The Boston Massacre

Children's Literature - Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger

This book is one of the "You Choose Books," part of the "Interactive History Adventure" series. The book begins by setting the stage briefly in colonial Boston in 1770. Tensions are on the rise as British soldiers arrive and parade through the streets. Readers are presented with three options: be a 13-year-old apprentice to a wigmaker, serve as a British soldier, or be John Hancock's maid. When they make a choice, readers are directed to the pages of the book that describe the chosen adventures, with each episode concluding with choices such as "distribute the handbills" or "toss the handbills" for the wigmaker and "stay in the army" or "desert" for the soldier. After completing one track, readers can go back and take a different path. The text is accompanied by small illustrations that reinforce the action of the text. Back matter includes a timeline, reading suggestions, internet sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Reviewer: Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger