Mowgli's Magic Carpet Ride
Book 1 from the Classic Adventure Line
The Pack has cast him out. The village has cast him out. And Shere Khan is still hunting.
Mowgli is ten years old, raised by wolves, taught by a bear and a panther — and he has never been more alone. To survive, he'll need fire, cunning, and the courage to decide, once and for all, where he belongs.
But first he has to choose: the jungle, or the human world?
One path leads back to the Council Rock and a fight that's been coming his whole life. The other leads to a road, a city, a cave, and a lamp containing a genie who grants wishes — if you know how to use them.
22 endings. 4 levels. Two worlds, one boy, and no easy answers.
What Makes This Book Different
Most retellings of The Jungle Book follow one path. This one splits in two. The choice at page 9 sends readers into genuinely different books — the jungle path is action-driven, leading toward Shere Khan, the Pack, and the Council Rock. The human path is character-driven, leading toward Messua, the road to Khanhiwara, and eventually a full Aladdin subplot grafted seamlessly onto Kipling's world, complete with a cave, a lamp, a ring, and a genie whose wishes force real ethical choices rather than power fantasies.
The highest ending in the Aladdin thread — where Mowgli's wish opens the eyes of the village and takes generations to fulfill, ultimately freeing the genie — is one of the most ambitious endings in the entire IF/THEN catalog.
And then there's the Council Rock song. A genuine set piece that reads as poetry, functions as narrative, and gives the highest jungle ending an emotional register that pure prose couldn't achieve.
What's Inside
- 22 endings across 4 achievement levels
- 38 decision points
- Two substantially different halves — jungle and human world
- An Aladdin subplot woven into Kipling's world
- Bagheera, Baloo, Gray Brother, Kaa, Rann the Kite, Shere Khan, Princess Ozma — wait, wrong book. Bagheera, Baloo, Gray Brother, Kaa, Rann the Kite, Shere Khan, Messua, and a genie who keeps his opinions to himself
- Based on the original by Rudyard Kipling
- 5×8 paperback, approx. 180 pages
- 20+ original interior illustrations based on the work from the original 1894 edition by John Lockwood Kipling and W.H. Drake
Who This Is For
Readers ages 10–13 — sitting at the upper edge of that range. The emotional complexity of Mowgli's identity crisis, the moral ambiguity of the Aladdin thread, and the density of the deep jungle section all push toward 12–13. Strong readers at 13 would be equally at home in the UBU line.
For anyone who has ever wanted to choose a different path through the jungle.
An IF/THEN Books Classic Adventure — public domain source material reimagined as interactive fiction.
Get the Book
Buy on Amazon → (link)
Buy direct → We're shipping pre-orders ahead of launch. Be one of the first readers. Thank you for supporting independent platforms!
$12.99 paperback · Coming August 2026
Available through Follett and Mackin for school and library orders
Bulk orders (Iris & Classic Adventure titles — $12.99 retail):
10–24 copies: $10.39 per copy (20% off)
25–49 copies: $9.09 per copy (30% off)
50+ copies: $7.79 per copy (40% off)
Email cthomasprevost@gmail.com for bulk and purchase order inquiries.
More from the Classic Adventure Line
The Crooked Magician's Recipe: An Ozland Adventure — September 2026 · Learn more →
More from IF/THEN Books
The Iris Blackwood Series Book 1 (Ages 10–13) · Learn more →
The UBU Adventure Series Book 1 (Ages 14–17) · Learn more →