Power Of Flight

Power Of Flight

Pick-Your-Own-Path Adventure
"Welcome! YOU are about to discover what it's like to have a
SUPERPOWER! In this book, it's the power of FLIGHT that awaits you.
But having a superpower isn't easy."
I have many fond memories of R. L. Stine's choose your own
endings Goosebumps series. I read those books to Amber and Katie over
and over, trying different series of choices to create unique
narratives. Amber still has some and they're just about falling apart
from frequent use.
I was really excited to see Hena Khan's pick-your-path
adventure: Power Of Flight. It's out at just the perfect time. Our
kids will be out of school for the summer in a matter of weeks. Many
will want to have nothing to do with books over vaca. Choose your
path narratives tempt "reluctant readers" more than more traditional
volumes. I think it has to do with the autonomy they offer. Instead
of slogging through page after page after page they get to decide what
direction they want the action to go in at numerous points in the
story. It's a little like a video game.
"Never in a million years did you expect to be here, but in a
strange turn of events, your science project on bacteria growth in
fruit punch earned you a scholarship to the Summer Science Academy, a
two-week program for kids ten and up, based at one of the country's
best universities. Who would have thought that leaving a bottle of
fruit punch in your backpack for days would lead to this?"
The adventure starts at an avian science center. You and your
partner are supposed to participate in a scavenger hunt. Only you
catch her sneaking into a lab. You end up being scratched by the
talons of a big bird in a cage.
On the bus ride back to camp you start feeling sick. You end up
in the infirmary with a fever. The next day you discover that you can
fly. And this is where you make your first decision. The nurse has
seen you gliding out of a tree. Do you admit the truth or lie?
I spent an evening exploring the different plot configurations.
I also enjoyed the many illustrations that really add to the narrative.
If you have a kid about to start summer vaca--especially if they
can think of about a gazillion things they'd rather do than pick up a
book--consider Power Of Flight to be a very wise investment.
On a purrrsonal note, well we now have a Clean Sweep tally. In 2019
before the pandemic we'd set a record of $9,040. Lisa thought we'd
fall a couple of grand short because we didn't have a lot of big
furniture. But we actually set a new record of $10,011. Every cent
will go to student programs such as Black Bear Exchange. (Jules)
I love my new cat bed now. It's soft and fluffy. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who contributed to making
this year's Clean Sweep such a success!
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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