The Stepsister

One of my very favorite R.L. Stine books! Emily's new stepsister, Jessie, is horrible. Not just horrible, evil. She does very mean, calculating things to Emily, and no one believes that Jessie is at fault! But Emily knows it's Jessie, because it can't be anyone else... Right?
This is one of those books where you *think* the answer/solution is totally obvious, and wonder why the main character can't figure it out. .... And then the climax comes and leaves you going "wait WHAT HUH?!" and you have to read the end multiple times to figure out just what the heck happened. Anotherwords, one HELL of a good book!

This one gives “blended family” a seriously creepy twist. The Stepsister is packed with suspense, secrets, and just enough danger to keep my students flying through the pages. It’s perfect for readers who love stories about family tension with a sinister edge. They’ll spend the whole book trying to figure out if Emily’s stepsister is out to get her—or if she’s just losing it. Short, spooky, and very Fear Street!

The Stepsister by R.L. Stine is a cruel horror novel for those seeking some insanity and mean family members.

Emily has a new step father, step brother and step sister. It's been tough since her Dad died, but her Mom, her sister Nancy and her have been getting by. When the new family joins though, her step sister is wickedly evil and has a rough past. Dark and scary things start happening and it feels like Emily's life is purposely being ruined. But things aren't always as they seem...

TRIGGER WARNING ALERT: There is animal abuse in this book and holy moly I wish I knew beforehand because I wouldn't have picked it up. That one hurt my soul so much! I understand that animal abuse is horrifying and all that jazz, but my soul... my poor show more heart... It seemed heartless and cruel. Yeah, it's horror and it's supposed to be cruel but I didn't expect THAT.

This book is definitely a 1990s book but it holds up. Maybe not the computer exactly, but it still works. I think horror fans will enjoy this throwback and be able to sneak into it as long as they can get past my issue above.

Three out of five stars. It would have been five if there wasn't animal abuse but the animal abuse deserves a one. show less

Fear Street Warning: Animal death.

Well though the new Netflix "Fear Street" movie was disappointing, I am still enjoying my re-reads of the series. "The Stepsister" has some really solid Fear Street themes going on. We hear about the death of a parent and how the surviving parent (the mom) has remarried to a man who just frankly sucks. He comes with some baggage though and has a daughter and son from his first marriage. The teen we follow in this one, Emily, I liked, but I have to kind of side-eye for some things (no spoilers) because I said at one point that if that was my sister I would have kicked her butt. The reveal about who was doing things I thought was well done. But I do love how at the end of the Fear Street books usually show more the evil doer is arrested or just gets sent off to get some help at a psychiatric center or asylum.

Emily is excited about her new stepsister Jessie moving in. She's finally going to have someone close to her age. Her older sister Nancy is getting ready to move on to college and Emily feels better about having Jessie moving in. Though when Jessie drops her sweet act Emily starts to worry what does she really know about her stepsister. When things start to go wrong and Emily gets increasingly hurt, she starts to worry her stepsister is out to harm her.

Emily ehhh, not my favorite of the Fear Street heroines, but not the worst.

I did think this one didn't focus much on Fear Street itself though we do hear about how Emily's father died and of course it revolves around Fear Island. It also made me think of the Cheerleader series a bit too.

The ending was a great reveal I thought. show less

Wanting to revisit memory lane and enjoy those teen horror tales all over again, I was ecstatic to nab some of these babies on E-bay recently. I remember reading this one because of the cover, but every single aspect of the story alluded me. As I age, I seem to forget more and more. It was great fun to re-read stuff that meant so much to me then, and is a quickie that even an adult wanting a leisurely read can enjoy. I'm itching for my son to grow up a bit more and enjoy these as much as I did.

Character wise, we have nothing too complex as it's a fear street young adult, and it is cursed with the usual melodrama teenage angst. Still, the characterization is strong enough for this type of book, I really grew to love the little boy and show more get pissed at the mother as I should. Surprisingly the mystery is a relatively good one. Ok, Ok, I DID guess the culprit halfway through, but only because that person was the least likely suspect.

From beginning to end the story moves fast, with scene after scene was "horror" (Dare I say that?) Nothing too suspenseful or creepy, great for the young adult reader to cuddle up with for good times. It's not as good as some of his other stories, though, so this one earned the partner of three stars. Just didn't stand out enough, the motive and culprit wasn't surprising, and some of the drama DID begin to wear on my nerves (although I kept telling myself patience was needed because of the age level.)

Stine's a great writer and it's hard to believe he can come up with some many different stories. You would think after awhile the man would start repeating himself, but he doesn't. I would empty my meager savings for that sort of imagination. show less

This book was first published 15 years ago and was re-released in 2005 but the absence of mobile phones in the hands of these teenagers really dates the book.
Basically it is one of a collection Stine wrote that are centered around a street called Fear Street where at least one of the characters in the novel lives. In this book, Emily's mother has just remarried after her father's drowning death; so she and her sister Nancy are forced to accept a new step-brother and sister into their lives. At first, Emily feels sorry for Jessie, the step-sister forced to share her room but after reading her diary and some strange events including the horrific murder of the family's pet dog; Emily believes her new step-sister to be evil and is out to show more prove it to her mother and step-father. This was the best of the three free Fear Street novels I was given to read as there was some plot and character development and a nice red herring thrown in, in the form of the creepy step-brother but in the end I did guess who the "evil one" really was. show less

Emily's new stepsister, (Jessie), moves in and takes over everyhting; Emily's room, clothes and she makes late-night phone calls on Emily's phone. About a week later, Emily's dog gets murdered. Now Emily is living in fear of her stepsister. But when she tries to complain, nobody believes her. One day, Emily picks up her diary and discoveres that Jessie may have murdered someone. To find out who believes her and what happens next, you'll have to read the book.
I think this book is well written and full of surprises. I would give it a 4.5/5. I would reccommend this book for poeple between the ages of 11-16 because the characters are around 15-17. Teenage readers would be able to relate to the way the characters act and how they show more feel.
Vanessa Standring show less