I am an 80’s kid and choose your own adventure books were some of my absolute favourites. I remember reading and re-reading the ‘Knightmare’ books - a spin-off from the TV series of the same name - until the pages were falling out. Thanks to Gareth P. Jones and Louise Forshaw’s fresh and creep-tastic series of solve your own mystery’s I get to relive my childhood and it is bloomin’ marvellous.
The Time Thief It has been a couple of months since private investigator Klaus Solstaag solved the theft of the monster maker. In the Shady Side of Haventry trouble is always brewing and a ghastly crime has happened. The Time Sponge - a rare and valuable object with the power to freeze time - has been stolen from The Museum of Magical Objects and Precious Stones. Everyone in the Shady Side has a reason to want the sponge but who has the guts to steal what is not theirs? The curator of the financially crippled museum? A leprechaun with a debt? The forgetful shoplifting mermaids? Would the police commit a crime? Or could it even be your own boss? Make your notes, jot down the clues, draw connections and come to your own conclusions. There’s a criminal out there, and a squeezed Time Sponge in the wrong hands is a very dangerous thing…
The Missing Magic
Magicon - the world’s biggest magic convention - has come to Haventry - attracting wizards, witches and other magic-folk to its shady streets. Not everyone in town is with good intentions. The bad and mischief-makers are here too and when all of the magic is stolen the culprit needs to be caught…and quick. Without magic to keep it under a spell a fiery beast is beginning to stir from a long sleep under the streets. And that could be a very big problem. But who would steal the magic and why? Is the head of the Magic Circle having dark thoughts? Is Enid the Evil Enchantress about to carry out her plans for world domination? Could Moondance - the world’s most inspirational unicorn guru - be masquerading as a baddie? Answers are needed quickly. The future and safety of Haventry is in your hands… Welcome to Haventry, a mostly ordinary town unless you go to the Shady Side where vampires, werewolves, ghosts, goblins, ogres, trolls, witches and other strange creatures hang out. If you do happen to be on the less pleasant side of town then you better have your wits about you because where things are different trouble is never far away. These latest two high-profile and puzzling mysteries put readers to the test as they work alongside their larger-than-life and highly unconventional investigative counterpart, Klaus the yeti, and try to bring criminals to justice.
Playing the part of detective, readers find themselves dashing all over town - usually to the most unsavoury parts - as they trail suspects and dubious looking characters in a frantic attempt to piece together the clues and determine who committed the fiendish crimes. Motives and alibis must be established, evidence needs to be gathered, crime scenes inspected and suspects interviewed. Do you have what it takes to unpick the truth, to peel back the layers of everyone’s version of events, to separate the vital clues form the irrelevant details, to consider all possibilities? In the murky underbelly of Haventry, where the slimiest, grimiest, hairiest and scariest of creatures can be found, everyone is a suspect
Readers after something a bit different will relish these fantastically imaginative detective stories which offer an immersive and interactive reading experience that places them right at the heart of the story and where every decision has a consequence. Was gatecrashing the League of Evil’s shindig the right choice? Did a visit to the library give you the answers you were after? Would things have turned out differently had you attended the secret meeting instead of trailing the little girl? With multiple stories all wrapped up in one and three possible endings, these titles offer children the chance to re-read and experience a whole new narrative dependent on alternate choices. What makes this series different from the books of my childhood is that no matter what choices you make, you solve the mystery every time and are not met with those fateful and frustrating words…GAME OVER. Fabulously imaginative, deliciously dark, fiendishly clever and packed with all things weird and wonderful, these are frighteningly good fun. The spook-a-licious illustrations from Forshaw are a real treat, bringing alive characters and locations and are the perfect accompaniment to the quirky, humorous and at times grisly tone set by Jones. Solving crime has never been so much fun! Recommended for 8+. With huge thanks to Walker for the copies I received in exchange for honest reviews.
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