Scan barcode
currentlyreading_'s review against another edition
3.0
Didn't think it would creep me out as Goosebumps did back in the day. Looks like I'm wrong. RL Stine's writing is timeless. Still creepy even to this day *shudders*
rkking's review against another edition
2.0
I recently got a bit of the nostalgia bug when thinking back to the Goosebumps books I read as a kid. Goosebumps, and by extension the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series, definitely introduced me to the genre of horror. After Goosebumps I moved onto classics like Dracula and Jekyll/Hyde, then on to the gown up stuff throughout my life and to this day. Well, this nostalgia bug got me wanting to re-collect the original 62 run of Goosebumps books, and in their first run printings because of the amazing covers. Perhaps the best part of the series was the covers. Next up;
#13, Piano Lessons Can Be Murder
I'm starting to see a pattern in some of these books.
A lot of the time, the protagonist is considered a bit of a prankster, pulling jokes on family or friends often enough to get the reputation of not being taken seriously. This has happened more than once, and this book is no different. It's the boy-who-cried-wolf complex, so when spooky stuff starts happening, people don't believe him. It's a fine enough trope, but to find it happening so often in these books is starting to open my eyes to Mr Stine perhaps taking a shortcut here or there....?
As for this particular book, it's another iconic cover IMO, but the story itself doesn't really amount to much. There is a bit of a twist, revealing the villain to not quite be who who think it is, but again it doesn't tread water very well.
The most interesting aspect of this book is near the end when a room full of victims is revealed. Although the situation itself is tame enough, when you really think about it the implications are actually pretty dark. Without outright stating as much, this book is basically dealing with a serial killer! Pretty dark stuff for a kids' book ha!
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
#13, Piano Lessons Can Be Murder
I'm starting to see a pattern in some of these books.
A lot of the time, the protagonist is considered a bit of a prankster, pulling jokes on family or friends often enough to get the reputation of not being taken seriously. This has happened more than once, and this book is no different. It's the boy-who-cried-wolf complex, so when spooky stuff starts happening, people don't believe him. It's a fine enough trope, but to find it happening so often in these books is starting to open my eyes to Mr Stine perhaps taking a shortcut here or there....?
As for this particular book, it's another iconic cover IMO, but the story itself doesn't really amount to much. There is a bit of a twist, revealing the villain to not quite be who who think it is, but again it doesn't tread water very well.
The most interesting aspect of this book is near the end when a room full of victims is revealed. Although the situation itself is tame enough, when you really think about it the implications are actually pretty dark. Without outright stating as much, this book is basically dealing with a serial killer! Pretty dark stuff for a kids' book ha!
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
drewlong314's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thegrimbookworm's review
4.0
I instantly despised the kid, Jerry, from the first chapter. A cat hating prankster. Even if the cat is a bit of a menace, I did not like the way he was talking about the cat. Being an animal lover, call me extra sensitive I guess. I think Stine needs to stick to dogs for pets for his books, if he's this opinionated about cats. I seem to recall any family with a cat in his stories so far, the cat is described poorly and the kid hates it.
Overlooking that though? I actually didn't mind the story as much as I thought I would. Soon as I got over how much I disliked Jerry, and just focused on the paranormal elements, things got better. It was actually spooky! I loved the direction it went, the ending, but I won't talk more about that. It also thankfully got straight to the point, instead of padding out nonsense in between. Unlike the previous book.
Overlooking that though? I actually didn't mind the story as much as I thought I would. Soon as I got over how much I disliked Jerry, and just focused on the paranormal elements, things got better. It was actually spooky! I loved the direction it went, the ending, but I won't talk more about that. It also thankfully got straight to the point, instead of padding out nonsense in between. Unlike the previous book.
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
So I didn't actually expect all of the robots, but now I'm wondering how close we are to machines that can let you play piano with just the focus of your eyes.
vzem's review against another edition
5.0
This book doesn't have the most unexpected twist; regardless, I enjoyed it greatly for the creepy atmosphere and the blood-chilling realisation at the end. I could be 26 years of age, but I can always temporarily return back to when I was 13 by reading Goosebumps
kjbmod's review against another edition
2.0
This one’s a little more out there than the others I’ve read so far
1/5
1/5
jakegreyxx's review against another edition
3.0
This is one I wasn’t as keen on. Especially with the way the main character treats the family cat (whose name is Bonkers, for those wondering). I’m not going to talk about the Goosebumps reads much. There’s not a lot to say, and it would take up too much space when I do read them.