Colonial America

by Allison Lassieur

Europeans came to the American colonies in the 1600s and 1700s in search of a better life. They worked hard and built farms, homes, and towns. But they were still under Great Britains rule. Many wanted to make their own laws, but that meant going to war against a rich and powerful country. Will Travel to Virginia as an indentured servant? Choose between careers as a sailor or a soldier in Massachusetts? Decide which side youll take as the country marches closer to revolution?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, American History, Fiction, Choose Your Own Adventure

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2010

About the author

A professional freelance author who began her career in publishing as an avid D&D player, Lassieur worked for thirteen years in the publishing industry as an editor for magazines such as Disney Adventures and Highlights for Children.

She's edited game products for TSR, West End Games, and Sierra Online. In addition, she has more than two dozen nonfiction children's books to her credit and has contributed to such magazines as National Geographic World and Scholastic News.

Lassieur lives and works in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interactive history adventures take true life accounts of historical events and time periods and create a choose your own adventure format to help young readers explore the story. Colonial America has three paths - colonial life in Revolutionary Philadelphia, Massachusetts colonial life (be either a sailor or a soldier fighting in the French and Indian War) or life as an indentured servant in Virginia.

By far, this is the weakest of the series I have read so far. In trying to cover life in all three colonial areas (New England, Middle and southern) the book was simply spread too thin and didn't have the satisfaction of really exploring a choice beyond one or two decision points.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many ways to die! This book offers three primary paths either in 1645, 1759 or 1775. The first two seemed to offer more choices while the last was fairly linear with wrong choices leading to a quick end. The writing was solid and I enjoyed the time period. There are also a fair number of nice pictures.

If you avoided death and destruction, your story could go on for a bit and have a happy resolution. Still these aren't lengthy read throughs even if you remember to read the conclusion which is basically a quick history lesson. This is probably a better purchase for a school or library where many kids might read it. The value in a single reading is pretty low because of the length.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Put you into the events of Colonial America letting you make the choices about what will happen. 3 story paths, 47 choices, 23 endings.

The indentured servant part is interesting since my maternal grandmother came one from Germany in the late 1800’s as an indentured servant.

You’ll see that a lot of the choices ended in death or other bad luck which was common back then.

Footnote: 1) If you use sticky note to mark the place where you make a decision it’s easier to go back and continue with a different choice.

Fave scene: catching the big fish

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative book. I checked it out at the library for my 12-year-old daughter, and I read it to see how educational it might be. I was impressed. This book is a great idea to teach our friends and family about the colonization of America. even those of us with an "education" do well to review this book. I am reminded of things about family members who were among the first to live in this hemisphere.

[Odessa Poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Interactive History Adventure takes true life accounts of historical events and time periods, and allows you to have a choice to create your own adventure. This really will help young readers explore the story and colonial era. This will also keep kids engaged and ready to learn.

[The Moreno's · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Bea Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for more. The 3 story path ways are spread out over time, and I think I wanted multiple perspectives of the same time frame.

[Eyani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book to use in a 7th grade social studies classroom.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun book in the series.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colonial America: An Interactive History Adventure

A mix of historical fiction and nonfiction these books are incredible. They teach bits and pieces with a bit of background knowledge what was going on during the time. In this book you are in the Colonial Era of America and you get to pick you path. Are you staying in England or will you take your chance in the New World. Do you leave your land to the French of do you help your British brothers to protect your land and go to war? Finally do you take on the British to get your rights a American Citizen? This book gives you so many choices and so many paths. Not all the paths are the right one either and through this book you get to make the same choices the people of the time had to make. Some are easy some are hard; it’s all up to you, Make your Choice.

This book would be great for kids in the fifth and sixth grade.

This book is a good fit because in some cases the character of the book is their age having to make these life and death situations. It is also a good fit for them because they want to know what they would have done and where they would have ended up if they had to make the choice.

I would use these as a project in Social Studies. Kids would read the story and pick their path. When they were done they would share with the class what happened to them. As well as for a project, I would use this as individual reading time.

Lassieur, A. (2011). Colonial America: an interactive history adventure. Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press.

[Shannon Brasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to give students a very basic, high level history of colonial America. This book gives you three initial choices, to live as an indentured servant in Virginia, living in colonial Massachusetts, or Philadelphia right before the Revolutionary war. It was easy to feel like these choices were actually happening to you since your choices dictated what you read next in the story. The end of this book also has a plethora of further knowledge so young readers can learn even more about colonial America if they choose such as giving them other point of views to consider such as American Indian's and British soldiers, there is a read more section with four additional books to read about colonial America, a website for further research, a glossary, as well as a bibliography.

[Vickie Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books. My "reluctant reader" actually begged me to allow her to read this out loud to me. She loves making the choices and discovering the outcome. Reading is fun, as it should be.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students LOVE these. Great stories, filled with facts, makes the students think about the choices people had to make in history.

[RougeMyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good. For those who want to have a choice to go one way or another (or maybe a three way intersection!!) welcome to a new favorite book!!!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't get to all of the possible endings, but it seemed like a good book

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A choose your own path book. The concluding chapter about Colonial America does a good job explaining the three experiences addressed in the book. Colonial America is a pretty complex time period, books intended for children can only scratch the surface.