Reviews

The Baby-Sitter by R.L. Stine

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akookieforyou's review against another edition

3.0

I just love the whole babysitter-being- stalked-by-a-creep trope, probably why I love Halloween (1978) so much. The atmosphere was the best part of this whole book, it actually managed to be pretty creepy, and the little twist towards the end caught me by surprise. Jenny wasn't too bad of a protagonist, she actually called the cops when weird stuff started to happen, which is rare in stories like this, but sometimes her overactive imagination was just plain annoying. The ending also felt a little too abrupt and underwhelming. Overall a pretty decent read though, and not too bad for my first ever R.L. Stine book.

paulabrandon's review against another edition

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4.0

This has got to be the most famous of the Point Horror titles, and I'm amazed it hasn't been made into a movie yet. Come on, at least even a made-for-TV movie! Stine creates a likable lead in Jenny Jeffers, who starts a babysitting job around the same time as babysitters are being attacked. A lot of the scares Jenny creates for herself, as she has an overactive imagination. But there is a strange neighbour creeping around, and she is receiving scary phone calls (which are really quite sinister). Stine doesn't waste any words on unnecessary extraneous details as the suspense builds slowly but surely to a tense climax, making this still today one of the best YA psychological thrillers out there.

tabetha_marie's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

bookishmum's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

katrina_ingram's review

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4.0

This was a fun read and perfect for my mood right now. I read point horror a lot as a teen so this was a nostalgic reread for me. The cliffhanger chapter endings were fun and I liked the mystery surrounding the phone calls. I figured out the villain straight away so I think I must have remembered somewhere in my mind but still enjoyed it

sharron_joy_reads's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rules for Babysitting:

Don’t invite people over

Lock the doors

Don’t answer the phone!

If only Jenny had known this she might have not been stalked and scared to death whilst taking care of little Donny!

My first RL Stine Point Horror and what fun! The mood is creepy, her fear palpable and I love the twist on the urban legend.

A short sharp story and even though the killer is obvious it is such a great read and hits just the right ambience to create tension and intrigue. There are 3 other sequels does Jenny learn the rules, I doubt it 😆