Now comes this latest YouChoose adventure, World War II Pilots. The basic premise is that you are given a situation and the story unfolds based on the choices you make at certain junctures of the story. In Chapter 1 of World War II Pilots, the reader is first given some historical information about the events that led to the war beginning at the end of World War I.
At the end of the chapter, you have 3 choices: to follow the path of a British pilot in the RAF, an American pilot fighting in the Pacific Ocean or a Tuskegee Airman - all very interesting choices. So you choose your path and at the end of each chapter, more choices can be made regarding the fate of the chosen pilot. In fact, there are 36 choices altogether, given each pilot 12 possible ways to go. And in the end, there are 20 different possible endings - 7 for the RAF pilot, & for the American pilot and 6 for the Tuskegee Airman.
I know this all sounds complicated. I also think that, too, whenever I start these kinds of books, but they are designed for young readers and really aren't difficult at all and in fact, they are quite informative without being overwhelming. I actually enjoyed going back and forth and making choices to see where each path led. I also liked the photographs that are included and relevant to the path I was following. For example, when I picked the Pacific Ocean pilot, there were pictures of things like Bataan, or the carrier he might taken off from. I also found that concepts that might not be familiar were clearly explained.
I especially like the back matter. First, there is a timeline of events in the war relevant to the stories. Next, there are suggestions for designing your own World War II pilot stories - a female pilot in the RAF or in the US, a German pilot during the Blitz, a POW held by the Japanese or Germans, all requiring so research and imagination. To help this along, there are suggestions for further reading in print and the Internet, a glossary and an extensive bibliography.
World War II Pilots is an excellent book for leisure reading as well as home schooling and classroom use.
This book is recommended for readers age 9-12
This book was an E-ARC from Net Galley
Curious? You can download a sample chapter of World War II Pilots at Capstone Young Readers.
Nonfiction Monday is hosted this week by Laura at laurasalas
I've never read a choose your own adventure book--mostly because I think I want to feel like I'm in--like the story is in--the hands of a capable, guiding author. Buuuuuuuut, this could be a nifty way to learn some history--never my strong point. I'm going to look for this one. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think this is just meant to be a way for kids to learn about things in WW2 and apparently they like this kind of thing. I have to say that between pictures and storyline, there is a lot of information packed into these little books, and they are meant to encourage kids to learn more.
DeleteI discovered these in our local B&N a month ago, and snapped them up. As a homeschooling mom, I'm always on the lookout for excellent non-fiction to use, since I teach using whole texts rather than textbooks. This whole series (and there are a LOT to choose from, especially on Amazon) make kid-friendly, interesting history lesson books for the targeted age range.
ReplyDeleteI think they are a great homeschooling tool. They are indeed a very kid-friendly way to learn history.
DeleteI've got a kid into the choose-your-ovwn adventure shtick, so this is cool. More instructional than the Everest or Mars ones, but he won't mind that, I hope.
ReplyDeleteProbably not, these seem to be very popular and I think it good for kids to learn how to follow instructions with a fun, interesting book. Glad your kid like them.
DeleteI have a student that I am going to tell about this book tomorrow. He loves history and airplanes. :) What a wonderful review! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine what kind of brain an author must have to write this many possible endings but in light of the complexities of war, I think this is one of the more awesome ways to use the Choose Your Own Ending concept.
ReplyDeleteDid you follow all the possibilities? Sounds like you explored quite a lot of them!
Now this is just cool. I remember reading the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as a kid and LOVED them. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI used to love choose your own adventure books. This series sounds like a fun way to learn history.
ReplyDeleteI've been debating these. I don't like the Choose Your Own Adventure Books because I want to do all of the choices, but my students do like these.
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