I came into this assignment utterly daunted by the idea of mapping out several possible, potentially inter-connecting outcomes from one segment of the book to another in House of Danger. Unfortunately, my nervousness was not unfounded in that I had great difficulty being able to complete my map. Several times, I found myself at various endings (whether they included death, an uncertain ending involving other dimensions/etc., or safety.) Still, I could not make my way to the end of the book–while reading through it repeatedly, I could not propel my character towards the latest pages in the book, which I found extremely frustrating.
Just as this book was clearly written for the reading level of a sixth grader (approximately), I felt like one, as well, because I felt helpless in trying to complete my map and finish the book overall. Each day, however, I was able to approach it and find myself further down various paths.
As a reader, however, I did enjoy the book in the sense that it inspired me to attempt to create a project like this of my own. Daunting as it must be for a reader, it must be adventurous and perhaps quite daunting for the author, as well. Nonetheless, the concept of the book interests me and it was an intriguing introduction into a genre of literature with which I had not previously been familiar.
It interested me that risky, sometimes-altruistic choices led to speedy deaths, whereas timid, erring-on-the-side-of-safety choices resulted in my character living longer or ending up in an entirely different reality (several plot lines were in play in my book.)