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American Girl: Caroline
Catch the Wind: My Journey With Caroline
What if you suddenly found yourself in Caroline's world, right in the middle of the War of 1812? How would it feel to know your home is under attack--and how would you stay strong during such a scary time? Join Caroline on adventures where the two of you could find ways to help the Americans win, confront a possible spy, or even plunge headfirst into ice-cold Lake Ontario! Your journey back in time can take whatever twists and turns you choose, as you select from a variety of exciting options in this multiple-ending story.
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
11 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Ernst
57 books382 followersI grew up in Maryland, in a house full of books! Both of my parents were avid readers, thank goodness. Before we traveled to a new area, my librarian-mom used to bring home historical novels set in that place. It was a great way to get excited about history.
I began writing stories when I was maybe 10 or 11. At 15 I wrote my first novel; I sold my first novel to a publisher 20 years later! Writing was my hobby, so during those two decades I just kept practicing, reading, writing some more. What a thrill to finally hold my first book in my hand! Still, I write because I enjoy the process (at least most of the time).
For years I wrote while working at other day jobs. I spent 12 years working at a huge historic site, which was a perfect spot for someone interested in historical fiction. I also developed and scripted instructional videos for public television. Finally, though, it got to be too much to juggle. I now write full-time, and consider myself enormously fortunate to do something I love.
I began writing stories when I was maybe 10 or 11. At 15 I wrote my first novel; I sold my first novel to a publisher 20 years later! Writing was my hobby, so during those two decades I just kept practicing, reading, writing some more. What a thrill to finally hold my first book in my hand! Still, I write because I enjoy the process (at least most of the time).
For years I wrote while working at other day jobs. I spent 12 years working at a huge historic site, which was a perfect spot for someone interested in historical fiction. I also developed and scripted instructional videos for public television. Finally, though, it got to be too much to juggle. I now write full-time, and consider myself enormously fortunate to do something I love.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 9, 2014
I used to get the Pleasant Company catalogs for American Girl and would page through them, wanting each and every one of the dolls. I never got one, but I could go to the library and check out the American Girl books. Since Mattel bought American Girl, they've played around with the focus and product offerings. The latest is a line of choose your own adventure American Girl books. As a fan of both, I couldn't resist giving them a whirl.
The actual CYOA element could be deployed much better. You don't get to make many choices. Most of the time a section tells you to flip to the next page (or to another specific page). It's maybe one in six sections that you actually get to make a choice. Some of the storylines end very quickly, and one per book requires you to go online to read the ending. I really didn't like that element -- I had to stop and boot up my computer to read maybe six pages. It's a good idea but needs some tweaking.
I do like that each book includes a short introduction to the history of the time at the back. Caroline's story takes place during the War of 1812, near the Canadian border. It's a war I wouldn't expect the elementary-school-age audience to be very (if at all) familiar with.
In this story, you take the place of a young girl with a Navy mom who is about to be deployed and younger twin sisters. You travel back to Caroline's time using a compass. There, by Lake Ontario, you meet Caroline, whose father is a prisoner of war. Caroline is one of the American Girls who was after my time, so her story was new to me, but easy to pick up. There's lots of exciting storylines, including one involving a naval battle.
I like that CATCH THE WIND was very easy to read. I think my eight-year-old niece could manage, especially since it is divided it to short sections. This one is a good choice for a girl who is interested in war history or who has a parent in the military. Or, perhaps, for a girl who has to stick with the books because a doll is out of le parent's budget.
The actual CYOA element could be deployed much better. You don't get to make many choices. Most of the time a section tells you to flip to the next page (or to another specific page). It's maybe one in six sections that you actually get to make a choice. Some of the storylines end very quickly, and one per book requires you to go online to read the ending. I really didn't like that element -- I had to stop and boot up my computer to read maybe six pages. It's a good idea but needs some tweaking.
I do like that each book includes a short introduction to the history of the time at the back. Caroline's story takes place during the War of 1812, near the Canadian border. It's a war I wouldn't expect the elementary-school-age audience to be very (if at all) familiar with.
In this story, you take the place of a young girl with a Navy mom who is about to be deployed and younger twin sisters. You travel back to Caroline's time using a compass. There, by Lake Ontario, you meet Caroline, whose father is a prisoner of war. Caroline is one of the American Girls who was after my time, so her story was new to me, but easy to pick up. There's lots of exciting storylines, including one involving a naval battle.
I like that CATCH THE WIND was very easy to read. I think my eight-year-old niece could manage, especially since it is divided it to short sections. This one is a good choice for a girl who is interested in war history or who has a parent in the military. Or, perhaps, for a girl who has to stick with the books because a doll is out of le parent's budget.
May 5, 2025
I like the arc of the MC way more in this one than in Felicity's book. The ending I got was pretty abrupt, only about 60 pages in, but I thumbed through some of the others and they were pretty fun. Not bad!
May 21, 2020
The narrator starts off very whiny. It’s amazing no one suspected her of anything considering that she often used modern slang.
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June 15, 2024Listen, I love Caroline. I don't totally mind the choose your own adventure aspect either. But I feel this is a pretty weak story. I think this honestly might be the worst of the CYOA books (at the time of the review, I have not read Felicity's CYOA).
I think I'm bothered that one of the choices is literally just going back to the current day after meeting Caroline for one second. Usually the characters do go back to their current time for a moment and then come back. But the unknown character goes back to current day and that's the literal end. What a cop-out.
I understand the unknown character is going to miss their mom, but yikes, it was pretty jarring to see the whiny that happened right away. I just wasn't a fan of the overall tone in comparison to the other COYA books.
I think I'm bothered that one of the choices is literally just going back to the current day after meeting Caroline for one second. Usually the characters do go back to their current time for a moment and then come back. But the unknown character goes back to current day and that's the literal end. What a cop-out.
I understand the unknown character is going to miss their mom, but yikes, it was pretty jarring to see the whiny that happened right away. I just wasn't a fan of the overall tone in comparison to the other COYA books.
November 16, 2014
*Book received through the Amazon Vine Program*
American Girl has relaunched their historical characters as Beforever and in doing that, released new books for several of their characters. Caroline is one of American Girls newest characters and her stories take place during the War of 1812.
"Catch the Wind" is a Choose Your Own Journey type of book. The book starts with a girl in current times being upset that her mother is about to leave because she is in the US Navy. The girl is upset because she doesn't want her mom to go and she doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of her twin sisters. Her mother gives her a compass and the compass magically takes the girl to 1812 where she meets Caroline. From there you choose to go on a mission to try capture a British enemy ship or spend time with Caroline's family, among other choices. Caroline is a fun guide and you also see Caroline's mother, grandmother, some of the workers in the shipyard, and a couple characters that are new. The book takes place after Caroline's father is captured by the British. I would say that this book takes place in between "Meet Caroline" and "Caroline's Secret Message".
Overall, I liked the book just fine. I've read all of Caroline's books and she's a gorgeous doll. I think that the only thing I didn't like about this book is the unnamed main character from current times. I kind of found her to be a bit bratty and rude in some parts of the book. That's why I gave the book four stars instead of five. But this book is a fun way to learn more about the War of 1812 and how society was during Caroline's time.
A must for any American Girl fan
American Girl has relaunched their historical characters as Beforever and in doing that, released new books for several of their characters. Caroline is one of American Girls newest characters and her stories take place during the War of 1812.
"Catch the Wind" is a Choose Your Own Journey type of book. The book starts with a girl in current times being upset that her mother is about to leave because she is in the US Navy. The girl is upset because she doesn't want her mom to go and she doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of her twin sisters. Her mother gives her a compass and the compass magically takes the girl to 1812 where she meets Caroline. From there you choose to go on a mission to try capture a British enemy ship or spend time with Caroline's family, among other choices. Caroline is a fun guide and you also see Caroline's mother, grandmother, some of the workers in the shipyard, and a couple characters that are new. The book takes place after Caroline's father is captured by the British. I would say that this book takes place in between "Meet Caroline" and "Caroline's Secret Message".
Overall, I liked the book just fine. I've read all of Caroline's books and she's a gorgeous doll. I think that the only thing I didn't like about this book is the unnamed main character from current times. I kind of found her to be a bit bratty and rude in some parts of the book. That's why I gave the book four stars instead of five. But this book is a fun way to learn more about the War of 1812 and how society was during Caroline's time.
A must for any American Girl fan
December 2, 2014
As an avid reader of Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child, i was delighted to see this series on the shelves. Not just CYOA, but historical stories geared toward girls and encouraging agency! I was so excited.
That excitement lasted a whole few pages into this book.
First off, no matter what choice you make, everything works out fine. Better than fine, in fact. There are no 'wrong' choices in the entire book. I kept waiting for some 'turn to page' to result in something, anything, less than perfect. Even a torn hem or bruised elbow. Nope.
Second, Caroline's a complete pushover. "I want to go!" she says, and you say, "Nah, let's stay," and she says, "Ok, you're probably right, it's better to stay."
Third, while ostensibly set during the war of 1812, there's almost nothing in this that's historical, accurate or not. Change 'cannons' to 'laser guns' and 'schooner' to 'shuttlecraft' and this could be a scifi story.
I like that the book is trying to teach girls that women can be strong. From the 'girl like you' whose mother has joined the navy, to Caroline's mom who's running the shipyard while her father is off at war, there are a lot of overt 'girls can be strong' messages. But undercutting all of this is Caroline's complete passivity. You get the sense that she can't even decide which color socks to wear in the morning without guidance.
That excitement lasted a whole few pages into this book.
First off, no matter what choice you make, everything works out fine. Better than fine, in fact. There are no 'wrong' choices in the entire book. I kept waiting for some 'turn to page' to result in something, anything, less than perfect. Even a torn hem or bruised elbow. Nope.
Second, Caroline's a complete pushover. "I want to go!" she says, and you say, "Nah, let's stay," and she says, "Ok, you're probably right, it's better to stay."
Third, while ostensibly set during the war of 1812, there's almost nothing in this that's historical, accurate or not. Change 'cannons' to 'laser guns' and 'schooner' to 'shuttlecraft' and this could be a scifi story.
I like that the book is trying to teach girls that women can be strong. From the 'girl like you' whose mother has joined the navy, to Caroline's mom who's running the shipyard while her father is off at war, there are a lot of overt 'girls can be strong' messages. But undercutting all of this is Caroline's complete passivity. You get the sense that she can't even decide which color socks to wear in the morning without guidance.
January 28, 2015
An unnamed modern girl is upset and worried because her mom has recently joined the U.S. Navy and is about to leave to serve on a ship for several months. The modern girl feels the burden of being the oldest child and having to help out around the house, on top of her worries about her mother. When her mother gives her an antique compass that belonged to an ancestor who fought in the War of 1812, main character time travels to 1812 where she meets Caroline. She has a number of things she can do with Caroline: working at the shipyard or helping the Navy, doing chores and participating in Caroline's daily life. Caroline loves sailing more than anything, but main character is afraid. Should she catch the wind with Caroline or stay on dry land? These options lead to more options.
I really liked this book. It's by Kathleen Ernst who wrote Caroline's core series. She has done extensive research and worked at a living history museum so she knows what she's writing about. It adds an extra level of authenticity to the mundane details of Caroline's life. I really enjoyed that aspect of the stories. Some of the options are very Caroline. I preferred the main character. Caroline can be reckless and though her heart is in the right place, I didn't agree with her decisions. I liked the main character who is cautious and uses the lessons her parents taught her to make good decisions.
I really liked this book. It's by Kathleen Ernst who wrote Caroline's core series. She has done extensive research and worked at a living history museum so she knows what she's writing about. It adds an extra level of authenticity to the mundane details of Caroline's life. I really enjoyed that aspect of the stories. Some of the options are very Caroline. I preferred the main character. Caroline can be reckless and though her heart is in the right place, I didn't agree with her decisions. I liked the main character who is cautious and uses the lessons her parents taught her to make good decisions.
January 5, 2026
2.5 stars, rounded up.
This choose your own adventure story is very tame. That's fine in the other American Girl CYOA books, because nobody is expecting anything wild to happen when a girl travels back to the 1950s. However, this book is set during The War of 1812, and Caroline's original series involves some danger and suspense, so you'd think that this story would involve some tougher choices and occasional bad outcomes. But no matter which path you choose in the story, any danger is always swiftly resolved, everything works out, and nothing goes seriously wrong.
The message about how girls can be strong feels preachy and forced at times, especially since it's repeated in similar ways throughout all the storylines. The main character's mother serves in the U.S. Navy, which provides a fairly good framing device for the story, but the messages about this were really heavy-handed. Also, the author didn't capitalize the Navy consistently throughout the book.
On a different note, what is the obsession with twins in this series? In both the Maryellen and Rebecca books, the girl who travels back in time is a twin, and in this one, the main character's younger sisters are twins. I thought that the twin storyline in the Maryellen book was compelling, but now it's getting weird.
This choose your own adventure story is very tame. That's fine in the other American Girl CYOA books, because nobody is expecting anything wild to happen when a girl travels back to the 1950s. However, this book is set during The War of 1812, and Caroline's original series involves some danger and suspense, so you'd think that this story would involve some tougher choices and occasional bad outcomes. But no matter which path you choose in the story, any danger is always swiftly resolved, everything works out, and nothing goes seriously wrong.
The message about how girls can be strong feels preachy and forced at times, especially since it's repeated in similar ways throughout all the storylines. The main character's mother serves in the U.S. Navy, which provides a fairly good framing device for the story, but the messages about this were really heavy-handed. Also, the author didn't capitalize the Navy consistently throughout the book.
On a different note, what is the obsession with twins in this series? In both the Maryellen and Rebecca books, the girl who travels back in time is a twin, and in this one, the main character's younger sisters are twins. I thought that the twin storyline in the Maryellen book was compelling, but now it's getting weird.
March 22, 2024
As a young girl struggles to let her mom go to the navy she finds herself using the family heirloom compass to travel back in time where she meets Caroline and the two end up on a ship in the middle of a battle.
This journey didn’t really go as I expected it would at all, I thought it would have an option for a beautiful little boat ride with Caroline but nope, the way my story went was them on a navy boat and getting caught in the middle of a war battle, quite intense honestly.
It was sweet I liked the relationship Caroline made with the girl, I liked how it helped the girl come to grips with her own reality and how to fix everything to make it work. Though it wasn’t quite the story I was hoping or expecting for it was still a good read, with some interesting twists.
This journey didn’t really go as I expected it would at all, I thought it would have an option for a beautiful little boat ride with Caroline but nope, the way my story went was them on a navy boat and getting caught in the middle of a war battle, quite intense honestly.
It was sweet I liked the relationship Caroline made with the girl, I liked how it helped the girl come to grips with her own reality and how to fix everything to make it work. Though it wasn’t quite the story I was hoping or expecting for it was still a good read, with some interesting twists.
January 28, 2022
I do not care for choose-your-own adventure books and this one is no different. I do love Caroline's character though. So it was nice to get a little more of her in a story. I didn't mind the "you" character either. She was a little annoying, but not too bad. The actual 1812 story was not super interesting to me as it was focused on the experience of being in the war vs. some Caroline character development.
October 7, 2021
The story itself is good (depending on your choices) however, as some people have mentioned I dislike the lack of choices. You only get to make a decision every three pages or so. Also, some endings you have to go online to see the end and I don't like that either. I think they should have put everything in the book. Overall, good story.
June 13, 2022
A fun story where your choices lead you to any of 13 possible endings, including two on line.
Compared with some of the other “My journey with” American Girl books I have read, the branches in this one have more variety in both topics and length.
Compared with some of the other “My journey with” American Girl books I have read, the branches in this one have more variety in both topics and length.
January 9, 2019
Combines history and appreciation for what we have today. Good for upper elementary age readers but I enjoyed this quick read!
May 29, 2021
This book is such fun. I wish they were still doing these.
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December 28, 2022I like choose your own story books.
November 13, 2024
I like the fact that Caroline is so brave
January 17, 2025
I liked this book a little better. It left the reader decide which direction the book should go. Quite different. It would be good for a younger reader.
July 31, 2025
This one was so cute and fun!
March 19, 2017
I love Caroline's stories and this when is no exception! I love how you can choose you own path through the story. I also really like all the history you learn along the way.
February 17, 2017
This is a "name your own adventure" style book where there are several different storylines you can follow based on decisions you make for the characters. It took me a bit to get into the story, but it got more interesting when the modern point-of-view girl went back in time. It also annoyed me that you had to go online to read some of the endings. Really not cool. I did keep track of my choices so I read all the endings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2018
As with the other "My Journey" books I've read so far, this was okay, but lacks any sense of danger or fear of making the wrong decision.
What I want to know is where they found this girl who looks so much like Gwenyth Paltrow...
What I want to know is where they found this girl who looks so much like Gwenyth Paltrow...
March 16, 2015
Excellent series of books to read out loud and discuss!
November 11, 2016
I'm not sure how I feel about all the different routes the story can take. It got confusing.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews