Can You Find the Jersey Devil? - (You Choose: Monster Hunter) by Blake Hoena

About the Book

In this interactive adventure, the reader who wants to be a cryptozoologist follows the clues to find the legendary Jersey Devil, which has been reported in the Jersey Pine Barrens since the eighteenth century. Includes brief notes on other New Jersey legendary creatures and ghosts.

Book Synopsis

Wild rumors are circulating in southern New Jersey. Stories are swirling about weird hoofprints appearing in the Pine Barrens, a mysterious winged creature flying around Leeds Point, and something sinister haunting Barnegat Bay. Could these tales of terror mean the legendary Jersey Devil is on the prowl? It's up to YOU to find out! With dozens of choices, you can follow the clues to the end. Which path will YOU CHOOSE to discover the truth?

Review Quotes

This snappy, interactive series casts readers in the "roles" of cryptozoologists/investigative reporters on "missions" to hunt for intriguing cryptids. Typical of this type of fare, different paths are suggested to readers every few pages so they can select desired routes based on given possibilities. Various choices and story endings are offered, and with so many options, students have lots to read and reread in these slim volumes. While they "explore," readers, addressed with personal pronouns throughout, also learn facts about the monsters, e.g., their origins, locations, what's known about them, and where they've been seen. Each volume opens with an announcement of readers' "assignments"; the final chapter in each title no longer involves readers as investigators but sums up facts about the monster (or, in the case of the alien book, facts about extraterrestrial life and space exploration). Texts are lively, written in present tense, and use vernacular prose, keeping readers and their "assignments" immediate. Occasionally, things get gruesome, and "no one knows for sure" is the ultimate conclusion. Catchy, kid-appealing covers and atmospheric illustrations and photos enliven the proceedings; maps are used where needed. "More ___Sightings," a back-matter feature in each volume, contains examples of other, similar types of the cryptid. VERDICT Recommended for public and school collections. The series's clever premise offers some action-packed, entertaining reading opportunities for good as well as striving readers.--Carol Goldman, Writer/Book Reviewer, Formerly at Queens Public Lib., Queens, NY "School Library Journal"