R. A. Montgomery
Raymond A. Montgomery (born 1936 in
Connecticut) is an
author and progenitor of the
Choose Your Own Adventure interactive
children's book series. Montgomery graduated from
Williams College and went to
graduate school at
Yale University and
New York University (NYU). Montgomery has devoted his life to teaching and education.
One of the most vibrant aspects of Montgomery's educational career has been his devotion to the
Choose series created in the late 1970s. Working with friends on an initial run of four books;
The Cave of Time,
Journey Under the Sea,
By Balloon to the Sahara, and
Space and Beyond, Montgomery would go on to pen more than fifty books for this series and its various offspring, including a series for younger readers and a series entitled
Choose Your Own Nightmare.
|
The original Space and Beyond (1980) |
|
The reissued Space and Beyond (2005) |
The
Choose Your Own Adventure series itself published 184 titles through
Bantam Books between 1979 and 1998. It was one of the most popular children's series of all time, with over 250 million books in print. Since its original publication, the series has been popular with both reluctant and advanced readers. It has also been used in classrooms from
elementary school to
college. At the advent of the Internet age, the series was used frequently in curricula focused on explaining the interactivity of the
world wide web to young children.
Montgomery and partner
Shannon Gilligan have turned their full attentions to
Choose Your Own Adventure once more. The series is being reissued through Chooseco LLC, in
Waitsfield, Vermont. The re-release has been featured in the LA Times and Newsweek magazine, and an electronic version of the first book in the relaunch, The Abominable Snowman, is available as an interactive download for iPod. Montgomery is in the process of updating 36 popular CYOA titles and looks forward to seeing children reading them again.
*2. Journey Under the Sea (1979)
* 4. Space and Beyond (1980)
* 10. The Lost Jewels of Nabooti (1981)
* 11. Mystery of the Maya (1981)
* 13. The Abominable Snowman (1982)
* 15. House of Danger (1982)
* 17. The Race Forever (1983)
* 20. Escape (1983)
* 24. Lost on the Amazon (1983)
* 25. Prisoner of the Ant People (1983)
* 29. Trouble on Planet Earth (1984)
* 37. War with the Evil Power Master (1984)
* 61. Beyond Escape! (1986)
* 72. The Brilliant Dr. Wogan (1987)
* 78. Return to Atlantis (1988)
* 83. Track of the Bear (1988) |
* 87. Exiled to Earth (1989)
* 90. Mutiny in Space (1989)
* 94. Blood on the Handle (1989)
* 96. Stock Car Champion (1989)
* 109. Chinese Dragons (1991)
* 111. Smoke Jumper (1991)
* 115. The Island of Time (1991)
* 121. Behind the Wheel (1992)
* 123. Silver Wings (1992)
* 139. Motocross Mania (1993)
* 143. Project UFO (1993)
* 153. Last Run (1994)
* 159. Tattoo of Death (1995)
* 161. Possessed! (1995)
* 171. Death in the Dorm (1996)
* 177. Killer Virus (1997) |
* Choose Your Own Adventure Writer's Handbook
* 1.
The Abominable Snowman* 2.
Journey Under the Sea* 3.
Space and Beyond* 4.
The Lost Jewels of Nabooti * 5.
Mystery of the Maya* 6.
House of Danger* 7.
The Race Forever* 8.
Escape* 9.
Lost on the Amazon* 10.
Prisoner of the Ant People* 11.
Trouble on Planet Earth* 12.
War with the Evil Power Master* 13.
The Mystery of Ura Senke by Shannon Gilligan
* 14.
The Case of the Silk King by Shannon Gilligan
* 15.
Beyond Escape!* 16.
The Secret of the Ninja by
Jay Leibold* 17.
The Brilliant Dr. Wogan* 18.
Return to Atlantis* A six book non-interactive series for YA readers entitled
Trio.
* A CD-rom called
Beyond the Wall of Stars.
* He is currently rewriting a 450 page draft of a novel about modern day China.
*http://www.cyoa.com The Choose Your Own Adventure Website
