WHAT IS THE BOY IN THE BOOK!?
This is a good question! Some people have called it a documentary, some refer to it as a game, and others see it as a book. You can make up your own mind, but it’s always a true story adventure that you control by the choices you make.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE BOY IN THE BOOK?
As The Boy in the Book has so many choices there is no exact answer. It all depends on the paths you take and how much you want to explore. There are 10 chapters and they will usually take between 5-12 minutes to complete - so you can experience the story in one sitting, or come back to it over a few sessions.
HOW DO I SAVE MY PROGRESS?
As long as you are using the same device and the same browser to access The Boy in the Book, your progress will always be automatically saved. Just click on ‘Continue Story’ when you return to the site and it will pick things up from where you left off (If you delete your browser history, all progress will be lost). To restart the story from the beginning, just click on ‘New Story’.
HOW MANY ENDINGS ARE THERE?
There are six endings in total - good luck finding them all!
CAN I GO BACK AND EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT PATHS WITHOUT RESTARTING FROM THE BEGINNING?
Yes, every choice you make is saved in your chat stream. To choose differently, click on a previous choice and confirm that you want to rewind - but doing this will erase all of your progress after this point.
ARE THERE ANY AGE RESTRICTIONS TO THE BOY IN THE BOOK?
We haven’t set any age restrictions but there is infrequent profanity in the videos and chat stream.
WHAT SETTINGS CAN I CHANGE?
Clicking on the cog icon in the bottom right of the screen will allow you to choose subtitles for all videos, set your reading speed, enter/exit full-screen mode, and turn on/off all music and sound effects.
Accessibility statement for www.theboyinthebook.co.uk
This accessibility statement applies to www.theboyinthebook.co.uk website and experience included.
This website is run by CYOD Ltd.. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this experience. For example, that means you should be able to:
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
How accessible this website is
We know that the experience cannot be fully accessible as it is part of the nature of the experience, for example:
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact: info@cyod.co.uk
Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of www.theboyinthebook.co.uk. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers.
This statement was published on 22nd June 2020.
Information About Us
www.theboyinthebook.co.uk is a website (“Website”) operated by CYOD Ltd. CYOD Ltd (“We”). We are registered in England and Wales under company number 08130123 and have our registered and trading office at Building 15, Gateway 1000, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2FP. Our VAT number is GB 182717296
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1.6 This Website may be used for your own private purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use.
1.7 You are also responsible for ensuring that all persons who access our Website through your internet connection are aware of these Terms of Use and other applicable terms and conditions, and that they comply with them.
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1.9 All reasonable measures are taken by us to ensure that this Website is operational all day, every day. However, occasionally technical issues may result in some downtime and accordingly we will not be liable if this Website is unavailable at any time.
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1.18 We are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights of The Boy in the Book.
1.19 You may print off one copy, and may download extracts, of any page(s) from our Website for your personal use and you may draw the attention of others within your organisation to content posted on our Website.
1.20 You must not modify the paper or digital copies of any materials you have printed off or downloaded in any way, and you must not use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences or any graphics separately from any accompanying text.
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1.23 If you print off, copy or download any part of our Website in breach of these terms of use, your right to use our Website will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made.
1.24 The Boy in the Book is not a Choose Your Own Adventure product. Choose Your Own Adventure ® is a registered trademark of Chooseco, LLC, which is not associated in any manner with The Boy in the Book, CYOD Ltd, or The Space. These works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved.
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This policy (together with our Terms of Use and any other documents referred to on it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By visiting you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy.
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If you have any questions, complaints, or comments about CYOD or this privacy policy, please contact us by sending an email to info@cyod.co.uk , or by writing to:
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Our Website does not collect any personal information other than what you submit to us via the Contact Us form.
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The data that we collect from you through our Website may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.
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If for any reason you wish to access, review, correct or delete the personal information collected about you, you may do so by emailing us at info@cyod.co.uk. Once identified, we will be happy to review, update or remove your information as appropriate.
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Changes to our Privacy Policy
Any changes we may make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.
The Boy in the Book is a creation by Nathan Penlington, Fernando Gutierrez De Jesus, Sam Smaïl, and Nick Watson.
It tells the true story of the discovery of a lost diary hidden inside a Choose Your Own Adventure book and the attempt to unravel its many mysteries. In the spirit of adventure, the creators went on a journey with multiple stories and multiple endings – but unlike the books in which the diary was found, this isn’t fiction...
Nor is it an ordinary documentary, as it’s YOU who chooses the path this story takes. Part film, part game, and part memoir, The Boy in the Book is a unique and compelling interactive experience in which you play the most important role.
Filmed over two years, and with thousands of possible versions, every play-through brings its own new experience. There is no correct path, and choices have different repercussions that can lead to very different conclusions. Will you ever find the author of the diary? And who will you meet along the way - a self-help guru, a sword-swallower, a seaside arcade owner, or some ghosts from Nathan’s past?
The Boy in the Book has been commissioned by arts organisation The Space, and is an adaptation of the award-winning live show Choose Your Own Documentary. It has been developed in collaboration with digital studio Joi Polloi, and illustrated by Jonathan Wilkinson.
Visit www.cyod.co.uk for further information or contact us at info@cyod.co.uk.
Here are some of the things people had to say about the live show:
"A love letter to the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books and a directive to live actively and make choices" - The New York Times
"Deeply nostalgic and dazzlingly modern" - The Independent
"An awkward, unusual, tender story about what it is to be awkward and unusual" – The Times
"A deeply moving testimony to the small choices we all make in our lives and the profound effects they can have" - The Scotsman
"That rare creature, a truly lovely show" - Evening Standard
"A uniquely immersive and human experience" – Evnt
"It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a cult lurking in some sodden Welsh valley, drinking Tizer, eating Penguin biscuits and devoting themselves to following the path of ‘Choosing Wisely’" - Geekocracy
"Funny, heart-warming, and utterly bizarre – there’s very few people today pushing the envelope of stand-up, performance and documentary making quite like this" - We Heart
Choose Your Own Documentary is a unique live experience. Combining intimate spoken word, documentary film, and an audience armed with remote controls. The result is an immersive, compelling, and surprising piece of theatre.
The show was co-commissioned by Southbank Centre, London, and premiered in full at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it went on to win the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award for outstanding new writing and innovation.
It received its first full London run with a two-week sell-out residency at the Soho Theatre. Rave reviews in the national UK press and sell-out shows ensured its return later in the year.
It has been an official selection at Tribeca Film Festival and Sheffield Doc/Fest, receiving nominations for the Storyscapes Transmedia Award and Sheffield Innovation Award respectively.
It has since been covered as part of BBC’s flagship technology programme, Click, featured in the New York Times, and been a Time Out Critic’s Choice.
For updates about future performances please follow us on social media, or visit our website:
Published by Headline books The Boy in the Book narrates another version of the story, one which focuses on the nature of obsession and the emotional impact of answering Terence’s cry for help. The result is part-memoir, part-quixotic adventure, as Nathan faces his own childhood demons with humour and honesty.
The Boy in the Book is a story about the dark places that can exist in any childhood, the sanctuary to be found in books, and what can happen if you actively choose a different path.
Available in all good book shops.
The following formats are also available through Amazon around the world:
Paperback - click here.
Kindle - click here.
Unabridged audiobook narrated by Nathan - click here.