The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight (Goosebumps #20)

Jodie and her brother Mark arrive at their grandparents’ farm for the summer to find that things have changed drastically. There are a dozen creepy-looking scarecrows in the cornfield. Grandpa Kurt no longer tells scary stories, and Grandma Miriam doesn’t make pancakes anymore. All the while, they sneak fearful glances at the farm hand, Stanley. Is Stanley and his book of superstitions responsible for the changes at the farm? Did Jodie really see the scarecrows move?
As a kid, I read a handful of Goosebumps books, but this one was new for me. Goosebumps books are great introductions to the horror genre for children. The stakes are low enough that you’re certain no one is going to die, but the suspense is real enough to make you show more worry nonetheless. Have a trip down memory lane as I did, or give this to a child in your life who is still a little too young for Stephen King. Either way, have fun! show less

## It's a field of screams!

The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight was one of the best original Goosebumps books to show a mature sense of suspense. Jodie, Mark, and most on the family farm feel like real people rather than the simplified caricatures you usually expect of the series.[*] Their jokes were real jokes -- which is essential for getting the reader on the heroes' side. Siblings Jodie and Mark contrast well with one another -- Jodie's the outdoors-y, adventurous one to Mark's backpack-full-of-Gameboy-cartridges lazy-bones. The mystery, too, was nearly impossible to guess, with so many threads both mundane and dangerously occult to tug at the reader's suspicions.

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

Jodie and Mark are spending their summer vacation on their grandparents' farm. It's an annual event viewed with excitement: Hidden fishing holes, a large farm to explore, fresh chocolate pancakes every morning, ghost stories before bed, the perfect hanging lounge chair for a day of nothing but Gameboy! Yeah!

Summer of 1994, however, their normally-loving and attentive grandparents are oddly reserved; they barely speak a word to our heroes, and when they do, it's to be dismissive, yet genuine and caring. Stanley, the farmhand, has a new passion for the occult, including an uncomfortable obsession with rows and rows of scarecrows he's convinced are alive. From there, the confusion over what the junk is going on, and if anyone's in danger, escalates.

The large scale of the mystery brings about some of the pacing issues. There wasn't enough room to wrap up the story, so it peters out all at once in a miraculous, random action. On a lighter note, the sudden ending also contributes a sense of mythology to the book, leaving the reader imagine if things are really over or just beginning. As the twentieth book, however, it still gave the impression that the series wasn't losing steam anytime soon.

[*]I say 'most' because Stanley, the farmhand, toes the line in portraying people with special needs as completely ridiculous. His comic ignorance and "suspicion book" felt out-of-place against the other characters.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#19 Deep Trouble | #21 Go Eat Worms! show less

Reader beware, you're in for a scare!

Continuing my trek down into the dark imagination of [a: R.L. Stein|8393142|R.L. Stein|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] I reached this silly book [title: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight]. While the idea of it is relatively clever, scarecrows are pretty creepy things and the idea of them coming to life is solid enough for a horror novel, the execution is a bit clumsy even by Goosebumps standards.

There never really was any doubt in my mind as to who was pulling the strings in this scenario, and the third act just sort of bumbled its way towards an awkward conclusion. Not to say this is a terrible book, it didn't even come close to the head show more scratching that [title: Piano Lessons Can Be Murder] did. I just.. wasn't one of the more interesting installments and dragged a bit too much for my tastes. show less

During a visit to their grandparents’ farm, siblings Jodie and Mark are confronted by cursed scarecrows that stalk them at midnight. Designed with menacing faces and evil magic, the scarecrows emerge to frighten anyone who crosses the farmhouse fields after dark. The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight offers classic Goosebumps thrills: eerie rural setting, supernatural twists, and high-stakes suspense—all wrapped in Stine’s signature fast-paced style.

I picked this one up for nostalgia reasons and I actually enjoyed it, though not as much as when I was a kid.

There's really not much to say since it's so short, but if I had to pick something that I didn't think made sense, it's that they didn't burn the book in the end.

I picked this one up for nostalgia reasons and I actually enjoyed it, though not as much as when I was a kid.

There's really not much to say since it's so short, but if I had to pick something that I didn't think made sense, it's that they didn't burn the book in the end.

I picked this one up for nostalgia reasons and I actually enjoyed it, though not as much as when I was a kid.

There's really not much to say since it's so short, but if I had to pick something that I didn't think made sense, it's that they didn't burn the book in the end.