The lights in the back storage room leave a lot to be desired. You flip the switch, and the dim bulbs that hang from the ceiling buzz reluctantly to life. They shed weak yellow pools of color over the rows of shelves filled with blenders, cardboard boxes of every imaginable size, glassware, old signs, and other odds and ends. You’re pretty sure Hank never throws anything out.

As tidy as his restaurant is, you now know where everything else goes: here, in a crazy mess. It’s a giant version of the junk drawer in your family’s kitchen.

Fortunately, what you’re looking for is hard to miss. Two arcade games, covered in black sheets, are wedged between the center shelves.

You pull the sheet off the first game. On the side of its cabinet, a worried-looking cartoon man in an old-style golf outfit swings a club at an oversized golf ball. “Golf Blast” is splashed across the front of the cabinet in bright rainbow colors. This is not a game you’ve heard of before. You note its name and replace the sheet.

The next game features a black cabinet with bright blue, orange, and green beetles parading up the side through ominous-looking dirt tunnels. The controls are different. Rather than the standard joystick and buttons, this one has two gauntlets (presumably where players put their arms) and two large grips for your hands. The name on this game is “Bug-A-Lug.” You make a note of that, as well.

A soft noise sets your senses on edge. You remember closing the door behind you. Now, with a slow and stealthy scritch, the doorknob turns. Someone is at the door, and it sounds like they’re trying to come in here very quietly.

You scan the room, searching for a place to hide. You come up with two options: either duck behind the game cabinets or hurry to another door in the corner, which you’re sure leads to the basement. That’s definitely a better hiding place, but do you have time to get there? On the other hand, hiding behind the games leaves you more vulnerable, but you might glimpse the person who’s sneaking into the storage room.

What will you choose to do?

The Detective: You series takes the Choose Your Path book format to another level. Written for middle-graders, ages 9 to 13, these interactive mysteries cast readers as amateur sleuths who make choices that affect what happens next. Each book of around 140 pages gives children an opportunity to make about 20 decisions that help them identify suspects, gather clues, and use deductive reasoning to determine who’s guilty. Plus, challenging puzzles—such as mazes and secret codes—along the way, add to the books’ interactivity. The 5.25" x 7.5" books are priced below $10, and their video-game-in-a-book format appeals to boys and girls alike, including reluctant readers.