The Oregon Trail: The Race to Chimney Rock

The Oregon Trail: The Race to Chimney Rock
Jesse Wiley
HMH, 2018 150 pages
Grades 2-6
Historical Fiction/Adventure
Choose Your Own Trail series #1

First in a series of four books, HMH combines two popular blasts from the past: Choose Your Own Adventure and the classic computer game The Oregon Trail for a winning combination. Each volume of the series is split into a different leg of the trail, allowing the reader to eventually reach Oregon--if they make the right decisions. Each crossroads contains two choices leading the reader to a different page of the book. Many of the paths lead to tragedy and a brutal death (much as in the computer game) and death can come at any point. The average run through is five choices. The reader takes on the persona of the main character, a boy in 1850 who is heading on the trail with his family. The dangers include sickness, wild animals, natural disasters, and unforgiving terrain. The volume leads in with a map of the entire trail. The back contains real historic information, which if the reader takes to heart, better decisions will be made. Eventually the reader can take a variety of routes, finally landing on the one that will take them safely to Chimney Rock--and the next volume in the series.

This new series is sure to appeal to today's parents who grew up on Choose Your Own Adventure and logged hours on their old PCs playing Oregon Trail. Certainly, they will be attracted by the title and cover and buy this volume for their children, who may be unfamiliar with both the original book series and computer game. The cover even is pixelated, resembling the original game, further appeal to nostalgic parents. That said, kids who crack open this volume will find much to enjoy. Choose Your Own Adventure books are addictive and fun and will resonate with the current video game generation. Much as in the original game, many paths lead to death, which will provide exciting stakes for readers, who will to try to save themselves. Unlike the original book series, factual information is offered in the back of the volume, offering kids the opportunity to make the best choices, as well as educating them about Westward Expansion. Black and white cartoon illustrations are generously sprinkled throughout, further welcoming reluctant readers. The volumes in the series follow along the path of the trail, but readers do not necessarily need to read them in order. Great fun for even the most stubborn of readers, who will clamor for more and learn something along the way.