The California Gold Rush: An Interactive History Adventure (Historical Fiction)
Summary
This interactive chapter book draws the reader into the California Gold Rush within the first couple pages by having the reader decide to travel by land or by sea to California. Readers have to make choices throughout the book, allowing him/her to follow the different paths many gold seekers traveled with fourteen endings ranging from falling off a cliff and freezing to death while traveling through the mountains to striking it rich and becoming a millionaire. Readers are encouraged to go back and make different decisions to follow a different path with a different outcome. Along the journey, factual information is revealed pertaining to the California Gold Rush along with posters and drawings from the time. You just never know what is going to happen!
Discussion Questions
1. After following many paths and making numerous decisions throughout your journey, what types of actions or decisions lead you to the best/worst outcomes? Why do you think this is? How does this connect to your life today? What are some examples?
2. Why do you think most gold seekers never struck gold or became millionaires? If most never struck it rich, why did so many people decide to make the journey and try? Is there anything going on today that relates to this?
Author's Website
http://elizabethraum.net/files/Home.html
Other Books to Check Out
Interactive History Adventures:
The Boston Massacre: An Interactive History Adventure by Elizabeth Raum
Irish Immigrants in America: An Interactive History Adventure by Elizabeth Raum
World War II: An Interactive History Adventure by Elizabeth Raum
The Gold Rush:
The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush by Pierre Berton
The Gold Rush: California or Bust! by Emily Raabe
Hard Gold: The Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 - A Tale of the Old West by Avi
APA Citation:
Raum, Elizabeth. (2008) The California Gold Rush: An interactive history adventure. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
Other Sources:
Books in Print. (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.patronbooksinprint.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/bowker_shared/detail
/FullDisplay.asp?navPage=1&FullText=&DataSource=&Market_Uid=65278870&
Wow! What a great book choice. I love how it is a historical fiction book, but has the "choose your own adventure" aspect. I could see a lot of students wanting to read this.
ReplyDeleteI believe this would be a "high-interest" book since it places the reader in the driver's seat. Plus, this sounds like it could be read over and over again. It might also work well if paired with a story-writing unit. Perhaps students could write stories with two alternate endings. Just a thought.
ReplyDelete