Hicks, Josh. You vs the Poison Plot. Josh Hicks, Illus. You vs: A Choose Your Path Mystery. Candlewick, 10/2026. 212pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-5362-4385-7. GRADES 3–6. ADDITIONAL.
In this choose your own adventure style book, readers follow various clues to find out what happened to the drama teacher. While many of the choices involve the reader choosing one of two choices at the bottom of a page, several pages are different, featuring b&w sketched room drawings with various page destinations scattered around the room, each attached to a choice. Often, these choices wind about before bringing the reader back to that same page, where they’re forced to make a different choice. This mystery takes place in a middle school, with a variety of possible people, students, and items that may be involved with the poisoning of the drama teacher. The first-person investigator is the school newspaper reporter who sets out to solve the mystery – before the student talent show concludes and the winner is announced Many twists and turns ensue, along with many that readers may never end up at, unless doing much careful backtracking through the plot choices. Simple sketched illustrations enhance many of the pages, providing additional details and clues that help bring the story to life.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library