Choose Your Own Adventure

The Cave of Time, the first Choose Your Own Adventure book.

Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's books first published by Bantam Books from 1979 to 1998 and currently published by Chooseco of Warren, Vermont. Each story is written from a second person point-of-view, with the reader assuming the role of the main character.

After an introduction to the story, the reader was given choices of how the story should progress. For instance:

If you decide to start back home, turn to page 4.
If you decide to wait, turn to page 5.

Depending on the reader's choice, the plot will unfold in different ways and eventually lead to many different possible endings.

Often, a Choose Your Own Adventure book has multiple endings -- possibly 15 or more -- which include:

* At least one -- but often a few -- endings depicting the most desired resolution (e.g., the villain's plans are foiled and he/she subsequently either arrested or killed) and the main character, friend, or other "good guy" character is rewarded handsomely.
* Endings that result in death, either of the main character, one or more "friends," or both, because of an incorrect choice the reader made. Usually, this plot twist involves the villain learning of the good guys' investigation, subsequent confrontation and deadly resolution.
* Other endings that may either be satisfactory (but not the most desired ending) or unsatisfactory (but not always totally bad).