Edward Packard (writer) facts for kids

Edward Packard was born on February 16, 1931. He is an American author, famous for creating the Choose Your Own Adventure book idea. He wrote over 50 books in this popular series.

The special type of story Packard invented is called "interactive fiction." In these books, you, the reader, get to decide what happens next! Packard also wrote many other books for kids. Besides being an author, he is also a lawyer, writes essays, and creates poetry. He still writes books and shares his thoughts on his website. Edward Packard went to Princeton University and Columbia Law School.

Packard first thought of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" idea while making up bedtime stories for his children. He would ask them, "What do you think happened next?" His kids would have different ideas, and he would let them choose how the story continued. This led to the unique style where the reader is the main character and makes choices that change the story.

After he published his first three books in this style, a company called Bantam Books offered him a contract. This is how the famous Choose Your Own Adventure series began.

Biography

How the Adventure Began

Edward Packard wrote the very first book of its kind, called Sugarcane Island, in 1969. It was published in 1976. Packard explained that he came up with this "adventures of you" idea while telling bedtime stories to his three children.

In Sugarcane Island, you are shipwrecked on an island. You get to choose what to do on almost every page. For example, if you choose to walk along the sandy beach, you turn to page 3. If you decide to climb a rocky hill, you turn to page 5. The story changes and branches out like a tree, depending on your choices. You might find different dangers or treasures. Many paths can lead to an unfortunate ending, but you can escape the island if you make the right choices!

The Choose Your Own Adventure Series

The Adventures of You on Sugarcane Island and Packard's next two books, Deadwood City and The Third Planet From Altair, were the first examples of the Choose Your Own Adventure style. These books were the exact models for the famous series from Bantam Books. Packard was one of the main authors for this series.

When Packard's first books were published, their covers told readers how unusual they were. They said things like "Choose Your Own Adventure in the Wild West." Because this way of reading was so new, readers were warned not to read the book straight through. Instead, they had to follow the pages based on their choices.

Seeing how exciting Packard's "interactive book" idea was, Bantam Books started the Choose Your Own Adventure series in 1979. Edward Packard wrote the very first book in the Bantam series, called The Cave of Time. This story was about time travel, where the reader explores a cave that can take them to different time periods. Packard wrote over 60 books for the series until it ended in 1998.

Packard kept the Choose Your Own Adventure series exciting by changing the type of story with each new book. After a time-travel story, he might write a spy adventure, a space story, a western, a mystery, or a fantasy. In one of his books, Hyperspace, Packard even appears as a character himself!

Packard was the only author in the series who included a character that showed up in many of his books. This character was a scientist named Dr. Nera Vivaldi. She often helped the reader as a friend. She seemed to be ageless and appeared in stories set in many different times, even in outer space. In Hyperspace, Dr. Vivaldi even knows that she is a fictional character!

Books as Apps

In 2010, Packard started a new company called U-Ventures. This company began making "Choose Your Own Adventure" style apps for iPhones and iPads. These apps were based on some of Packard's original books. The first app, "Return to the Cave of Time," was released in August 2010. More apps were planned to follow soon after.