MEANWHILE

All choices have weight, even the most banal. The beginning of this highly inventive Choose-Your-Own-Adventure–esque graphic novel prompts its readers to first choose between chocolate or vanilla ice cream—which leads them to endings from the utterly bizarre to the devastatingly apocalyptic. After choosing between the two flavors, Jimmy, the precocious young hero of the story, accidentally stumbles upon a mysterious science lab and the aloof Professor K. The Professor has three machines: a time-travel machine, a mind-melding device and a contraption that can control entropy. Through a twisting, winding maze of tubes and tabs, each choice leads readers to a new page, with unpredictable story lines ranging from the ordinary and unremarkable to the end of the world. Overall, this is a truly ingenious graphic novel in its construction; however, the plots for some adventures can be shallow, confusing or frustratingly circular, leading readers back to the same spot. With a hidden code contained within and flaws aside, this clever book should amuse for hours. That said, make your choice carefully. (Graphic fiction. 10 & up)