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Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo Bananas! (Choose Your Own Adventure: Dragonlarks) by R. A. Montgomery
Your parents are inventors, and one day you rescued a robot from the trash that they didn't want anymore. You had a lot of fun with him, but boy did he make things go crazy Your parents weren't too happy about your robot adventures, but you really miss your friend. Can you trust him to behave himself, or is he about to go cuckoo-bananas in front of all your friends?
- GenresChildrensChapter Books
Paperback
First published September 30, 2009
32 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Montgomery
151 books119 followersRaymond A. Montgomery (born 1936 in Connecticut) was an author and progenitor of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure interactive children's book series, which ran from 1979 to 2003. Montgomery graduated from Williams College and went to graduate school at Yale University and New York University (NYU). He devoted his life to teaching and education.
In 2004, he co-founded the Chooseco publishing company alongside his wife, fellow author/publisher Shannon Gilligan, with the goal of reviving the CYOA series with new novels and reissued editions of the classics.
He continued to write and publish until his death in 2014.
In 2004, he co-founded the Chooseco publishing company alongside his wife, fellow author/publisher Shannon Gilligan, with the goal of reviving the CYOA series with new novels and reissued editions of the classics.
He continued to write and publish until his death in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 6, 2010
Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my ds.
This book is the new generation of what used to be the Bantam Skylark versions of the Choose Your Own Adventures. The ones your little brother or sister would read when they saw how much fun you were having with your own CYOAs. Now with a whole new look, and apparently a new CYOA publishing company no longer associated with Bantam (from what I can tell on site) these younger versions are in full colour, almost square in size, have nice large writing and are suitable for beginning readers. While recommended for ages 5-8, I found nothing that would be off-putting for an older reluctant reader. My son is 9 and has learning disabilities and just loved me reading this book to him as it is beyond his reading abilities at the moment. In fact I read it to him three times, with different endings and it has now moved over to his bedside table where Dad will get a few turns reading more possible endings.
He enjoyed each ending, whether it was good or bad, and just thought the whole book was a riot; this being his first exposure to CYOAs. We'll definitely be on the look out for more of these Dragonlarks. I'm very pleased with the new presentation and the return of the original authors. These books have a lot of potential to get kids turned on to reading.
The story in this one revolves around a robot that YOU made from scrap parts leftover in your parent's lab but he's always coming up with goofy ideas that get both of you in trouble. Today while your parents are away, you've been warned this is the last chance. No problems or it's the garbage heap for Gus the Robot. Gus is not afraid of parent warnings, though.
This book is the new generation of what used to be the Bantam Skylark versions of the Choose Your Own Adventures. The ones your little brother or sister would read when they saw how much fun you were having with your own CYOAs. Now with a whole new look, and apparently a new CYOA publishing company no longer associated with Bantam (from what I can tell on site) these younger versions are in full colour, almost square in size, have nice large writing and are suitable for beginning readers. While recommended for ages 5-8, I found nothing that would be off-putting for an older reluctant reader. My son is 9 and has learning disabilities and just loved me reading this book to him as it is beyond his reading abilities at the moment. In fact I read it to him three times, with different endings and it has now moved over to his bedside table where Dad will get a few turns reading more possible endings.
He enjoyed each ending, whether it was good or bad, and just thought the whole book was a riot; this being his first exposure to CYOAs. We'll definitely be on the look out for more of these Dragonlarks. I'm very pleased with the new presentation and the return of the original authors. These books have a lot of potential to get kids turned on to reading.
The story in this one revolves around a robot that YOU made from scrap parts leftover in your parent's lab but he's always coming up with goofy ideas that get both of you in trouble. Today while your parents are away, you've been warned this is the last chance. No problems or it's the garbage heap for Gus the Robot. Gus is not afraid of parent warnings, though.
October 17, 2024
I knew from the title of this one that it was going to be a wild ride, even by comparison with the original. The robot “Gus” is as comical as they get. One thing I would note about this one is that, by contrast with the original book where the robot’s name was blank and the reader could assign it a name themselves, the robot is given the name “Gus”. It’s a fun name I’ve grown to like, but nothing will beat the admittedly naughty labels I gave my robot in the original.
October 5, 2022
I enjoyed reading this aloud with my sons (10, 8, 4, 3). It held everyone's interests, and we took turns choosing the next decision. Once we finished one ending, we went back and tried another. Very fun!
November 2, 2021
I, Robot. This, Book.
December 30, 2020
Is this really a sequel to Your Very Own Robot? That's a difficult question. Many of the plot elements in Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo-Bananas! seem similar or identical to those of its predecessor, but there are important changes in continuity, as well. For example, your robot's name in this book is Gus, but in Your Very Own Robot it is you, as the reader, who gets to choose for your robot any name you wish. I didn't name my robot Gus, so I'm not sure why that would be its name now, if the stories are directly linked. Also, this book suggests that it was You who originally built your robot, whereas in the original book it was your scientist parents' creation.
Aside from all of that, Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo-Bananas! is a fun book to read, with choices that can take you down any number of unexpected avenues. Some of the decisions shade on the surprisingly subtle side, seeming to be nearly identical to a choice that came before. Be careful, though; making the same choice at two slightly differing junctures can have a major impact on whether or not you're able to navigate yourself to a happy ending.
Perhaps the element of this book that stood out the best was the full-color illustrations by Keith Newton. His artistic credentials are very strong, with the crown jewel being his work as a background animator on the full-length animated Disney films Pocahontas and Mulan. It's easy to tell from the illustrations in Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo-Bananas! that Keith Newton is an exceptional artist.
Overall, I would say that this is an enjoyable, zany story that doesn't take itself overly seriously and should be good for some fun. I'd probably give it one and a half stars.
Aside from all of that, Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo-Bananas! is a fun book to read, with choices that can take you down any number of unexpected avenues. Some of the decisions shade on the surprisingly subtle side, seeming to be nearly identical to a choice that came before. Be careful, though; making the same choice at two slightly differing junctures can have a major impact on whether or not you're able to navigate yourself to a happy ending.
Perhaps the element of this book that stood out the best was the full-color illustrations by Keith Newton. His artistic credentials are very strong, with the crown jewel being his work as a background animator on the full-length animated Disney films Pocahontas and Mulan. It's easy to tell from the illustrations in Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo-Bananas! that Keith Newton is an exceptional artist.
Overall, I would say that this is an enjoyable, zany story that doesn't take itself overly seriously and should be good for some fun. I'd probably give it one and a half stars.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews