Every day when the bus reached his stop, I’d hold my breath, willing him to appear through the front doors. On the days he did, I watched him. He hung out with the sporty guys…Rio and his friends were always laughing. His brown eyes creased up when he smiled, and he looked so unbelievably cute.
Kitty has a big crush on a boy who travels on her bus. She’s never spoken to him, but he is surely the cutest guy in the world and she would do almost anything to get to know him. But would that ‘anything’ include turning away from her two best friends?
How to Get to Rio , the first a new series, is a tween novel with a difference. Whilst readers follow Kitty’s adventures, they also play an active role in deciding what she should do at key points of the narrative. In a form reminiscent of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ stories, readers are asked every few chapters to decide what Mia should do, being directed to a page to continue reading dependent on that choice. The decisions ask readers to consider dilemmas of friendship, loyalty and courage as they put themselves in Kitty’s shoes.
Readers in upper primary and lower secondary will enjoy the novelty of the format, the gentle romance and the sense of being involved.
How to Get to Rio , by Julie Fison
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2014
ISBN 9781742977744
Available from good bookstores or online.