Crossroads In Jerusalem

Crossroads in Jerusalem

by Elizabeth Raum

In this book, the reader is the main character. You begin your journey by selecting your character: a young boy, a young girl, or a lawyer's apprentice, all set in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus's preaching. As your journey continues, you select your path. The different combinations result in many different stories within this short book.

I have always been a fan of interactive books and was excited to read this story. However, even though I knew this book was geared towards children, I found myself disappointed. While the stories were interesting and engaging, I was not thrilled with the bible passages, including Jesus's teachings. There are many English versions of the bible and I think a book for elementary students should use a translation children can understand. I think a lot of the message the author was trying to teach would go over a young reader's head. I am a grown adult very familiar with scripture and had difficulty reading several of the passages because of their awkwardness.

I also had some issues with the narration. Again, I know this story is meant for children, but I felt there was a lot of summarization and not a lot of interaction. I would have liked to see more world building and descriptions and more dialogue instead of brief summaries of what was being said. Despite the fact that this is an interactive story, I felt more like I was being told a story than living it.

I read through every possible combination of stories and nearly every ending felt rushed. I would have liked to have seen more character growth, maybe ending each one with a bible passage, as some did.

Despite its flaws, however, I did enjoy the story and plan on sharing it with my children. Overall, I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.