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A review by manwithanagenda
The Surprise Party by R.L. Stine
dark
tense
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? No
4.0
Fear Street # 2
Doing the round of nostalgia blogs, 'The Surprise Party' is not a favorite. I have to disagree. I thought it had a great blend of bizarre twists, hand-steepling villainous thoughts, inhuman behavior and an overall plot that hangs well. I enjoyed the heck out of it, which is kind of the point.
Meg Dalton is thrilled to hear her old friend Ellen Mayors is coming back to town for a visit. Meg, Ellen, and Shannon Harper were an inseparable growing up. Shannon dated Ellen's brother Evan, together, along with Meg's boyfriend Tony Colavito, they hung out all the time. Last year, however, Evan was found dead in the Fear Street Woods. His gun accidentally gone off and killed him. He had been found with Ellen and Tony by Meg's cousin Brian. Nothing has been the same since Evan's death. Ellen moved away soon after, Shannon has been somber, and Tony has been acting strangely. He even hangs out with Brian now, who's a total nerd who plays Wizards and Warriors in the Fear Street Woods.
Ellen returning as the school year ends means its the perfect excuse for a big surprise party and to pretend that nothing's gone wrong between them all. The only problem is that somebody doesn't want there to be a party. Meg and Tony start receiving threatening phone calls and notes that warn them to put a stop to the party. Or else....
This one had a lot of characters - I couldn't squeeze in a mention of the over-muscled Dwayne of the stained t-shirts who creeps on Shannon all the time above - and there's a supporting cast provided by the main cast of 'The New Girl': Lisa Blume and Cory Brooks and his gymnast friends. Famed Fear Street tramp Suki Thomas makes a party appearance as well - this is the first time we see her spiked-blonde hair and waist-encircling arms in action.
I liked that Meg was so stubborn she refused to give in to the anonymous terrorist who keeps ripping up her party invitations and goes on with the party. There were also plausible reasons for not calling in authorities - invitations are being ripped up, the police will get right on that - and there were a few scenes that required parental involvement and. Meg. waited. for. her. dad. Smart girl! She then wanders away from him in the Fear Street Woods, but she tried!
I don't want to give anything away, the book is short enough, but I enjoyed the not-so-subtle hints and the pleasure of character-building conversation-filler turning out to matter for the climax of the book. Don't dismiss this one so fast just because it doesn't have anything supernatural involved.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #3: 'The Overnight', Fear Street #3
Previous #1: 'The New Girl', Fear Street #1
Doing the round of nostalgia blogs, 'The Surprise Party' is not a favorite. I have to disagree. I thought it had a great blend of bizarre twists, hand-steepling villainous thoughts, inhuman behavior and an overall plot that hangs well. I enjoyed the heck out of it, which is kind of the point.
Meg Dalton is thrilled to hear her old friend Ellen Mayors is coming back to town for a visit. Meg, Ellen, and Shannon Harper were an inseparable growing up. Shannon dated Ellen's brother Evan, together, along with Meg's boyfriend Tony Colavito, they hung out all the time. Last year, however, Evan was found dead in the Fear Street Woods. His gun accidentally gone off and killed him. He had been found with Ellen and Tony by Meg's cousin Brian. Nothing has been the same since Evan's death. Ellen moved away soon after, Shannon has been somber, and Tony has been acting strangely. He even hangs out with Brian now, who's a total nerd who plays Wizards and Warriors in the Fear Street Woods.
Ellen returning as the school year ends means its the perfect excuse for a big surprise party and to pretend that nothing's gone wrong between them all. The only problem is that somebody doesn't want there to be a party. Meg and Tony start receiving threatening phone calls and notes that warn them to put a stop to the party. Or else....
This one had a lot of characters - I couldn't squeeze in a mention of the over-muscled Dwayne of the stained t-shirts who creeps on Shannon all the time above - and there's a supporting cast provided by the main cast of 'The New Girl': Lisa Blume and Cory Brooks and his gymnast friends. Famed Fear Street tramp Suki Thomas makes a party appearance as well - this is the first time we see her spiked-blonde hair and waist-encircling arms in action.
I liked that Meg was so stubborn she refused to give in to the anonymous terrorist who keeps ripping up her party invitations and goes on with the party. There were also plausible reasons for not calling in authorities - invitations are being ripped up, the police will get right on that - and there were a few scenes that required parental involvement and. Meg. waited. for. her. dad. Smart girl! She then wanders away from him in the Fear Street Woods, but she tried!
I don't want to give anything away, the book is short enough, but I enjoyed the not-so-subtle hints and the pleasure of character-building conversation-filler turning out to matter for the climax of the book. Don't dismiss this one so fast just because it doesn't have anything supernatural involved.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #3: 'The Overnight', Fear Street #3
Previous #1: 'The New Girl', Fear Street #1