Can You Survive?: Call of the Wild (A Choose Your Own Path book) by Ryan Jacobson
Review by Chris Singer
About the author (from author's website):
Ryan Jacobson likes to tell people he was “this close” to becoming a teacher, and those who have seen his author presentations agree that he should have been. Ryan uses his passion and talent for storytelling to get students excited about books.
He has long loved to read and write, but in truth, Ryan never planned on becoming an author. It wasn’t until he read a Magic Tree House chapter book that his love of children’s stories was born. In the years since, he has launched a successful career as an author and presenter. He has written wonderful, imaginative adventures for readers from kindergarten to high school, and he offers school presentations as a chance to share his work with others. He has presented at nearly 100 schools, organizations and special events throughout the state of Minnesota.
Ryan lives in Mora, Minnesota, with his wife Lora, sons Jonah and Lucas, and dog Boo.
About the book:
It's been called the best dog story ever written, and you can experience it like never before. This is Jack London's Call of the Wild, masterfully adapted into a choose your path book. You're the legendary sled dog, Buck. You face his same challenges. You make the choices. You decide what happens. Will you survive?
My take on the book:
Like Lost in the Wild, this is another Choose-Your-Path: Can You Survive? book from Ryan Jacobson. This series has offered readers a different twist from the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books, by placing readers into scenarios where they must test their survival instincts and knowledge.
Although based on Jack London's classic, this book focuses not so much on the plot of that tale, but rather on readers taking on the role of Buck and choosing Buck's "path" through the story. It's written in the 2nd person so readers can get a sense of Buck's thoughts, feelings and instincts, but also forces readers to understand what they're reading to help decide on the best path to take.
As the story takes place in the wilderness, parents and teachers should prepare their children of the book's instances of human cruelty towards animals, as well as animal hunting and preying on each other. Each of these instances is written in an age-appropriate manner and shouldn't overwhelm readers who might be especially sensitive to issues of animal cruelty.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book because the overall message in Call of the Wild is one of understanding human's relationship with nature and wild animals needs to be one of respect and reverence. All in all, an entertaining and educational addition to this terrific series.
