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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I thought I had read this one as a child, but after I started it I realized I had literally zero memory of this book. This book was written from a third person limited POV, which seems rare in Goosebumps books. Maybe it's not, but somehow I remembered them all written from a first person POV, and the last two I've read (One Day at Horrorland, The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight) have played that out. I'm not sure I enjoyed the third person POV for this kind of book. I think I would have rather just had it first person from Kris's POV.
The story itself was okay. Better than The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, but not nearly as good as One Day at Horrorland. The plot was a little like 'girl who cried wolf' -- all these seemingly scary things happen, with Mr. Wood seeming to strangle Slappy, and Mr. Wood insulting Kris horribly while in Lindy's hands (though Lindy swears it wasn't her), and Mr. Wood ending up in the kitchen covered in the contents of the refrigerator and Kris's jewelry... but then all of that was supposedly just a practical joke. Not supernatural at all. Then supernatural stuff starts really happening, but I wasn't sure if it was actually scary or not anymore.
I also found the girls' rivalry a tad annoying -- luckily, so did literally every other character in the book. Both of the girls were horrible brats, which made it hard for me to care much whether or not they were victims of evil dummies. Kris was more sympathetic than Lindy, I guess, but was she? I mean, I get why Lindy felt like Kris had taken her thing. She reacted in a terrible, over-the-top way, but both of them were being really stupid and selfish. I think the parents were a bit dense, too -- why would they encourage Kris to take up ventriloquism when she was so clearly copying Lindy -- and when she so clearly loved jewelry and beads? She had a hobby! Even a business idea! Right there! And why did they believe literally nothing their daughters tried to tell them? I get that kids lie (and Lindy certainly did at one point in this novel), but surely they could tell when their girls were displaying genuine fear? But, I guess dense parents are a hallmark of middle grade novels/horror novels, particularly of the 1990s. Seems like a very Stephen King thing (who, btw, gets name-checked in this novel).
Anyway, a really fast read (and I didn't feel like I struggled to get into it) with some actually funny jokes here and there, fun for the spooky season!
The story itself was okay. Better than The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, but not nearly as good as One Day at Horrorland. The plot was a little like 'girl who cried wolf' -- all these seemingly scary things happen, with Mr. Wood seeming to strangle Slappy, and Mr. Wood insulting Kris horribly while in Lindy's hands (though Lindy swears it wasn't her), and Mr. Wood ending up in the kitchen covered in the contents of the refrigerator and Kris's jewelry... but then all of that was supposedly just a practical joke. Not supernatural at all. Then supernatural stuff starts really happening, but I wasn't sure if it was actually scary or not anymore.
I also found the girls' rivalry a tad annoying -- luckily, so did literally every other character in the book. Both of the girls were horrible brats, which made it hard for me to care much whether or not they were victims of evil dummies. Kris was more sympathetic than Lindy, I guess, but was she? I mean, I get why Lindy felt like Kris had taken her thing. She reacted in a terrible, over-the-top way, but both of them were being really stupid and selfish. I think the parents were a bit dense, too -- why would they encourage Kris to take up ventriloquism when she was so clearly copying Lindy -- and when she so clearly loved jewelry and beads? She had a hobby! Even a business idea! Right there! And why did they believe literally nothing their daughters tried to tell them? I get that kids lie (and Lindy certainly did at one point in this novel), but surely they could tell when their girls were displaying genuine fear? But, I guess dense parents are a hallmark of middle grade novels/horror novels, particularly of the 1990s. Seems like a very Stephen King thing (who, btw, gets name-checked in this novel).
Anyway, a really fast read (and I didn't feel like I struggled to get into it) with some actually funny jokes here and there, fun for the spooky season!
A fun early entry in the Goosebumps series with some enjoyably creepy moments. There are the usual Goosebumps elements - sibling rivalry, well-meaning but useless adults, tried and tested horror tropes. In this case there’s a haunted ventriloquist’s dummy and a pair of competitive twins. I was expecting a better twist at the end, but it was still an entertaining quick read.
In cerca della bella famigliola
Spauracchio d'infanzia nonché dominatore incontrastato degli incubi, il mefistofelico pupazzo da ventriloquo si è ritagliato con merito un piccolo spazio all'interno del genere horror.
La storia è il solito alternarsi di bluff e falsi agguati, ma il fascino magnetico della copertina e il senso d'attesa fanno il lavoro sporco e portano a casa il risultato.
Spauracchio d'infanzia nonché dominatore incontrastato degli incubi, il mefistofelico pupazzo da ventriloquo si è ritagliato con merito un piccolo spazio all'interno del genere horror.
La storia è il solito alternarsi di bluff e falsi agguati, ma il fascino magnetico della copertina e il senso d'attesa fanno il lavoro sporco e portano a casa il risultato.
Fun to listen to with the kids. I like the creepy tone R.L. Stone sets without making anything too scary for young listeners. I wasn’t sure until the end how it would wrap up. Feels like Stephen King Jr.
This has and will always be my favorite Goosebumps book. I've been obsessed with demonic dolls since I was a kid, so this book was right up my alley! I've reread it hundreds of times in my life and thought I'd read it again since Halloween is getting closer.
It's just as good as I remember it being! Evil dolls are scary, but evil dummies are even scarier, and R.L. Stine does a great job of keeping your eyes glued to the book, flipping from page to page as fast as you can, wanting to know what happens next.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves evil dolls, is new to Goosebumps, or just wants to revisit this classic collection from their childhood. This book in particular is one of the best in the series and one that everyone should read at least five times.
It's just as good as I remember it being! Evil dolls are scary, but evil dummies are even scarier, and R.L. Stine does a great job of keeping your eyes glued to the book, flipping from page to page as fast as you can, wanting to know what happens next.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves evil dolls, is new to Goosebumps, or just wants to revisit this classic collection from their childhood. This book in particular is one of the best in the series and one that everyone should read at least five times.
5 stars for the cultural impact of these books, 5 stars for the creation of Slappy, one of the best evil ventriloquist dummies in pop culture history! He's just so naughty! This book is always enjoyable, and let's be honest, puppets are inherently a bit creepy, so it's not totally unbelievable that they get up to mayhem and mischief in the middle of the night while we're all asleep.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No