Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Readers choose heroes' fate in wildly creative fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Following the chaotic events of Book 3, young protagonist Owen (who's acquired a longed-for superpower at last) wakes up to find that the nefarious Nobody has stuck him in a PICK THE PLOT novel, and his future is entirely up to the readers. Nobody, in one of his frequent asides to the reader, thinks it will serve Owen right to be a fictional character entirely at the author's mercy. That's as may be, but meanwhile, Owen and time-traveling comic book heroine Kara Dox are stuck in a time prison when he needs to be in whatever world friend Bethany has been kidnapped to, before something terrible happens, like Nobody splitting her (and the worlds she unites) in two. Whether he and Kara succeed or suffer assorted awful fates depends on the choices readers make at the end of each chapter.
Is It Any Good?
Bring your Post-it notes, your bread crumbs, and a compass, because you're going to need them to get young Owen through a twisty and dangerous maze to the setup of his next Story Thieves book. It's not always easy to remember where you took the fork in the road that led to our hero's latest violent death, because sinister narrator Nobody is typically inconsistent on the guidance.
The Pick the Plot structure will be loads of fun entertainment for many readers, and simply an annoyance to those who'd just like to get on with the story. But like Owen himself, the reader is stuck with Nobody's hijinks and might as well make the best of it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the concept of Pick the Plot books. Do you think they're fun, or would you rather have the author just tell you the story?
How would you like it if the world had only science to guide it, and no imagination?
If you could put yourself in one of your favorite stories, which one would you pick, and what would you do?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes , Adventures , Friendship , Robots
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Aladdin
- Publication date : September 26, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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