In creating School Book Scare, it was my hope to shine a spotlight on a diverse range of voices and viewpoints related to these strange literary curios. This post is the first of our guest contributions from Josiah Jones, an incredibly prolific reader and reviewer from Goodreads who was gracious enough to allow us to run some of his write-ups on the site. Check out Josiah's bio at the end of the review and stay tuned for more of his marvelous musings to come!
Interested in contributing to School Book Scare? Give us a ring at schoolbookscare [at] gmail [dot] com! - JC
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Review by JOSIAH JONES
Did Choose Your Own Adventure need an entry devoted to Bigfoot? Of course! It's hard to imagine there not being one among the franchise's various iterations, and Lynn Sonberg gives it to us.
You are on a camping trip far out in the squatchy woods with your fifteen-year-old cousin, Sam. Having never gone camping, you're unnerved by nature's spooky sounds surrounding your tent that first night, and when you rise the next morning your campsite is in ruins and food is missing. The only clue to the perpetrator's identity is a set of gigantic footprints. They look more human than animal, but no person's feet could leave such large impressions. Is it the legendary Bigfoot beast? Sam is skeptical about that, but the two of you have a choice: follow the footprints, or report the incident at a ranger station. Which will it be?
The oversized tracks eventually lead down a steep stone trail that could be dangerous. If you continue following, you run right into Bigfoot, who grabs Sam and sprints away with superhuman strength and agility. Do you have the wits to save your cousin?
Pursue Bigfoot to his cave, and you'll be just in time to intervene on Sam's behalf. Would you rather pitch a rock at the monster, or a live snake? Do you use your flashlight as a weapon, or your last jar of peanut butter as bait to distract the creature?
Sam regards you with new respect if you rescue him; you're braver than he (or you) realized. Most of the story options lead to a confrontation with the brawny, speechless Bigfoot, but one path turns the whole thing into a prank cooked up by Sam. Is it better to be imperiled by a real monster, or fooled by your cousin? That's for you to decide.
If you head toward the ranger station rather than follow the footprints, Sam shares a theory with you as to who raided the campsite: Bigfoot Charlie, a notorious counterfeiter who escaped prison last week. As a fugitive, Charlie would have reason to steal your food. En route to the ranger station you must cross a rickety wooden bridge, and the wrong choices here lead to a bad fall and long hospital stay that will prevent you from camping for a while.
If your luck holds regarding the bridge, you might fall from it to safety among giant ferns, but a rope snare closes on your ankle and lifts you upside down into a hemlock tree. As you pull yourself into sitting position on a branch, the sight on the ground is a frightening one: that nasty-looking, axe-wielding man is Bigfoot Charlie, who orders you to come down so he can "teach you to mess with my trap!"
If you hide in the tree, he may start hacking at the trunk with his axe. You might accidentally find Charlie's counterfeit printing press in the tree, or he could climb after you and drive you straight toward a mountain lion stranded on another branch. Sam has gone for help, so a ranger might return and spare you Charlie's wrath; or, the real Bigfoot may show up and deal with the outlaw. However events transpire, your camping trip is not one you or Sam will forget.
This book has some good storylines, especially Bigfoot abducting Sam. The great outdoors can be overwhelming if you're not accustomed to it, but if you prove capable of handling the unexpected on this trip, you'll be prepared for any camping adventure for the rest of your life. What could be more harrowing than fighting Bigfoot? All said, the book doesn't live up to its potential because it tries to be too much: a monster mystery, crime escapade, and realistic comedy. That fractures the narrative to a degree that forbids internal consistency.
Lynn Sonberg is a good storyteller, though, and Paul Granger contributes excellent, atmospheric illustrations. My favorites are the depiction of your campsite opposite page one, the intricately detailed stone trail on page two, a closeup of Bigfoot Charlie on page four (classic Granger style), the wobbly bridge on page eight, and your hike home with Sam through an idyllic outdoor setting on pages forty-eight and forty-nine. The Bigfoot Mystery could have been a lot better than it was, but I'll enjoy numerous rereads of it anyway.
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