Samantha's My Journey Book, The Lilac Tunnel.
My Journey Books are a category of Historical Character/BeForever gamebooks that focus on a "choose-your-own-adventure" style of storytelling.
Details
Books are written in first person, in the style of a "choose your own adventure book." The unnamed protagonist in the book is female and mostly not described so as to leave the image vague.[1] Generally, she has at least one personal problem and/or skill in her life that relates in some way to the Historical character's life--for example, the character in Julie's Journey book is dealing with adjusting to her parents living in separate locations and the worry they might divorce, is unsure of making new friends at a new school, and is also good at basketball like Julie.
The protagonist encounters an item from the past--symbolized by the charm shown on the cover of the book--that, when interacted with, magically transports her to the character's era.[2] At first she arrives and returns with surprise that the item takes her back in time, but then decides to return for an extended time out of curiosity.[3] Soon after her return to the past era, she meets the historical character a little more properly, and they generally become friends quickly. The protagonist is often assumed to be someone who would be plausible to the story or manages to explain why she is in the era with a story which is easily accepted. (e.g. The protagonist of A New Beginning is assumed to be a recently freed black girl who has escaped north without her family; in Full Speed Ahead, Kit assumes from he start that that the protagonist is either a cousin come to visit or, if this is denied; a hobo child.) The protagonist and the Historical Character spend the majority of the book together until the protagonist chooses to return to her own time.
During her interactions with the historical character and others, the protagonist's issue or issues are often looked at in her mind, giving her a perspective she hadn't seen before. She also encounters social aspects of the past in the location that she hadn't realized (such as the protagonist of Addy's book encountering direct bigotry and prejudice, or the protagonist of Caroline's getting involved in a skirmish). She constantly thinks about her family, friends, and/or people from her own life as she interacts with the historical character and her world. While scary or worrying events may happen, none of the final endings are wholly negative or end too poorly, and the protagonist is always assumed to return back to her own present time without any resistance. She returns at the moment she left with a new perspective on her own life that is then applied to her problems and attitude about them.
All endings are available in the book, other than additional endings which are available online at BeForever Endings and are referenced in the book. If read as an e-book, clicking on internal links in the book take the reader to the online endings.
In 2016, abridged copies of the My Journey Books for currently available BeForever characters were included with the 2016 Special Edition mini dolls.
List of Journey Books
- Kaya: The Roar of the Falls: My Journey with Kaya
- Felicity Merriman: Gunpowder and Tea Cakes: My Journey with Felicity
- Caroline Abbott: Catch the Wind: My Journey with Caroline
- Josefina Montoya: Song of the Mockingbird: My Journey with Josefina
- Addy Walker: A New Beginning: My Journey with Addy
- Samantha Parkington: The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha
- Rebecca Rubin: The Glow of the Spotlight: My Journey with Rebecca
- Kit Kittredge: Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit
- Maryellen Larkin: The Sky's the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen
- Melody Ellison: Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody
- Julie Albright: A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie
References
- ↑ There are three notable explicit exceptions. The protagonist of A New Beginning is explicitly identified as African-American; the protagonist of The Sky's the Limit is named Sophie; and the protagonist of Song of the Mockingbird is a green-eyed redhead and self-identifies herself with the nickname Birdy. Also, while the protagonist of Music in My Heart is not explicitly stated to be, she most likely is African-American, or passes as such.
- ↑ The exception is the protagonist of Music in My Heart who must actively sing the verses of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" but can do so anywhere.
- ↑ The exceptions are Josfina's and Caroline's books, where the protagonist may instead opt not to return to the unexpected era at all, resulting in a very quick ending.