Search for a Mysterious Mushroom: Pick Your Path

A new and exciting addition to the Science Explorers series, offering a fresh pick-your-path STEM adventure for emerging readers!

Get ready to join an expedition to remote tropical forests in search of a mysterious mushroom called Amparoina spinosissima. This rare, spiny wonder is not easy to find, but you can help! Choose a location and all the tools and equipment you'll need for your search. Be careful--not every path leads where you expect, but you'll see and learn amazing things whichever you pick.

Emerging readers will be enticed by the colorful comic-paneled images and action-packed text as they choose the path their expedition will follow and visit new habitats across the globe.

A GROWING SERIES: The first book in the series, Search for a Giant Squid, was named a Best Book of the Year by the New York Public Library, a Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award winner, and more. In its starred review, Booklist hailed it as "immensely engaging" and said, "This reader packs an informational punch."

SPARKS INTEREST IN STEM: This introduction to the work of a mycologist--a scientist who studies fungi--lets readers dip their toes into the career of this specialized research scientist as well as the other team members it takes to lead a successful expedition.

ENTERTAINS WHILE IT EDUCATES: Each possible path leads to a different outcome, so readers learn new facts about scientific expeditions and ecosystems as they explore rainforests in search of an elusive tiny fungi.

COMIC BOOK APPEAL: The bright, graphic-paneled imagery will entice kids drawn to comic books, while also making the abundance of information accessible even for the most reluctant reader.

INCLUSIVE APPROACH: Research shows children need to "see it to be it." The images in the book showcase a broader range of inclusivity than many STEM titles, allowing all readers to envision themselves undertaking a career in science.

Perfect for:

• Emerging readers with an interest in STEM, forests, and fungi!
• Excellent resource for teachers, librarians, and homeschool educators to explore science, travel, and career topics
• Fans of other pick-your-path type books, National Geographic kids' books, and the Magic Tree House and Who Would Win book series
• Birthday, holiday, or summer break gift for boys and girls who love adventure books and stories about the mysteries of the natural world

Author: Amy Seto Forrester,Andy Chou Musser
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 05/05/2026
Pages: 100
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.22h x 7.80w x 0.43d
ISBN: 9781797213941
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2026
School Library Journal 02/01/2026 pg. 64
Booklist 04/01/2026

About the Author

Amy Seto Forrester (she/her) draws on a decade of experience as a children's librarian and her performing arts background to create diverse, engaging books for developing readers. She lives on a farm in Oregon with her husband, son, and a flock of ridiculous chickens.

Andy Chou Musser (he/him) is the author-illustrator of A Home Under the Stars, cocreator of Papilio with Ben Clanton and Corey R. Tabor, and cocreator of the Ploof series with Ben Clanton. Andy lives in Seattle with his wife and two cats.

Amy and Andy are siblings who love to collaborate. This is their second book together. They proudly identify as mixed-race Chinese American.
To learn more about Science Explorers and to download free activities, visit scienceexplorersbooks.com.