The Curse of Great Winter Academy

Illustrated by Gabhor Utomo
Cover Design or Artwork by Brian Anderson
"This thrilling mashup of boarding school, supernatural, and scary story tropes is the latest addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure series ... A page-turning, spine-tingling addition to a perennially popular series." - Kirkus Reviews

Break an impossible curse or die trying in this interactive book where YOU decide what happens next! Packed with 19 possible endings!

Choose Your Own Adventure books–the 4th bestselling children’s series of all time–are now available with even more pages, choices, and mystery for 10- to 12-year-old readers.


The Great Winter Academy for the Extraordinarily Talented is made up of students with paranormal and fantastical abilities. This year, YOU are one of three students who receive the impossible curse— retrieve a long lost heirloom stolen by the rival school, or die trying. Nobody has successfully broken the curse before, and many have met grisly ends. Will you try to find a way out of your curse? Or will you infiltrate the ranks of your rivals?
JESSIKA FLECK is the author of Murder at the Old Willow Boarding School, The Castaways, and The Offering Duology (Beware the Night and Defy the Sun). She lives in Illinois.
"This thrilling mashup of boarding school, supernatural, and scary story tropes is the latest addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

As a ninth grader at the Great Winter Academy for the Extraordinarily Gifted Students, you, Mildred Mendelson, have been chosen by the enigmatic Society of Misfits to break the Impossible Curse. You, your best friend, Annie, and new kid Lyle (who uses they/them pronouns) have until the next full moon to retrieve a stolen artifact from your rival school and thereby break the Curse—or die. Will your abilities to communicate with and animate dolls, Annie’s mimicry skills, and Lyle’s facility with water be up to the task? Maybe you should try to break the Alternative Curse with your close friend and crush, Arthur, instead? Your success depends on the choices you make as the twisty plot unfurls. This plot-driven adventure maintains a brisk pace, with readers making decisions every few pages. The 19 different endings include outcomes such as death, breaking the Impossible Curse, exposing the secret society, and becoming the society’s new Alpha. The characters’ motivations and allegiances change depending on what readers choose, but the supernatural powers remain constant. Those occult abilities plus scary (but never gory) elements—ghosts, creepy dolls and clowns, Zombie Cats—reward multiple readings. Occasional grayscale illustrations provide visual support; in them, most characters present white, while Lyle has dark skin and curly black hair.

A page-turning, spine-tingling addition to a perennially popular series. (Paranormal. 9-12)" - Kirkus Reviews
Preview Page 01
Preview Page 02
Preview Page 03
Preview Page 04

About

"This thrilling mashup of boarding school, supernatural, and scary story tropes is the latest addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure series ... A page-turning, spine-tingling addition to a perennially popular series." - Kirkus Reviews

Break an impossible curse or die trying in this interactive book where YOU decide what happens next! Packed with 19 possible endings!

Choose Your Own Adventure books–the 4th bestselling children’s series of all time–are now available with even more pages, choices, and mystery for 10- to 12-year-old readers.


The Great Winter Academy for the Extraordinarily Talented is made up of students with paranormal and fantastical abilities. This year, YOU are one of three students who receive the impossible curse— retrieve a long lost heirloom stolen by the rival school, or die trying. Nobody has successfully broken the curse before, and many have met grisly ends. Will you try to find a way out of your curse? Or will you infiltrate the ranks of your rivals?

Author

JESSIKA FLECK is the author of Murder at the Old Willow Boarding School, The Castaways, and The Offering Duology (Beware the Night and Defy the Sun). She lives in Illinois.

Praise

"This thrilling mashup of boarding school, supernatural, and scary story tropes is the latest addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

As a ninth grader at the Great Winter Academy for the Extraordinarily Gifted Students, you, Mildred Mendelson, have been chosen by the enigmatic Society of Misfits to break the Impossible Curse. You, your best friend, Annie, and new kid Lyle (who uses they/them pronouns) have until the next full moon to retrieve a stolen artifact from your rival school and thereby break the Curse—or die. Will your abilities to communicate with and animate dolls, Annie’s mimicry skills, and Lyle’s facility with water be up to the task? Maybe you should try to break the Alternative Curse with your close friend and crush, Arthur, instead? Your success depends on the choices you make as the twisty plot unfurls. This plot-driven adventure maintains a brisk pace, with readers making decisions every few pages. The 19 different endings include outcomes such as death, breaking the Impossible Curse, exposing the secret society, and becoming the society’s new Alpha. The characters’ motivations and allegiances change depending on what readers choose, but the supernatural powers remain constant. Those occult abilities plus scary (but never gory) elements—ghosts, creepy dolls and clowns, Zombie Cats—reward multiple readings. Occasional grayscale illustrations provide visual support; in them, most characters present white, while Lyle has dark skin and curly black hair.

A page-turning, spine-tingling addition to a perennially popular series. (Paranormal. 9-12)" - Kirkus Reviews

Photos

Preview Page 01
Preview Page 02
Preview Page 03
Preview Page 04

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Join us this month and beyond to celebrate the cultures and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Browse a curated selection of fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators that we are sure your students will love. Find our collections of titles here: Elementary

Read more

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more