R. L. Stine

## Keep your eye on the birdie!

The 28th entry in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series is among the most genuinely terrifying yarns for young readers. The main storyline, about an flawed cuckoo clock that distorts the flow of time for a young boy named Michael, is creepy enough, but it's Michael's family life that is truly terrifying. Michael's younger sister, Tara, is a born psychopath, and whenever she's in focus, I felt nothing but discomfort.

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted show more for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

R.L. Stine once mentioned the cuckoo clock of the title provided his favorite scenario. It's a great one!: An antique cuckoo clock, built in 1800, is sold cheaply due to a mysterious 'flaw' it took the owners 15 years to find. It's never quite explained what happened; just left to the imagination as the story continues to unfold. Like Stine's 'Monster Blood,' the cuckoo clock's powers border on nebulous, but in this case it adds to the mystery (like, why does the year counter end in the year 3000?).

Once the cuckoo clock comes into their family's possession, Michael thinks he can play a trick on his sister to finally get even with her. For years, he's been the butt of her malice, and every day brings some vicious prank at his expense (whether it be ruining his birthday presents, embarrassing him in front of his crush and all her friends, or even getting him beaten to a pulp by bullies). His plan is to make it look like Tara broke the mechanical cuckoo bird so that when the hours strike, its entrance is underwhelming. It's a small prank to play on such a hateful person.

When he wakes up the next morning, Michael finds himself reliving the awful birthday party Tara ruined 2 weeks earlier. Day after day, Michael uncontrollably relives random days, moving further and further back in time. The cuckoo clock is no longer in their possession, and he's much too young to find it on his own or convince anyone of his time travel predicament. It was a creative approach to time travel stories, and the cuckoo clock itself is an interesting, creepy invention on Stine's part.

Tara, though....

She proudly bears her nickname ('Tara the Terrible') in torturing Michael every minute of the day -- and it's not sibling rivalry, it's pure malice and delight in his pain that drives her to hurt her own brother. To grow up with her as close family would be a nightmare akin to We Need to Talk About Kevin's eponymous psychopath. She's truly the scariest thing from any Goosebumps novel.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#27 A Night in Terror Tower | #29 Monster Blood III show less

## Think Negative. Real Negative.

A step above the original Say Cheese and Die!, this sequel is mostly a retread that amps the stakes, putting friends Greg and Shari in more danger than the first round. The set-up is weak (as is the title...), but it didn't stop R.L. Stine from fixing up some of the loonier aspects of the original (e.g., the evil, basement-dwelling scientist), focusing on the horror, and exploring more legitimate fears -- namely body-image issues.

[N.B. This review includes show more images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

Over summer, Greg and the gang nearly got themselves killed messing with an unusual camera (see Goosebumps #4). This particular camera shows violent, painful futures for the photo's subjects, potentially even death. School's started, however, and Greg's brought the horror story to his English class, upsetting his tyrant of a teacher, Mr. 'Sourball' Saur. Unless Greg can prove the camera's power is real, Sourball promises him an F for all his work.

Greg should know better. He's been here before. But this is Goosebumps. He steals the camera away from where he left it, and chaos ensues. Surprising chaos for a Goosebumps novel. Thanks to the cursed camera, Shari wastes away, losing tens of pounds a day. Greg, on the other hand, bloats up overnight, gaining over 200 pounds to the surprise of friends and family.

Except Sourball Saur, who just insults him, classy guy that he is.

## "Greg, I want you to go see the nurse, "Mr. Saur ordered. "I want her to discuss the four food groups with you. I think you've been eating too much of all four!"

While the plot of the cursed camera is by no means original, it's a fun ride, and it's rough getting in the minds of kids facing body image issues. I went through the same concerns at 12-14 -- the absolute worst time to have any kind of social problem -- and Greg's worries reflected my own. Say Cheese and Die -- Again! is, despite its lame heritage (and even lamer title), a big improvement over the preceding books.

## I felt embarrassed just walking down the street. When cars drove past, I knew the people inside were staring at me. Laughing at the big mound of Jell-O bouncing along the sidewalk.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#43 The Beast from the East | #45 Ghost Camp show less

Boy, do I love my 90's-era teen horror novels. Although technically these are late 80's, as they're the first three in the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine, one of the bestselling authors, ever. And in fact, I have more books by him than any author on my shelves, about 60 altogether. But anyway, I have no idea if today's teens and pre-teens would enjoy these books as much as I did when I was young, they're rather hokey to me now as an adult, with lots of cringe-worthy jokes and things. And show more every chapter ends on a cliff-hanger, usually with someone's shoulder getting grabbed from behind or something like that. But to me, they are really great fun and a great trip down memory lane. Of the three I think The Surprise Party was the strongest with a bit of a twist ending I wasn't expecting, and The Overnight was also surprisingly well done, with some genuine tension and thrills. I guess there's a reason Stine is one of the bestselling authors of all time. show less

## Bad Dog. Really BAD Dog.

The Barking Ghost really used to freak me out. Any ghost story with animals would always leave me unsettled. At least human ghosts would have some purpose behind their existence: A structured story to communicate. Animals wouldn't get that luxury to convey loneliness or abuse.

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

The scenario -- two black Labradors with brilliant, red eyes haunt Cooper and his friend show more Fergie in rural Maine -- had me thinking a lot about such loneliness as a youngster. Cooper's just moved to the middle of nowhere from the big city of Boston, and from the first night onward he'd find himself woken up by two barking dogs. He and Fergie are the only ones who hear and see the dogs. Everyone else rolls their eyes, assuring themselves he's listening to the wind again.

Soon enough, the dogs start showing up in his house, where walls are no obstacle (they're ghosts!). The dogs would be threatening one instant, and possibly friendly the next. Soon enough, Cooper and Fergie find themselves drawn into the woods by these two ghost dogs only they could see or hear.

The twist was a little too far out for me, and I felt like it spoiled the mystery a bit. (I also felt like a natural twist was building up with the fleas, but that was dropped for something stranger.) The first two-thirds were great as a classic ghost story for kids, but the last third was too much of a let-down. Cooper's relationship with his brother, Mickey, is really golden, however, and the two play a lot of clever jokes on one another.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#31 Night of the Living Dummy II | #33 The Horror at Camp Jellyjam show less