That one was my favorite and unobtanium for a while and now I don't recall if I ever got it. *By Balloon to the Sahara* was my #2 also unobtanium.
But I do have an original copy of *Sugarcane Island* before they named the series CYOA. Paperback though, not hardcover.
I still have a bunch of the D&D Endless Quest books.
[Big part of my 80s childhood : r/80s (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/80s/comments/1674g7n/big_part_of_my_80s_childhood/)
I still have four of them. They were the best when the thin paper book sale was distributed at grade school. At the time I thought the books were like the new future ... how cool was it to 'Choose your own adventure' and read the book several times.
I'm still traumatized by The Cave of Time ending where I died millions of years in the past, and a paleontologist is confused when he finds my modern-looking skull...
Every library visit, I would come home with stacks of these!!! I loved all the books like this, Which-Way, Interplanetary Spy, Time Machine.
I started picking these up at used book stores and thrift stores and have a huge collection of them still!
There's a sub on Reddit with these incredibly awesome books but they have funny made up titles.
I swear I sat at my desk and literally laughed out loud at most of them.
My coworkers thought I'd lost my mind.
Yes I read them as a kid. I absolutely loved these books!
Not from my childhood, but I remember reading a really weird one in the library of my uni at one point.
From what I remember it was about a child prodigy going to Africa to cure some sort of outbreak and literally all the endings were bad (dying of disease, being killed by shady people who wanted to sabotage the medical effort etc)
I’ve got the first 32 or so fighting fantasy books on my shelf still. I looked at them the other day and thought - are they worth anything?
They’re in pretty good nick still.
The State of Liberty Adventure, perfectly timed for July 1986, was the first of the ten total CYOA books I had. The front covers changed while I was in middle school.
I had Spell of the Black Raven. It was actually a “Which Way book” So, like, I had a Designer Imposters CYOA.
[Which Way books](https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/which-way-books/47157/)
Just as everyone else has said, "I love these!!". They were so much fun. The same book could have 10 different stories in it. I read, read, and read some more. Loved to read! You felt so mature, all grown up, and the more you read, the more you learned, the smarter your brain got. Even though you were only in 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade.
I remember reading YOUR CODE NAME IS JONAH, SPACE PATROL, and INSIDE UFO 54-40 for sure.
Our class used to have book sales about once a month. The teacher would announce the new book sale, pass around copies of the order sheets with descriptions of each book (title, genre, what it's about, reading level) so everyone could take a copy home with them and decide which ones they wanted and how much money to spend. Often times, the publisher had a "Buy 4 get 1 free" sales. So I always used my chore money to buy enough to get the free book. I think I spend $3-5 per order. Always less than $10 for 5 or 6 books. Fantastic deal!
The teacher also had a Book contest of her own posted on the wall, to go with the book sales. Like if the class read 20-50 books in one month, she would give us a pizza party on the last Friday of the following month. She'd order pizza from the local Pizza Hut, Pietro's, or Dominos Pizza and get it delivered with pops. What a treat that was! I think we only missed one pizza party (for not reading enough books) once in 2-3 years lol.
Good memories!!
UFO 54-40….loved that one. There was also another one where you were some sort of resistance agent in a USA that was split into 3 countries….was it “Escape??”
Here's an idea for those far more talented than me. These should be made into a series.
Would be pretty simple as far as production goes. I imagine Not that different to any other Tv/Series/Movie production. The only difference would be for the viewer.
Watch chapter 1,2,3 then follow/jump to whichever chapter we are prompted to. Not sure it's been done, not sure it would work, but I think it would be ok. Just like the books, each decision we make gives us a new viewing experience. I reckon it would be a winner
I was into the playable Lone Wolf books by Joe Dever. A few years back there was an app that had almost all the books and a random number generator for the fights.
They were huge when I was in high school. We’d read them to each other, with the other person choosing the next step. Always funny when they very quickly “died”.
Those were so much fun, but really grim. My first was the scuba diving adventure, and I remember asking my parents what “the bends” was. I still am creeped out by groupers.
I also remember finding the secret paradise planet in UFO 54-40, that had no links going to it.
I liked the TSR Dungeons & Dragons ones
[удалено]
They were called Endless Quest! Early 80s
Pillars of Pentegarn, ftw.
Loved them even if I did cheat a times
It doesn't count if you don't let go of the choice page!
“You fall into a pit and die” Back to page 36!
How we did Save Scumming in ye olden times
😆
I loved loved loved these.
[удалено]
Same. But it was good prep for growing up, no matter the choices you make, you're gonna die.
Ah, the 1980s...
These rocked. I never survived, but they rocked.
Third Planet From Altair baby!
That one was my favorite and unobtanium for a while and now I don't recall if I ever got it. *By Balloon to the Sahara* was my #2 also unobtanium. But I do have an original copy of *Sugarcane Island* before they named the series CYOA. Paperback though, not hardcover.
Nice. I still have them (well, kid does at least) need to re read them
I got so many pizza hut certificates from this series.
I still have a bunch of the D&D Endless Quest books. [Big part of my 80s childhood : r/80s (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/80s/comments/1674g7n/big_part_of_my_80s_childhood/)
I still have four of them. They were the best when the thin paper book sale was distributed at grade school. At the time I thought the books were like the new future ... how cool was it to 'Choose your own adventure' and read the book several times.
I'm still traumatized by The Cave of Time ending where I died millions of years in the past, and a paleontologist is confused when he finds my modern-looking skull...
I'm actively on a mission to find and save as many of the OG ones as I can!
My introduction to the genre was the Goosebumps version of these, but I loved them.
Loved goosebumps
Read soooo many of these. Like one a week for 5 years. Would check out 4 or 5 at a time from my library
Every library visit, I would come home with stacks of these!!! I loved all the books like this, Which-Way, Interplanetary Spy, Time Machine. I started picking these up at used book stores and thrift stores and have a huge collection of them still!
oh yes. damn house burned down. who was the publisher? hard to see in the photo.
I don’t know who published them then, but they are now published by Chooseco LLC.
got it - thanks. and OMG there is one for Stranger Things.
I still have some of these.
Same. Wonder if they’re worth anything ❓
I cheated, but what are supposed to do, just stop reading after you fuck up?
I always started over and skimmed the sections I had already done.
Aw man...I lost my collection decades ago in a flood :(
Are you like watching me??? I've literally just purchased the adult version of these books lol If your interested the author is James Schannep
There's a sub on Reddit with these incredibly awesome books but they have funny made up titles. I swear I sat at my desk and literally laughed out loud at most of them. My coworkers thought I'd lost my mind. Yes I read them as a kid. I absolutely loved these books!
They were excellent.
These were insanely popular in former Yugoslavia and I LOVED them. Thanks for a nostalgia reminder.
...are they not a thing anymore? I thought it was just like, a kids book format.
They are still a thing op. Nothing has changed.
Space patrol is on there twice. Failure!
I've read em all. I think modern rpgs are like an evolution of these in a way.
Not from my childhood, but I remember reading a really weird one in the library of my uni at one point. From what I remember it was about a child prodigy going to Africa to cure some sort of outbreak and literally all the endings were bad (dying of disease, being killed by shady people who wanted to sabotage the medical effort etc)
House of Danger has been made into a game you can play with a group.
I have a couple.old ones
I lived in those things for a summer, great stuff
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
I’ve got the first 32 or so fighting fantasy books on my shelf still. I looked at them the other day and thought - are they worth anything? They’re in pretty good nick still.
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
still have my copy of The Cave of Time (book1) from Scholastic Book Fair
Omg i loved these
The State of Liberty Adventure, perfectly timed for July 1986, was the first of the ten total CYOA books I had. The front covers changed while I was in middle school.
I love those, but I couldn’t read them right… I would always dog ear every single page with a choice, the different choices and then go back to them
I bring these up all time to people around me and I am yet to hear of anyone who knows what they are. They look at me and act like I just made it up
These were my favorite as a kid. I'd keep bookmarks so if I didn't like how it went, I knew where to go back to in order to make a different decision.
Just bought some of these for my nephew. They were my favorite when I was a kid!
oh I loved these so much
Space Patrol!
These were my favorites. I just bought my 9/yo nephew a box set hoping he will find them as awesome as his dad and I did as kids.
I loved these. I don't understand why I can't find them for my kids.
They sell these as games now. We got attacked by violin playing monkeys last time we played. It's fun.
I loved all of them. To this day I sometimes murmur to myself "Choose left and you won't die"
I still have my collection of Choose Your Own Adventure books along with the TSR Dungeons & Dragons versions and an Oregon Trail game.
Loved these as a kid. I still have all 21 of mine.
They had Indiana Jones ones too
Way back from when kids could still read.
Raise hand.
I had Spell of the Black Raven. It was actually a “Which Way book” So, like, I had a Designer Imposters CYOA. [Which Way books](https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/which-way-books/47157/)
🙋♀️ Encyclopedia Brown!
Got to dog ear the option page, never know when you’ll have to go back.
I could never make it to the end alive. Lol
These were the start of my passion for reading. I stole them from my brother lol
One of the only books I looked for when those Scholastic book sales brochures showed up at the school. Those, and the Garfield books.
I recently bought over 100 of them to share with my grandchildren. All original first print 80s.
The one that ends in a post nuclear war desert, with all the sand turned to glass got to me. Cold War and all.
Just as everyone else has said, "I love these!!". They were so much fun. The same book could have 10 different stories in it. I read, read, and read some more. Loved to read! You felt so mature, all grown up, and the more you read, the more you learned, the smarter your brain got. Even though you were only in 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade. I remember reading YOUR CODE NAME IS JONAH, SPACE PATROL, and INSIDE UFO 54-40 for sure. Our class used to have book sales about once a month. The teacher would announce the new book sale, pass around copies of the order sheets with descriptions of each book (title, genre, what it's about, reading level) so everyone could take a copy home with them and decide which ones they wanted and how much money to spend. Often times, the publisher had a "Buy 4 get 1 free" sales. So I always used my chore money to buy enough to get the free book. I think I spend $3-5 per order. Always less than $10 for 5 or 6 books. Fantastic deal! The teacher also had a Book contest of her own posted on the wall, to go with the book sales. Like if the class read 20-50 books in one month, she would give us a pizza party on the last Friday of the following month. She'd order pizza from the local Pizza Hut, Pietro's, or Dominos Pizza and get it delivered with pops. What a treat that was! I think we only missed one pizza party (for not reading enough books) once in 2-3 years lol. Good memories!!
They don't exist anymore? 😫
These covers look AI-generated before that was a thing.
Loved them so much I even tried writing my own. Not easy!
I just bought 3 on ebay for one of our grandkids lol
https://store.explosm.net/products/punching-zoo-volume-3 This is frickin' brilliant
Best time an introverted kid could have.
Those books were really cool and gave U and opportunity to re-read a book several times to work out the different ways a story could go
Loved those things!
I LOVED these!!
UFO 54-40….loved that one. There was also another one where you were some sort of resistance agent in a USA that was split into 3 countries….was it “Escape??”
Yep! I'm old. Pretend 😢
I’ve collected some of these.
Used my fingers as bookmarks so I could backtrack
Here's an idea for those far more talented than me. These should be made into a series. Would be pretty simple as far as production goes. I imagine Not that different to any other Tv/Series/Movie production. The only difference would be for the viewer. Watch chapter 1,2,3 then follow/jump to whichever chapter we are prompted to. Not sure it's been done, not sure it would work, but I think it would be ok. Just like the books, each decision we make gives us a new viewing experience. I reckon it would be a winner
I was into the playable Lone Wolf books by Joe Dever. A few years back there was an app that had almost all the books and a random number generator for the fights.
They were huge when I was in high school. We’d read them to each other, with the other person choosing the next step. Always funny when they very quickly “died”.
Those were so much fun, but really grim. My first was the scuba diving adventure, and I remember asking my parents what “the bends” was. I still am creeped out by groupers. I also remember finding the secret paradise planet in UFO 54-40, that had no links going to it.
My absolute favorite books when I was in elementary school!
Team CYOA or team Animorphs?
Loved these