Choose Your Own Adventure

Definition

A series of interactive fiction books where readers make choices at key points that determine the story's outcome and ending. Each decision branches the narrative in different directions, often with multiple possible endings ranging from triumphant to tragic.

Example Usage

I loved reading Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid because I could replay them and make different choices each time.

Origin

Series created by Bantam Books starting in 1979, pioneering interactive narrative in print media.

Fun Fact

The original series sold over 250 million copies worldwide and inspired countless imitations; the format has been revived multiple times and adapted into video games and apps.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

Related Terms

Advanced

analogous

Similar in function but evolved separately—like how birds and bats both have wings but took completely different evolutionary paths to get them.

🎓 Education / Academia

Advanced

Dissertation

A 300-page document written over five to seven years that approximately four people will ever read, two of whom are contractually obligated to do so. It's the literary equivalent of climbing Everest -- painful, expensive, and mostly done to prove you can.

🎓 Education / Academia

Advanced

cafeteria Catholic

Applied academically to scholars who selectively embrace only the theories, methodologies, or evidence that support their predetermined conclusions while ignoring contradictory data. Named for Catholics who pick and choose which church teachings to follow.

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

book report

An assignment in which a student reads a book and writes or presents a summary, analysis, and personal response about it. Book reports are commonly used in schools to assess reading comprehension and critical thinking.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

postdoctoral

The academic purgatory phase after completing your PhD but before landing a real faculty position, characterized by temporary contracts, intense research expectations, and questionable pay. Often shortened to "postdoc," it's where brilliant scholars prove their worth while surviving on ramen and hope. The career stage where you're too qualified for most jobs but not qualified enough for the one you actually want.

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

Paraphrasing

Rewording someone else's ideas in your own words while citing the source—like plagiarism's legal cousin.

🎓 Education / Academia

Translate This Term

See “Choose Your Own Adventure” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

How much you spend to gain one customer—a depressing metric that determines whether your unit economics work at all....