A review by andybdubs
One Day at Horrorland by R.L. Stine

3.0

When you re-read one of your favorite childhood books as an adult, you have to accept the fact that it just won't be the same. Or at least not in most cases. That's what was foremost on my mind as I finished this. It's very clear who the audience for this book is...and it's not anyone over elementary school age. That said, I can still see why this book left the impression on me that it did. Stine understands the thrill of excitement that can come with being scared. And while many of the book's most intense scenes are easily resolved or undermined, his characters do go through genuine life-or-death moments. This shows that Stine respects the intelligence and maturity of his young readers. He takes them seriously, in other words, and that's something young readers will respond to.