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Item - You Are a Shark

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Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 45
Contained In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set 6 (41-45) (Collection)
Translated Into: Et converteixes en un tauró (Catalan)
Te conviertes en tiburón (Spanish)
Author: Packard, Edward
Illustrator: Wing, Ron
Date: June, 1985
ISBN: 0553249630 / 9780553249637
Length: 114 pages
Number of Endings: 14
User Summary: Your hike through Nepal leads you into a forbidden temple. As punishment for your intrusion, you must survive in the forms of several different animals in order to earn your freedom.
Countersound's Thoughts:

If you make your choices in a certain way, it is possible to never finish this book, as you can come back to the beginning choice and continue over and over again. In spite of this, it is a very creative idea to do for a book. Edward Packard also showed very good observations in this book, both as being able to think as an animal and being an animal with human thoughts. He shows the complexity of this, and even gives you the choice of being a simple animal. While you are not actually a shark for very long at all, this was a very unique book to read. One of his better works.

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Demian's Thoughts:

I first read this book a long time ago, and it has stuck with me since then. It's definitely a refreshingly original book, and while it's not always entirely believable, it's quite a satisfying read. When it comes time to transform, the choices never ask you specifically which animal you want to be, but instead give vague categories; this makes the book considerably more interesting than it could have been, since you never know what you're going to be next....

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Good's Thoughts:

You can become 34 different animals. You'll hate becoming a tree; not built well. Another thing, is consistently becoming human again, and you become a lion for a week in a cage! But...

This book was one of my best favorites. But if you read it as much as I have, the bad ends are too easy to skip! Packard sets it up too simply. Should have stretched it out much more! (And have a professor turn you into any animal instead!)

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Scrumptious's Thoughts:

I didn't like this one. Most CYOA books have something that you're trying to accomplish, but the only goal of this book is Don't Die. Too many of the choices are trivial. Do you want to be a large animal or a small animal? Do you want to be a land creature or a sea creature? If you get a choice while in animal form, it's usually just one choice. If you survive, you turn into a different animal. It's an original concept, sure, but not a good gamebook.

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