An interactive true story in 10 chapters

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:

1. Change reading speed
2. Show/hide subtitles on videos
3. Turn off/on audio.

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:

1. Text and images will automatically appear and cause regular (but not constant) moving of the text.
2. It will not be screen reader compliant.
3. Images do not contain ALT text.
4. Some images contain text as part of the image.

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: [email protected]

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

Terms of use

These Terms of Use (“Terms of Use”) govern your use of our Website. Please read these terms in full before you use this Website. If you do not accept these Terms of Use, please do not use this Website. Your continued use of this Website confirms your acceptance of these Terms of Use. 

Web site access

1.1 It is not necessary to register with us in order to use most parts of this Website but these Terms of Use cover use accessing, browsing, or registering to use our Website, if applicable.

Changes to these terms

1.2 We may revise these Terms of Use at any time by amending this page.

1.3 Please check this page from time to time to take notice of any changes we made, as they are binding on you.

Changes to our site

1.4 We may update our Website from time to time, and may change the content at any time. However, please note that any of the content on our Website may be out of date at any given time, and we are under no obligation to update it.

1.5 We do not guarantee that our Website, or any content on it, will be free from errors or omissions. 

Use of website

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.

1.8 You may print and download material from this Website provided that you do not modify or reproduce any content without our prior written consent.

Site uptime

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.

Intellectual property rights

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.

1.21 Our status (and that of any identified contributors) as the authors of content on our Website must always be acknowledged.

1.22 You must not use any part of the content on our Website for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence to do so from us or our licensors.

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.

Links to and from other websites

1.25 Throughout this Website you may find links to third party websites. The provision of a link to such a Website does not mean that we endorse that Website. If you visit any Website via a link on this Website you do so at your own risk.

1.26 If you wish to make any use of content on our site other than that set out above, please contact [email protected]

1.27 Any party wishing to link to this Website is entitled to do so provided that the conditions below are observed:

1. You must not establish a link to our Website in any Website that is not owned by you.
2. Our Website must not be framed on any other site, nor may you create a link to any part of our site other than the home page.
3. The Website in which you are linking must comply in all respects with these Terms of Use and contain content we deem appropriate.
4. you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it;
5. you do not seek to imply that we are endorsing, approving or are associated with the services or products of another party unless this has been agreed with us in writing;
6. you do not misrepresent your relationship with this Website; and
7. the Website from which you link to this Website does not contain offensive or otherwise controversial content or, content that infringes any intellectual property rights or other rights of a third party.

1.28 We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

1.29 By linking to this Website in breach of clause 1.23 you shall indemnify us for any loss or damage suffered by us as a result of such linking.

Virus

1.30 We do not guarantee that our Website will be secure or free from bugs or viruses. You are responsible for configuring your information technology, computer programmes and platform in order to access our Website. You should use your own virus protection software. 

1.31 You must not misuse our Website by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to our Website, the server on which our Website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to our Website. You must not attack our Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of service attack. By breaching this provision, you would commit a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. We will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities and we will cooperate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them. In the event of such a breach, your right to use our Website will cease immediately.

Disclaimer

1.32 All material contained on this Website is provided without any or warranty of any kind. You use the material on this Website at your own discretion.

Exclusion of liability

1.33 Nothing in these terms of use excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury arising from our negligence, or our fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by English law.

1.34 To the extent permitted by law, we exclude all conditions, warranties, representations or other terms which may apply to our Website or any content on it, whether express or implied. 

1.35 We only provide our Website for domestic and private use. You agree not to use our Website for any commercial or business purposes, and we have no liability to you for: loss of profits, sales, business, or revenue; business interruption; loss of anticipated savings; loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation; or

any indirect or consequential loss or damage.

1.36 We will not be liable to any user for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with: use of, or inability to use, our Website; or use of or reliance on any content displayed on our Website

1.37 We will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a virus, distributed denial-of-service attack, or other technologically harmful material that may infect your computer equipment, computer programs, data or other proprietary material due to your use of our Website or to your downloading of any content on it, or on any Website linked to it.

1.38 We assume no responsibility for the content of websites linked on our Website. Such links should not be interpreted as endorsement by us of those linked websites. We will not be liable for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them.

Law and jurisdiction

1.39 These Terms of Use are governed by English law. Any dispute arising in connection with these Terms of Use shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.

CYOD Ltd. (“CYOD” or “we”) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

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.

For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act), the data controller is CYOD Ltd., Building 15, Gateway 1000, Stevenage,Hertfordshire, SG1 2FP

If you have any questions, complaints, or comments about CYOD or this privacy policy, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected] , or by writing to:

Privacy Policy Administrator, CYOD Ltd., Building 15, Gateway 1000, Stevenage,Hertfordshire, SG1 2FP

General information

Our Website does not collect any personal information other than what you submit to us via the Contact Us form.

Cookies

Cookies are small files stored in your web browser which help a website to remember who you are. Mostly, their use is to help make your experience better – for example to remember your username when you visit a website, or to allow a shopping cart to work – or to gather anonymous statistical information about how websites are being used. They can also be used by advertising networks to offer adverts tailored to your browsing history. 

How do we use cookies?

On theboyinthebook.co.uk , we use cookies to store your progress through the experience and for analytics purposes, that is, to see which pages you visit and in which order. These are anonymous (they do not contain any personal information). We aggregate the information gathered.

We do not display any advertising, and therefore there are no third party advertising cookies. 

Opting out

If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can block some, or all cookies by changing your browser settings, or installing a cookie-management plugin/add-on. Please note, you will be unable to complete the narrative part of the experience if you do this.

Where we store your personal data

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.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Updating your personal information

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 [email protected]. Once identified, we will be happy to review, update or remove your information as appropriate.

Our Website may, from time to time, contain links to and from other websites. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.

Access to Your Information

The Act gives you the right to access information held about you. Your right of access can be exercised in accordance with the Act. Any access request may be subject to a fee of £10 to meet our costs in providing you with details of the information we hold about you.

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 [email protected].

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:

www.cyod.co.uk

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.