YOU VS THE POISON PLOT

You know the what, the where, and the when; now you have to figure out the who and the why.

When teacher Mr. Rosso collapses in the drama studio, the list of suspects is small: several students, a nervous teaching assistant, a loudmouth PE teacher, and a movie star (an alumnus who’s returned to judge the school talent show). One of the students is “you,” the unnamed young journalist narrator, eager to get a scoop for the school paper. Told in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, this series opener invites readers to navigate multiple paths through the mystery in the hours before the talent show. Will you go home and pretend you didn’t hear anything? Or are you committed to untangling a full-on murder plot? The stakes rise when someone tries to frame you! The cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations show the school grounds (including floorplans and a bird’s-eye view of campus) and the multiracial cast of over-the-top characters. Hicks introduces readers to detectives’ methods: Pages from your notebook show notes, clues, and brief descriptions of each suspect (“Levi George / Up-and-coming singer / Looks: Smug. / Sounds: Like an angel. / Smells: Like deodorant”). The humor will draw readers in, and the heavily illustrated style supports those who are ready to up the ante with a nonlinear reading experience.

An engaging mystery that requires active participation and rewards a sense of humor.