Customer Reviews

Your Very Own Robot (Choose Your Own Adventure - Dragonlark)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you aren't acquainted with the format, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books promise some extra fun by allowing readers the chance to make some decisions and take the story line down one path or another.

In the case of this book there are twelve possible endings. Unfortunately quite a few of them are "sub-standard", even from a child's perspective. [My own sample audience is a 6 year old boy.] In one ending, for example, the robot flies into a big pile of ice cream and the president of the company charges you --you become a defacto character -- $800 dollars for the damage; while in another situation the robot leaves you having to replant a neighbors rose bushes because your robot exclaims, "SORRY! I AM NOT PROGRAMMED TO PLANT ROSE BUSHES." Don't know about you, but we didn't find it all that entertaining.

As to an official Reading Level (aka Accelerated Reading or ATOS) none is listed. But the word level is fairly advanced and at least at the 2nd Grade level. Which makes the silliness probably even less attractive since I'm assuming older children would be a bit more discriminating than than my 6 y.o. boy.

Here's an example of text from page 18 so you can judge the level for yourself:

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"Now I will try pressing your RUN button," you tell him. So you do--and off he runs.

"Terrific!" you cry, and you turn him off before he can run too far.

"Say, maybe if I let you run fast enough, you could take off, like a plane!" you say. "But, of course, I don't know how to fly a plane. So that might be dangerous."

"Besides there a lots of things we could do in the yard. We could build a fort. That might be fun."

But you keep thinking about flying. Should you try it? Or should you build the fort?
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Two Stars ::: Try this one out at the library first. The reading level is fairly sophisticated, but most of the plot endings aren't.

It is a fun concept to make your own choices while reading a story and then re-read the story multiple times making different choices and ending up on different adventures. The stories are simple but a fun read for my five year old. There was some frustration with missed opportunities and confusing connections until we figured out that on page 43 where it says "Turn to page 11" it should have been page 12.

For a children's book, this is well done. Not every ending is pleasing, and a few of the bad endings are written to sound like nothing too bad is happening, but reasoning will tell you that that particular adventure was not such a good one to experience such as the ending where you end up in "robot land" for the rest of your life and are treated as the only robot with robots ruling the land instead. There are many fun scenarios and endings such as when you dive into a pool of strawberry ice cream, or the first ending I got, riding my robot to Venus and back in time for dinner. The front cover shows lightning, pirates, and a whale, and those are just several adventures you could end up on. There is one ending where you end up in jail for the rest of your life, and that one didn't really fit as well with the context of the situation. If you're looking for something fun, but not over the top corny for your 7 - 10 year old or so, this is worth considering.

I was so excited to see that the Choose Your Own Adventure company had created a series of books targeted for younger readers. My seven year old son was captivated by the idea that he could have a hand in guiding a story about having his very own robot. The color pictures were engaging, and the story lines kept my son reading over and over. Well done!!!

I was really looking forward to sharing the choose your own adventures books with my 7 year old nephew. This one was tagged as being for 6-12 year olds. It was extremely boring for the 7 year old, but the 3 1/2 year old thought it was pretty decent. I don't think either of them will pull it off the shelf to read it or have it read. It falls far short of what I remembered.

UPDATE 9/29/2008: The four and a half year old has begun asking to have it read... I think the thrill of being able to choose is a big plus. So for younger pre-readers it's a decent book, it's just not for school age kids.

The book arrived on time and in good condition. FYI, it's a tiny children's book (not the full-sized young adult book I was imagining from my childhood).

I brought this book for a youngster but after reading it with friends, we got hooked to it as well. The story lines were great no matter what adventure you choose and the pictures brought the story to life. I loved reading in big print.

purchased for 7 year old grandchild & she loves the fact that she can change her story each time we read it together.

In a world where children have so little autonomy, my children found delight as they were given the choice to create their own adventure. To any parent who regularly encourages reading - this is a winner on so many levels, including being fun for the parent. Who wouldn't want to relive this great concept with their children. Fun! Fun! Fun!