I don’t have any “9+” year old kids, in fact the kid I do have is more apt to chew on books than read them, so I’m a pretty hard sell on any apps that aren’t non-stop action and bright colors! That being said, somehow I had spent 10 minutes in Camp Myth and wasn’t bored yet!

The Camp Myth app is the digital extension/companion to the Camp Myth book series by Chris Lewis Carter. While the characters are the same, the story line is completely different, allowing the reader to make choices that affect the outcome of the story. The plot is actually pretty clever; a summer camp for mythical creature youth, to give them a break from all of the hiding they’ve been doing. The stories are centered around a Fae named Felix, obsessed with humans, Argee, the only nerdy Cyclops, and Moxie, some sort of manga-esque shape shifter fox with an attitude.

Felix the trouble-maker

Each summer camp merit badge they have to earn is an adventure. This is actually a nice plot device, because it brings in the in-app purchases (IAP) in a way that isn’t super annoying. You have the choice to either wait for new badges to be unlocked, or pay $0.99 to get them sooner. This way you keep coming back for more, and may even buy some of the actual books if you’re into it enough. That’s a steal for children’s literature; those books my kid chews on cost me ~$9 each!

The flow can be tedious, but is probably perfect for kids. The art isn’t bad, but it didn’t blow my mind, and could easily be brought up to speed with the cover art of the books. On the other hand, the music and sound effects were great. When you’re reading along, the sound gives you that extra layer of depth, making you a little more part of the adventure. Allowing the reader to make a few choices along the way is also a great way to get the reader involved. It reminds me of the “Choose your own adventure…” books that I couldn’t put down as a kid.

Like “choose your own adventure…” but less paper-y!

I admire how the author is making use of a multitude of different media to get people involved with the Camp Myth universe. There is even an upcoming role-playing game (RPG) due this month sometime. All in all, Camp Myth is a great argument against archaic mediums such as paper, and for free, there is literally nothing to lose by trying it out on your kids. It’s like a movie that requires a little more work… and this is a good thing.

• The good: Story line, pace is good (if you’re a kid), amazing sound
• The bad: The art could/should be better, story pace is slow (if you’re an adult)
• Price: Free (IAP available)
• Developer: Chris Lewis Carter (website)
• Rating: 4/5 Stars