There’s no killer to introduce us to this story, but we do get to learn about how much Emily hates her hair. And pretty much everything else about herself. She’s especially wound up at the moment because her new stepfather is bringing home her stepbrother and sister, who are going to be living with them. Emily’s older sister Nancy is keeping her own room to herself, their new step brother Rich is getting put into a closet, and Emily is going to share her room […]
It’s All So Familiar
Eight books in and the plots are already being recycled. 44 more books to go. Yay for me. The similarities between The New Girl and Halloween Party are greater than having a male POV character. Lisa even makes an appearance. I’m pretty sure she should have graduated by now, but she’s also still dating Cory, so I don’t know what to do with her. There’s no use trying to keep a timeline going. There’s no introductory narration from a murderer, but there is a new […]
Time. Traveling. Ghost.
I think this book could be used to start discussions with girls and boys about unacceptable ways to be treated or to treat other people, because this is pretty much a novel-length exploration of how not to look out for your own safety. We skip the prologue from a killer and go straight to Melissa Dryden waking up the house because there are tree limbs knocking on her window and she’s afraid of the Fear Street Prowler. Melissa is rich, lives on Fear Street, and […]
Best Summer Job Ever
This is a Fear Street book that breaks the mold by not starting with a first person narration by a murderer and also doesn’t ever feature any menacing phone calls. There is a prologue featuring our main character sleepwalking, in case you weren’t sure why the book was called that. It’s also got cover art by an artist who may have read the book, or at least part of it. (I’m going to pause to say I adore the covers on this series. The last […]
Why Prank Calls Are Dangerous: A Very Special Episode
Do you know what happens when a car that has crashed catches on fire? RL Stine apparently doesn’t. In the real world, a car that has caught on fire burns. In Hollywood and in Shadyside, however, every car is a Pinto. We’re back in familiar territory when the book opens with a first person narrative from a murderer. In this case, a murderer-to-be, as he’s planning rather than gloating. We then go to Deena Martinson and her friend Jade Smith. The two of them have […]
Didn’t I See That Twist in a Goosebumps Book Once?
I’m not completely clear on the timeline between these books. I’m not sure it’s worth trying to track, but I can’t help myself. This book doesn’t open with a narration from a murderer, either, so maybe I was wrong to expect it to be a standard for these books. This one is told in first person, but it hops back and forth between Mark and Cara. It’s shortly after the school year started, and Mark and Cara Burroughs are new students. As near as I […]