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Item - Smoke Jumper

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(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(Original edition, first printing)
(ChooseCo reissue edition)

Combined Summary

Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 111
Choose Your Own Adventure (2005-) — no. 29
Alternate Title: Smoke Jumpers (reissue)
Adapted Into: Smoke Jumpers (Graded Reader) (Gamebook)
Author: Montgomery, R. A.
Illustrators: Louie, Wes (ChooseCo reissue edition - cover)
Peguy, Laurence (ChooseCo reissue edition - interior)
Johnson, Kevin (Original edition, first printing - cover)
Morrill, Leslie (Original edition, first printing - interior)
Dates: February, 1991 (Original edition, first printing)
March, 2009 (ChooseCo reissue edition)
ISBNs: 055328861X / 9780553288612 (Original edition, first printing)
1933390298 / 9781933390291 (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Length: 116 pages (ChooseCo reissue edition)
Number of Endings: 12
User Summary: You are a smoke jumper (parachuting forestry firefighter) in training in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. You hope to do your bit to fight fires and protect the environment.
Dtar's Thoughts:

This book is one extreme of the types of stories you can have in CYOA, in terms of character motive and story possibilities. I'd call this too deep and too narrow. This is almost the exact opposite of Space and Beyond. In this case, the introduction to the character and what they are doing is so long and their goal in the story is so narrow, that I as an adult find it hard to get interested in the story and wonder just how many young readers would maintain interest.

It takes forever for you to start making decisions, (page 11 out of 116) and then if you successfully make the obvious decision there, your next choice (what I'd call your first real choice) is on page 21. Slight spoiler: before reaching that first real choice you hear rumours of something that happened previously where "mysterious Indians came out of nowhere to help fight a fire." Seriously.

More reviews by Dtar

Jordashebasics's Thoughts:

I always expect Montgomery to put some craziness into his stories. In this case... there really isn't much too wild. There's some pretty standard adventure stuff, but there doesn't seem to be a mystical or alien angle to any of it.

This would normally be something I'd praise, but in this case, the rest of the story is too dry. It would have been nice to see something a little stranger take place.

Montgomery decides to do some character development on "you." There's a lot of material talking about how your father is dead, how you miss your relationship with your family. I looked around, and I can't find any reference to how your father died. It doesn't serve much of a story purpose, except to allow you to have introspective moments.

More reviews by Jordashebasics

Special Thanks:Thanks to Dtar for the plot summary.
Users Who Own This Item: aline, Ardennes, auximenes, bigcobra, bookwormjeff, dave2002a, Demian, Erikwinslow, exaquint, firefoxpdm, fraze, girtablilu, Himynameistony, jeremydouglass, jharvey79, Jordashebasics, JoshW, katzcollection, KenJenningsJeopardy74, kinderstef, kleme (PDF), knginatl (orig., reissue, Sundance) (orig., reissue, Sundance), Lullyph, MacbthPSW, marcfonline, mlvoss, nelsondesign, Nym90, outspaced, plowboy, Radical347, RetroReef, rolipo26, rtaylor352, SherlockHolmes, spragmatic, strawberry_brite, SuperAM2, ThaRid, waktool (Original, US 1st printing ($2.95)), Yalius
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Known Editions

Original edition, first printing
ChooseCo reissue edition

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