Review - The Book That Never Ends

The Book That Never Ends (Books That Drive Kids CRAZY! #5)
by Beck & Matt Stanton
Date: 2019
Publisher: ABC Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

For the Grown-Ups:

They say all good things come to an end ... but don't hold your breath!

You and the kids are about to zigzag your way through this book. Your choices will take you who-knows-where.

There's a legend that some people once found the end, but we're not convinced.

Oh, you think you can? Well, you're welcome to try.

And the kids will love it!

From the mind-boggling brains behind This Is a Ball, Did You Take the B from My _ook?, The Red Book and Wait! comes a brand-new crowd-pleaser!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Just when I thought I'd finished with this series, they come out with another book! Perhaps it's the series that never ends...

This book reminds me of the Choose Your Own Adventure books that were popular in the '80s and '90s. The premise is basically the same here: on each page, you choose from two or more options, and then go to the appropriate page for your next set of choices.

I wanted to make sure I saw all of it, so I read it straight through the first time. Not very interesting. So, on my second attempt, I read it as I was supposed to (note: this is not a simple thing to do with an e-book; it would be much easier with a physical book where you can flip the pages by hand). Anyway, it still wasn't very interesting, because I got to the end without having to circle around to any repeats. I guess my choices weren't that interesting (they also seemed to get me to the end rather fast, which was a little disappointing).

I guess this could be fun for kids who are too young for the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but it's probably going to be a bit boring for older kids. As far as this series goes, this book falls somewhere in the middle; it's not the worst, but it's definitely not the most entertaining of the bunch.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5