SOLVED. 80s or 90s YA. Creepy Wild West themed Choose Your Own Adventure type book. Scarecrow with pumpkin head on cover. [s]

[Rachel]

I read this book around 1992, may have been published slightly earlier.

It was an interactive Choose Your Own Adventure style of book, but not part of the original CYOA series. It was some kind of spin-off or rip-off of the original brand. I know there was a series called Choose Your Own Nightmare but I don't think it was one of those, and I'm also pretty sure it wasn't a Give Yourself Goosebumps title.

It was a spooky story (maybe Halloween themed?) set in the Wild West. I think the premise was that you arrived in a Wild West style town, possibly a ghost town, and something or someone was trying to kill you. I remember very little about the rest of the plot.

The cover had an illustration involving a snarling jack-o-lantern which may have been on the head of a scarecrow (or possibly a cowboy?) I seem to remember the pumpkin head figure was standing in front of an old fashioned wooden road sign, the kind with a central pole and signs pointing off in different directions with the number of miles to each town.

I think the title was something about a dead end, or Deadwood, or some kind of creepy reference to the name or location of the town.

It's not Deadwood City or Wild West Rider or Ghost Riders Of Goldspur.

Any help appreciated.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Try this website: http://www.gamebooks.org/

[Rachel]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[Cyrena]

Pretty sure I found it. "Deadlands: Boneyard" by Seanan McGuire. It's part of a series.

[Rachel]

Cyrena, thank you for your suggestion. The cover image is similar to the book I am looking for, but this is too recent. I'm looking for a book that came out in the 80s or 90s.

[Cyrena]

Oh I didn't even look at the copyright date, my bad!

[Amber (Daisymau)]

Here’s a list of Choose Your Own adventure type book series.

Twistaplot
Pick-a-Path
Plot-it-Yourself
Find Your Fate
An Endless Quest (A Top Secret Adventure)
Which Way Books

[Rachel]

Thanks Amber, I've looked through a lot of these lists already and I can't find what I'm looking for. It may have been a supernatural series where every book was a spooky adventure (but it's not Give Yourself Goosebumps or Choose Your Own Nightmare).

[Rachel]

creepy CYOA bump

[Rainbowheart]

Escape from High Doom?

[Rachel]

Thanks rainbowheart, this actually looks very plausible. I thought the cover illustration was more cartoonish but it's been 25+ years since I read it so I could be wrong. I'll see if I can find out more about the book to rule it in or out.

[Rainbowheart]

Hope that's it!

I found some more info here....

https://gamebooks.org/Item/1914/Show

[Rainbowheart]

Still looking, Rachel?

Did you ever figure out if Escape from High Doom was your book?

[Rachel]

I think this must be it, rainbowheart. Thanks for the reminder. Moving to Solved!

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome news, glad it's solved!

[Rachel]

You've helped me with so many posts here rainbowheart! I bow to your superior knowledge of 90s YA books :)

[Rainbowheart]

Haha, '70s to '90s kidlit is kind of my niche genre.

Always happy to help out!