As a child, I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books. This book had many of the same elements but deals with Christian elements and takes the child through the time of Jesus. I think that this is a fun book that children will be able to enjoy while allowing them to step into history and learn through a fictional story. I highly recommend this book to children about 4th or 5th grade level (depending on reading level) as it can be fun for both boys and girls.

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a big fan of choose your own adventure books growing up. And of Jesus. I still am. Of both. So I was super excited when I came across this book! The story line is simple enough to read aloud to a 4 year old. But could certainly be enjoyed by a much older audience. I chose to read through as the servant girl. I'm not new to any of the things she encountered in the story, but my kindergartener would be. And seeing it through the eyes of another little girl would increase her comprehension. By the end of that story line I was definitely feeling the warm fuzzies.

ike Biblical historical fiction sometimes and I have always wanted to try a choose your own adventure type story so I thought I give this a try. Since this was my first choose your own adventure, I am not sure how common some of these elements are in these type stories. However, I LOVED that the story treats me as the reader, as the main character. I was given a little of my back story and I felt immediately immersed. I kept telling my husband while I was reading what was happening in my book life. For example, I’d be like, “O no, my mother left me when I was young.”

The book had three different choices on which character to follow and then several choices within that path. I would love to bo back and reread through some other choices, though I did at least go through every main character.

The stories took you through an event from the Bible and made you feel like you were there. Because of this, it did take some quotes from the Bible that I am pretty sure were KJV. This was very jarring amongst the modern language of the storytelling.

Overall, I thought it was too short and I was having a blast. I think this would be amazing for kids to learn Bible stories while feeling like they are actually there. There was also a lot of great end material to supplement the stories and help you find them in the Bible. It included a glossary of terms too. I am looking forward to getting this for my library as well as exploring more choose your own adventure books for myself in the future.

I loved “choose your own” kinds of books growing up. I was delighted to find this one. I think kids in mid-elementary grades would love it. Lots of great details on Bible times, and lots of “scope for the imagination.” I enjoyed it! My children are too old for this level, and I don’t have any children in my life at this level. But if I did, I’d certainly buy it for them.

I gratefully received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

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.

This is the third Choose Your Journey book that I have read and reviewed. I enjoy this series as it gives the reader an opportunity to make choices and see where it might have lead the character. This is the story of Jesus at the temple where he trashes the market in his Father's house and the aftermath of that event, which includes the healing of a lame man at the pool and the story of the Good Samaritan. They are seen through the eyes of a boy of Jerusalem, a servant girl, or a lawyer’s assistant, all young or children so young readers can identify. My children enjoyed Choose Your Own Adventure stories when they were younger and I think these will also be a hit with younger readers. Each story has multiple endings, depending on what choice you make, so readers can reread the book until he/she has read them all. The back matter includes references for all the events in the book. Readers can choose to read the biblical accounts for themselves in their original context. I hope to use this book with my Sunday School class, when we can return, and we will read the biblical stories after each adventure. I will definitely be recommending these for our church library and families.

Wonderful book for young, children. Some might need help with the bigger words but that is because they are biblical and hard. Loved the three different characters to follow and the multiple lessons taught in the different adventures! I also liked the Bible reference and glossary at the end. I am excited for my children to give this book a read! Would be fun for a family read aloud.

I think this would be a great addition to private Christian school libraries, but it won't work for my Islamic School. I like that the book is interactive with different choices children can make. The illustrations included are excellent, and the real-life decisions or questions at the end would be great for a book club or class discussion. Including a glossary was an excellent teaching too, and I would have liked to see a map of Jerusalem added.

What a fun book about Jesus! I remember reading these types of books when I was young. They are so fun because they allow you to choose the ending h and with so many options, this book is easy to reread countless times without growing bored of it!

Crossroads in Jerusalem is not only a kid-friendly account of some of Jesus' miracles and parables, but it puts the reader directly in the story - first person point-of-view. It allows children to make decisions and requires them to follow basic directions, so that they go to the appropriate spot in the book next.

Definitely a winner! The illustrations make it fun, but there aren't so many that it takes away from the story h there is still plenty of adventure to read in Crossroads to Jerusalem!

*Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a Biblical fiction story that I would love to share with young readers who already understand the true story. And it would even be interesting to young boys who are just beginning to enjoy reading as it lets them pick what they read. (Just make sure to explain it is still fictionalized.)

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

In Crossroads in Jerusalem by Elizabeth Raum the reader can embark himself in an adventure through the gospels narrative of the Bible while having fun in a "choose your own adventure" style.

The text is faithful to the Biblical storyline of the gospel and is engaging and winsome.

I recommend this book to anyone regardless of age and walk in life.

I was given a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Crossroads to Jerusalem is a fun book to teach kids about Jesus and His life. In the book, you can choose what person you are and what path you choose. There are extra choices you have within each path and there are alternate endings. I think this would be a fun book for any kid wanting to know about Jesus. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book! (This review is also on GoodReads.)

I've never read an interactive book. IT took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on.
Choose one path and it take you down that road but choose the other and even more possibilities open up for you.
Thank you NetGalley for a new experience!

I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid and have been wanting to reread them for a few years, so I was thrilled to see a Christian based story in this format. The reader is able to experience life in Jerusalem through the eyes of a boy, servant girl or lawyer’s assistant. I read all three character paths, each encountering Jesus during the Passover celebration leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. The boy is present during Jesus’ destroying of the temple and becomes involved in his own story surrounding wealth and morals. The servant girl storyline follows her path to salvation from the time she first hears of Christ. The lawyer’s assistant goes to the temple to hear Jesus speak, prompting the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The text is incredibly faithful to the text of the Bible, with KJV scripture featured throughout each story. I question why the author choose this specific Bible translation and not something easier to understand, as this book is aimed at young readers. The book ends with questions to ponder about how to connect the storylines of the characters to daily life and making good decisions. There is also a prayer, glossary and feature of where to find more information about each story in the Bible. Overall, this was a great read that I would absolutely recommend to the target demographic to deepen their understanding and knowledge of Jesus.

I received an ebook of this title from the publisher via Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

that was an interesting choose your own adventure, I really liked going on this journey. The characters were interesting and I liked going on this journey.

This was a good book and a very interesting perspective. I would have given it five stars, but there were a few times that I felt like the explanations of things were too in-depth and it pulled me out of the story a little. That being said it was only two or three times and the rest of the book was well done and worth it.

4 Stars, this is a great look at life during the life of Christ and what it would have been like.

To be fair, I have liked the idea of the interactive book as it seems interesting especially for kids, however, the content of the book was not appropriate for me whatsoever. I want to thank the writer, the publisher, the illustrator and netgalley for providing this copy but I did not like it.
This not mean that you may not like it, give it a try... You may like it.
Goodluck

Thank you, NetGalley and BJU Press, for a complimentary copy of this book. This review reflects my personal opinion!

First, I have to say that I read all the sections even though this is a choose-your-own-story book. I wanted to see all parts of this book before writing a review. I liked the characters, the plot, and writing. I believe that kids reading this book need explanations and/or background info on some of the Biblical characters, in particular younger readers and those not familiar with some of the characters in the Bible. With that being said, I think that the stories are a great starting point for discussions in individual and group settings.

What a wonderful idea for kids to experience life in the time of Jesus! I love the idea of a Christian “choose your story” and felt this was very enjoyable. I know several young people that will really enjoy this book. I love how interactive these stories are. You really feel like you are the character, and get to make real choices that mimic those we should make today about following Jesus. I would recommend this to any young believer as an excellent story!

Crossroads in Jerusalem
by Elizabeth Raum

BJU Press

JourneyForth
Children's Fiction , Christian

Pub Date 14 Nov 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Crossroads in Jerusalem through BJU Press and Netgalley:


In Crossroads in Jerusalem the reader is allowed to choose their own adventure, through the eyes of a boy in Jerusalem, a Servant girl or through a lawyers assistant. The readers will be able to see the power of Jesus’s ministry throughout Jerusalem.


One of the advantages of an interactive novel is that with each choose the reader makes the story changes. Allowing for the young reader to use their imagination.


If you have a reluctant reader, a book like Crossroads in Jerusalem might make them more excited about reading because it is an interactive novel, allowing the reader to choose their own adventure. It would ales be good for any young readers who like historical novels.


I give Crossroads in Jerusalem five out of five stars!