Due to the fact that his dad has been transferred and the family has to move, Evan has to stay the summer with his Aunt Kathryn. Besides being really Due to the fact that his dad has been transferred and the family has to move, Evan has to stay the summer with his Aunt Kathryn. Besides being really old and weird, she's also completely deaf. Evan befriends a girl named Andy in the neighborhood. They buy an old jar of slimy green goo called "Monster Blood", which appears to have no purpose other than to be slimy. Evan's dog manages to eat some, and a few days later, the dog has doubled in size. The goo also appears to be growing, quickly outgrowing its small jar. It also appears to be breathing, as if it's alive...
R.L. Stine's "Monster Blood", part of his best-selling Goosebumps series, is another fun, gross, creepy horror story for kids....more
“Welcome to Dead House” is the second book by R.L. Stine that I have ever read, and here is a few things that I have already determined as to why he i“Welcome to Dead House” is the second book by R.L. Stine that I have ever read, and here is a few things that I have already determined as to why he is as popular as he is:
1) Stine knows that parents don’t listen to kids, or if they do, they really can’t do anything to help. Parents are basically ineffectual creatures, as kind and loving as they are sometimes. Truth is: kids are on their own out in the world.
2) Stine knows something that most, if not all, adults tend to forget or ignore: kids are a lot smarter than they are given credit for. They have to be, after all. (See #1.)
3) Stine understands kids’ basic fear and mistrust of all adults. Let’s face it: your parents are no good against zombies, killer dolls, or blob monsters. That’s a given. But even worse than ineffectual parents are those other adults. You know: your science teacher, your church pastor, the garbage man, that old creepy guy who lives two doors down. They all have something to hide, and you know it. No adult can adequately be trusted.
4) Stine tells it like it is. He isn’t going to sugarcoat it for the “sensitive” kids. Those kids are always the first ones to be slaughtered anyway. No, Stine’s target audience may be kids ages 9 to 13, but he’s not gonna dumb anything down. (See #2.) He’s also not gonna necessarily end everything on a happy note. Because that ain’t real life, kids. It’s best that you learn that lesson now…
5) Stine is actually a decent writer. He'll probably never win a Pulitzer, but he’s writing at a reading level for middle school age children and tweens, and that doesn’t mean his stories can’t be enjoyed by older kids or adults. Stine is a ten times better writer than James Patterson any day of the week. Indeed, I think Stine could hold his own against Stephen King or Brian Keene, and I think those guys are the best in the horror biz. For what he does, Stine does it really well, and I’m a converted Stine fan....more
“The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb” is the first Goosebumps book I have ever read. Ever. I’ll let that statement sink in for a few minutes.
I know what you“The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb” is the first Goosebumps book I have ever read. Ever. I’ll let that statement sink in for a few minutes.
I know what you are thinking: How could you have not read even one of the most popular kids’ horror book series in publishing history? One that is, since the first published book in the series back in 1992, still going and still immensely popular?
I dunno. Seriously. I don’t know how I’ve managed to miss this series. One of those weird little things in life. It’s like that one guy I know who has never seen a Star Wars movie. It’s bewildering, I know.
But, I’ve done it. I’ve read my first, and it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was kind of fun. I suppose if I was in middle school, it would be awesome.
I have no idea where this book fits in the series. I think it’s, like, the fifth or the seventh. Not that it matters. They all kind of stand alone, without having to necessarily read them in order.
In “TCotMT”, Gabe is on a vacation with his parents in Egypt. Gabe’s an Egyptian-American, so he has family that live in the country. One of those relatives is his Uncle Ben, an archaeologist who works at the famous Pyramids. He’s excited when he gets to spend a day working on a dig with his uncle, exploring the many tunnels within and under the Great Pyramids. Not so exciting is having to spend the day with his annoying older cousin, Sari. The two inadvertently stumble upon a mystery when one of the workers tries to kidnap them. They escape from this man, Ahmed, but end up lost in a tunnel that lands them in a room full of hundreds of mummies. And they’re all coming to life!
Seriously, if I was in the target demographic—-ages 9-14—-this book would actually be pretty spooky. As someone considerably older, it was still kind of spooky, although certainly tamer than what I look for in a horror novel.
Still, I liked it enough to want to read more Goosebumps. My daughter, who is 8, refuses to read them, as they “look too scary”. That’s fine. I’ll try to convince her in a few more years…...more
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