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A review by modernzorker
The New Year's Party by R.L. Stine
3.0
I'm totally digging tearing through these YA suspense/thriller books. This was another really early 90's read for me, and in fact, I seem to remember it being the first Fear Street I read. I know I checked it out from the library, as it wasn't one I owned.
I'm not sure what makes this one a 'Super Chiller' as opposed to a bog-standard Fear Street entry (maybe a slightly higher page count?), but I wouldn't rate it as particularly scarier than most of Stine's other work for this age range. The book opens in 1965, with a girl at a New Year's party watching a group of jerks from her class antagonizing a shy, less-outgoing boy. Tragic consequences result from the bullying after the hostess of the party reveals that even she's in on the charade.
Flash forward to present-day (well, 1990...) where we meet Reenie, Greta, Artie, Sean, and Ty, a group of high school kids who attend the same high school as the students from 1965 and share the same penchant for practical jokes. They befriend two new transfer students on the first day of school: laid back, pretty Liz and her younger brother P.J. who suffers from a heart condition. Being unable to exert himself physically has been rough on him, and he's developed quite an anti-social streak to keep anyone from getting too close to him.
P.J.'s desire to be left alone only paints him as a target, and eventually Artie and his high school dropout buddy Marc hatch a plan: when Reenie hosts a holiday party, they'll get Sandi, the prettiest girl in school, to invite P.J. along. While the party's popping, Sandi will make a spectacle of herself, kiss P.J. in front of everyone, then pretend to drop dead afterwards. It's a totally harmless prank -- what could possibly happen at Reenie's house with a dozen or more spectators all around?
Disaster strikes when Sandi's death throes prove too realistic: P.J.'s heart gives out, and despite attempts at CPR, he dies right in Reenie's living room. Now in full freak-out mode, the group decide to hide the body until common sense tells them they need to notify the police. Unfortunately, after calling 911 to report the death, the trip down to the basement uncovers a new hitch: P.J.'s body is nowhere to be found.
The days pass with no sign of P.J., while Reenie and her classmates suddenly find themselves the target of someone determined to make them pay for the killer prank, and could there be a connection to the events of the party twenty-five years ago? Liz is throwing a New Year's party of her own, but will anyone be left alive when the clock strikes twelve?
Stine works this scenario to the hilt, playing off a series of close encounters, accidents, and events that cast suspicion on a number of Reenie's classmates. The best part is, even if you guess who's behind the killings, Stine's got another twist of his own to throw it at the last minute guaranteed to blind-side the reader. Like most of his books, I feel the story resolves far too quickly in the last couple of pages, but I still thoroughly enjoyed traipsing through the memories of my teenage years, and I'm happy to award 3 stars. Now, what to read next...?
I'm not sure what makes this one a 'Super Chiller' as opposed to a bog-standard Fear Street entry (maybe a slightly higher page count?), but I wouldn't rate it as particularly scarier than most of Stine's other work for this age range. The book opens in 1965, with a girl at a New Year's party watching a group of jerks from her class antagonizing a shy, less-outgoing boy. Tragic consequences result from the bullying after the hostess of the party reveals that even she's in on the charade.
Flash forward to present-day (well, 1990...) where we meet Reenie, Greta, Artie, Sean, and Ty, a group of high school kids who attend the same high school as the students from 1965 and share the same penchant for practical jokes. They befriend two new transfer students on the first day of school: laid back, pretty Liz and her younger brother P.J. who suffers from a heart condition. Being unable to exert himself physically has been rough on him, and he's developed quite an anti-social streak to keep anyone from getting too close to him.
P.J.'s desire to be left alone only paints him as a target, and eventually Artie and his high school dropout buddy Marc hatch a plan: when Reenie hosts a holiday party, they'll get Sandi, the prettiest girl in school, to invite P.J. along. While the party's popping, Sandi will make a spectacle of herself, kiss P.J. in front of everyone, then pretend to drop dead afterwards. It's a totally harmless prank -- what could possibly happen at Reenie's house with a dozen or more spectators all around?
Disaster strikes when Sandi's death throes prove too realistic: P.J.'s heart gives out, and despite attempts at CPR, he dies right in Reenie's living room. Now in full freak-out mode, the group decide to hide the body until common sense tells them they need to notify the police. Unfortunately, after calling 911 to report the death, the trip down to the basement uncovers a new hitch: P.J.'s body is nowhere to be found.
The days pass with no sign of P.J., while Reenie and her classmates suddenly find themselves the target of someone determined to make them pay for the killer prank, and could there be a connection to the events of the party twenty-five years ago? Liz is throwing a New Year's party of her own, but will anyone be left alive when the clock strikes twelve?
Stine works this scenario to the hilt, playing off a series of close encounters, accidents, and events that cast suspicion on a number of Reenie's classmates. The best part is, even if you guess who's behind the killings, Stine's got another twist of his own to throw it at the last minute guaranteed to blind-side the reader. Like most of his books, I feel the story resolves far too quickly in the last couple of pages, but I still thoroughly enjoyed traipsing through the memories of my teenage years, and I'm happy to award 3 stars. Now, what to read next...?