The Oregon Trail: An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose: History)

You’re living in the United States during the time of the Westward Expansion. Settlers are heading west on the Oregon Trail as they seek better lives. Will you: Go west with your family as part of a wagon train? Serve as a trail guide for a group of settlers? Try to cope with the changes in your way of life as a western American Indian? Everything in this book happened to real people. And YOU CHOOSE what you do next. The choices you make could lead you to opportunity, to wealth, to poverty, or even to death.

History can take many paths and these entries in the You Choose: History series prove just that. After a brief introduction to the time period, the books use a “Choose Your Own Adventure”–style format that follows three fictional young people through historical ups and downs—including, sometimes, death. Complemented by archival photographs and reproductions, the brisk text highlights key events, people, and places. In The Oregon Trail, adventure turns sour as three young people riding along the Oregon Trail, guiding a wagon train, and heading for gold face being orphaned, food shortages, disease, hostile interactions with Native Americans, and other perils. Each title concludes with a chapter about the time period’s legacy and extensive back matter to encourage further exploration. Grades 3-6. --Angela Leeper

History can take many paths and these entries in the You Choose: History series prove just that. After a brief introduction to the time period, the books use a "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style format that follows three fictional young people through historical ups and downs - including, sometimes, death. Complemented by archival photographs and reproductions, the brisk text highlights key events, people, and places. . . .Each title concludes with a chapter about the time period's legacy and extensive back matter to encourage further exploration.-- "Booklist"

STAR REVIEW! These books are a great way to present historical fiction to young readers in a way that they will enjoy. The stories are fast-paced, realistic, contain a lot of good historical facts, and often involve life or death choices. . . .These unique titles should be purchased for any elementary school or middle school collection.-- "Library Media Connection"

Using a choose-you-own-adventure format, this entry in the You Choose: History series follows three ficitonal young people. Riding along the Oregon Trail, guiding a wagon train, and heading for gold, they face abandonment, food shortages, disease, hostile interactions with Native Americans, and other perils. A final chapter discusses the legacy of the Oregon Trail.-- "Book Links, Westward By Wagon"

Will you go west with a wagon train? Discover what life was like during Westward Expansion by jumping into a role where the choices you make could lead you to opportunity, to wealth, to poverty, or death.-- "Imagination Soup"

Matt Doeden is a freelance author and editor from Minnesota. He’s written numerous children’s books on sports, music, current events, the military, extreme survival, and much more. His books Sandy Koufax (Twenty-First Century Books, 2006) and Tom Brady: Unlikely Champion (Twenty-First Century Books, 2011) were Junior Library Guild selections. Doeden began his career as a sports writer before turning to publishing. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children.