Count Down to Danger: Bullet Train Disaster

Count Down to Danger: Bullet Train Disaster by Jack Heath (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-76015-962-7

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

On the platform ahead of you is a shining new bullet train. It is about to take its first journey carrying passengers up the side of Mt Grave, the second tallest mountain peak in the world. The rails lead straight up, the train will be climbing almost vertically, and you will be aboard. When disaster hits, you have 30 minutes to escape. Hang on for the adventure of a lifetime ...if you survive!

This is a heart-pumping thrill ride which leaves no time for breath. Be prepared to meet bears, bandits and royalty. You never know where your journey is taking you.

Choose-Your-Own adventure books put the reader in control of the main characters’ decisions. As there are many different paths that may be taken, these books can be read over and over again, while still retaining a sense of anticipation. Of the 30 paths, only some lead to survival and only a handful to glory.

This is a must for arm-chair adrenaline junkies and will entertain middle school and early teen aged audiences alike. Look out for the next in the series Shock Wave.

Jack Heath is an Australian author who writes popular action-packed stories for young teens including the recent Scream series.

Choose your own Ever After — How to get to Rio

Choose your own Ever After — How to get to Rio by Julie Fison (Hardie Grant Egmont)

PB $14.95 RRP

ISBN 9781742977744

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

A different spin on the idea of choosing your own adventure, is a series aimed at 10 to 14 year old girls, where the reader gets to make decisions about her 'ever after'. Based around the character's relationships with girl friends, cute boys and family, this story plays out various scenarios based on choices the reader makes as she goes along. Will the main character Kitty ditch her 'besties' and go to the beach with the popular Persephone and buy lots of bikinis? Well, in this book, the reader can decide, as she is in control.

Kitty MacLean is a secondary school student about to go on holidays, either camping with her friends Izzy and Mia or staying in a beach house near Rio, the boy she has a crush on. It is forty pages before the first choice, and each outcome has a similar number of pages dedicated to it before the next decision. So unlike some choose your own adventure books, where a choice is made at the end of every chapter, this is a little slower moving.

In contrast to some choose your own adventure books, no choices result in the death of the main character, which is probably just as well! In fact, having read through all of the endings, they're all pretty good. If Kitty doesn't end up with Rio,  she has some hope of ending up with him. It's not at all moralistic — for example even when Kitty lies about spraining her ankle and then does sprain her ankle, she is taken to the doctor by, you guessed it, Rio!

The idea of empowering girls to be in control of their own destinies is an admirable one. There's a lot of well written dialogue in this book which is quite fun and natural. The characters, who were likeable, did lack some substance but this could be due to restrictions of the 'choose your own ever after' format. Choose your own Ever After — How to get to Rio is a light, easy read, aimed at a very particular age group and sex, hopefully encouraging them to read some more.  

The Wounded Falcon

The Wounded Falcon by J. P. Barnett, illustrator Peter Barnett (Wombat Books)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN 978-1-921633-26-3

Reviewed by Jacque Duffy

A unique idea, this book is both a puzzle and an interesting story. With nearly twenty different endings and only one that is successful it is a challenge. The first few pages of the book dictate the game rules and wish you luck in your quest. The book is suitable for upper primary to high school age children; the younger may need help at first with the concept of note taking and page jumping.

It is not often we are informed that in order to read a book we must first have a pencil, eraser and a dice (which I didn’t have). A nice touch is the printing of a die on each page to simulate the rolling dice; something I found extremely useful. As you begin the book on page one like any other you are quickly told to skip to page 59 then 84 then back to 15 where you make your first decision. I sadly, made the wrong decision – several different wrong decisions actually and am yet, to find one of the three routes that lead to the successful ending.

This is J. P. Barnett’s second adventure game book and it is easily read and understood (except if like me you keep making the wrong decisions).

It is an enjoyable game for an adult, I am confident both boys and girls aged 8 – 12 would find it an enjoyable challenge. The illustrations confused me at first as they didn’t give clues like I thought they would and led me astray (that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it). Word of warning, enjoy the illustrations but don’t count on them helping you in your quest or your character may come to a grizzly end.

  

Jacque Duffy is the author and illustrator of the series ‘That’s not a …” learn to read books used in all Queensland State Primary Schools and one local history coffee table book.

www.jacquesartandbooks.com