit more optimistic!

Capstone's You Choose use the familiar choose your own adventure style, with the added bonus of nonfiction elements. Depending on which series you select, you can try to survive in a hostile wilderness adventure, during dangerous historical time periods, or in some very creepy haunted places! This series drops the reader back through time in different prehistoric periods, specifically the Cretaceous Period. That means... dinosaurs!

The framing story is that you are sitting in class, a little bored, and your teacher leaves the room. You go to look at the odd mist rising from a prehistoric terrarium... and you find yourself trapped in the Cretaceous Period! You have 33 choices - choose wisely, or you might die from an infection, get eaten by a dinosaur, or come to many other nasty ends. If you, and any friends trapped with you, make the right choices, you might survive and settle down in this strange old world, or you might make it back to your classroom. But be careful! Danger lurks everywhere...

The last chapter explains the Cretaceous Period, shows a timeline, give some discussion questions, an includes links and books for further reading, a brief glossary, bibliography, and index.

Verdict: Of course most of the stories end in death, but it's not graphically described. Despite the cover, there's little gore and the black and white sketches that accompany the story aren't scary. This joins a series that's perfect for I Survived and Choose Your Own Adventure fans, especially those who like nonfiction. They are available in paperback as well as library binding.

ISBN: 9781543574012; Published 2020 by Capstone; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library; Paperback edition purchased for the library

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