Can You Survive the Wonderful Wizard of Oz?: A Choose Your Path Book

by Ryan Jacobson, Y. Shane Nitzsche (Illustrator)

Overview

Enter classic literature’s most famous magical realm, and make choices to survive L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in this Choose Your Path adventure.

You are Dorothy, the accidental adventurer. You’ve been swept away from your home in Kansas by a deadly tornado. Now, you find yourself in the Land of Oz, a fantastical world of witches, monsters, and talking animals. Every moment, your life is at risk. You must use your knowledge and courage—and plenty of help from your strange collection of friends—to survive such perils as angry trees, tiger-bears, and winged monkeys.

Adapted by award-winning author Ryan Jacobson with chapter illustrations by Y. Shane Nitzsche, Can You Survive the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? turns the classic novel by L. Frank Baum into a Choose Your Path book for kids. The survival story puts readers in control of the action. Do you have what it takes to traverse the road of yellow brick? Or will this dangerous route and its many obstacles lead to your doom? Step into this adventure, and choose your path. But choose wisely, or else!

Book Features

• Interactive adventure that challenges readers to survive the story
• Familiar characters on a magical journey
• BONUS: hands-on educational activity for families and classrooms

Interactive books for kids are more popular than ever. Create your own adventure with the Interactive Classic Literature book series for boys and girls. You’re the main character. You make the choices. Can you survive?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940647821
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Series:	Interactive Classic Literature
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.63(d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Ryan Jacobson is an award-winning author and presenter. He has written more than 60 titles―from comic books to Choose Your Path adventures. Ryan prides himself on writing high-interest books for children and adults alike, so he can talk picture books in kindergarten, ghost stories in high school, and other fun stuff in between. His most popular titles include the Constellations Activity Book, Can You Survive the Call of the Wild?, and Eagle in the Sky.

Ryan greatly enjoys sharing his knowledge of writing and book publishing at schools and special events. When he isn’t working on books, Ryan likes to build LEGO sets, play board games, and try new restaurants. He lives in eastern Minnesota with his wife and two sons.

Read an Excerpt

You say, “I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure they will worry about me. Can you help me find my way?”

The Munchkins and the Witch shake their heads.

“At the East,” says one, “there is a great desert. None could live to cross it.”

“It is the same at the South,” says another. “The South is the country of the Quadlings.”

“I am told,” says the third man, “that it is the same at the West. That country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West, who would make you her servant if you passed her way.”

“The North is my home,” says the old lady, “and at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this Land of Oz. I’m afraid, my dear, you will have to live with us.”

You begin to sob, for you feel lonely among all these strange people.

The old woman takes off her cap and balances the point on the end of her nose, while she counts, “One, two, three.” 

At once the cap changes to a slate, on which is written in big, white chalk marks: Let Dorothy go to the City of Emeralds.

The old woman asks, “Is your name Dorothy, dear?”

“Yes,” you answer, drying your tears.

“Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. It is in the center of the country and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of. Perhaps Oz will help you.”

“How can I get there?” you ask.

“You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm.”

“Won’t you go with me?” you plead.

“No, I cannot do that,” she replies, “but I will give you my kiss. No one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North.”

She kisses you gently on the forehead. Where her lips touch you, they leave a round, shining mark.

“The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,” says the Witch, “so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz, do not be afraid of him. Tell your story and ask him to help you. Good-bye, my dear.”

The Munchkins bow low and wish you a pleasant journey, after which they walk away. The Witch whirls around on her left heel three times and disappears.

You begin to feel hungry, so you go to the cupboard and cut yourself some bread. You give some to Toto, and then you carry a pail down to a little brook and fill it with clear, sparkling water.

You go back to the house and make ready for the journey to the City of Emeralds. You take a little basket and fill it with bread. Then you look down at your feet and notice how old and worn your shoes are.

“They surely will never do for a long journey, Toto.” 

Toto looks up with his little black eyes and wags his tail to show that he knows what you mean.

At that moment, you see the silver shoes that had belonged to the Witch of the East.

“I wonder if they will fit me,” you say to Toto. “They would be just the thing to take a long walk in.”

You take off your old leather shoes and try on the silver ones, which fit as well as if they had been made for you.

“Come along, Toto,” you say. “We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back home to Kansas.”

There are several roads nearby. Some are made of dirt and others of gravel. However, you search for more than an hour and come upon only one road made of brick—but it isn’t yellow. The brick starts as red, yet far off in the distance it fades to orange. You know your rainbow colors. Since yellow comes after orange, could this be your yellow brick road? It certainly makes sense, especially if the Witch’s advice was a riddle. Or is there another road that you haven’t found yet? Will you take this brick road, or should you keep looking for another route? What will you choose to do?

Editorial Reviews

Traveling is a way of bringing people out of their heads and into their hearts. In this book, Can You Survive the Wonderful Wizard of Oz?, author Ryan Jacobson has done just that. Through the characters of this rather philosophical classic, Ryan puts the reader in the driver’s seat on a hero’s journey down the paths of the yellow, orange, red, brick, gravel, or dirt road, allowing the reader to choose which to follow. While reading this book, I found myself both laughing and pondering the words of Glinda, the Good Witch: “You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power.” Our imaginations can literally take us anywhere, and this piece of Interactive literature allows one person to be both an active character and an entertained audience at the same time.”
—Amy Nelson, Lake Agassiz Regional Library Associate

“Ryan Jacobson sweeps you away on a vivid, imaginative, interactive adventure full of familiar characters. It’s the perfect introduction to Frank Baum’s timeless classic for both avid and reluctant readers.”
—Deb Mercier, author of The Empty Cabin

“Lions and tigers and bears, and so much more! Can You Survive the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? leads readers on a journey full of twists, turns, and surprises. Just when you think you’ve figured out the solution, the characters are met with a new challenge. You won’t want to put this book down until you figure out how to survive!”
—Kelly Dusosky, 4th grade teacher

From the Publisher