Choose Your Own Adventure Author Raymond Almiran Montgomery Has Died at 78

Raymond Almiran Montgomery

By Associated Press

11/14/2014 AT 08:05 PM EST

Raymond Almiran Montgomery, the creator and author of the popular children's book series Choose Your Own Adventure, has died in Vermont. He was 78.

Montgomery's wife says he died Nov. 9 at home in Warren.

Montgomery grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Williams College. He was passionate about education and believed interactive fiction was critical to reluctant readers.

The Choose Your Own Adventure series features interactive game books set in places around the world, in outer space and under the sea. It was published by Bantam Books and later by a company Montgomery and his wife co-founded.

His last title was Gus vs. the Robot King, which was released in September.

The series sold more than 250 million copies around the world between 1979 and 1999.