Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes

## Keep off their grass!

You can really tell R.L. Stine had a lot of fun writing this one. All the main characters -- Joe, Mindy, Moose, even the evil gnomes Chip and Hap -- are hilarious.

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

The gnomes of the title aren't quite what you'd expect from the 2015 movie. They're classic tricksters, in the vein of Coyote, Loki, or Raven. When Joe and Mindy's dad adorns his over-adorned yard with two ugly lawn gnomes, the gnomes immediately dive into midnight mischief, usually at the expense of the neighboring gardener (and, of course, young Joe, who gets blamed for the mischief).

It's not scary, really, just fun. Even for younger readers, there show more isn't much suspense. It's more about the mischief of the gnomes, and the mischief of Joe, his doofy best friend Moose (and Moose's strict, ex-army father who spends far, far too much time on his garden), and his older sister. Mindy, by the way, has a serious case of OCD, and exhibits her quirks and concern for order throughout the story. She's easily one of the most interesting characters in the Goosebumps series, and helped make this one of the most fun stories in Stine's original run, even if it's particularly light on the spook element.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#33 The Horror at Camp Jellyjam | #35 A Shocker on Shock Street show less

When their backyard gnome collection appears to come to life and start avenging themselves for being mistreated, siblings discover the truly mischievous power of miniature monsters. Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes delivers a burst of eerie humor, suburban spookiness, and the trademark twist ending Goosebumps fans expect—making household yard decor the stuff of nightmares.

[b: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes|125619|Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes (Goosebumps, #34)|R.L. Stine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328867833s/125619.jpg|1184655] is a book so ridiculous it often gets brought up in discussions on Goosebumps. Apparently it made for a very frightening Goosebumps television show episode, though I have yet to see it. Those little innocuous lawn gnomes, coming to life to terrorize your garden and get you grounded for life. The stuff of nightmares? For some people, maybe.

Perhaps more people in the Goosebumps universe need to look at this:


I really don't know.

Anyway, [b: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes|125619|Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes (Goosebumps, #34)|R.L. show more Stine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328867833s/125619.jpg|1184655] is something that seems like it would be far more effective as a B movie than a book. With the right lighting, music, and hammy acting it could be brilliant fun. As a read, however, it falls a bit flat. The lawn gnomes aren't really menacing, and the obsession with gardening is just eye-roll worthy rather than chilling.

Also, what on earth is a casaba melon? I don't think spraying tomatoes three times from three separate bottles a day will really make them huge. I don't know, man. I just don't know. show less

And as it goes, I continue on my journey to try to read every Goosebumps book I can get my hands on! I'll be honest though, I don't remember ever picking this one up in my reading journey as a kid. I'm sure I've seen the cover, but I don't remember the story.

My thoughts? Meh. This one was kind of lame. It's not the best book, but it is creepy and spooky. I will give it R.L. Stine that I am sure many other people will find this creepy (especially the middle grade readers, who are the market/audience this book is made for), but I just wasn't all that bothered by it. I was kind of bored, but still intrigued about what was going on. The cliffhanger had me way more interested than the actual story! Either way, still a great addition to the show more series, but not my favourite.

Two out of five stars. show less

This was another one of those fun but not creepy Goosebumps books. I’m not going to lie, even though I should hate the gnomes, I really don’t. I thought they were kind of funny. Joe was pretty great too, but I didn’t like his sister or his best friend. The gnomes were definitely the best part of the whole book.

Overall a pretty cute book about evil gnomes.

How can you not enjoy a book about garden gnomes coming to life? Total fluff, but entertaining.