8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Reader Beware, You're In For A Scare!", April 10, 2008
This review is from: Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Yes that's right, gentle readers, the master of fright is back nearly after a whole decade with a new book series called Goosebumps: Horrrland for kids. The first new book is called "Revenge of the Living Dummy" and the second book is called "Creep from the Deep." The writing style is still the same, but that's what makes R. L. Stine so interesting. He wrties on kids level so that it is easy to read and undertand and his stories are so original and entertaining that I can't wait until the next book releases. (Which will be in June!) So, again, I'm very surprised that Goosebumps has finally awakened again after all these years! If Goosebumps: Horroland stays around long enough, it might be even better than the Harry Potter series, (in my opinioin!) but you never know if FOX might make an attempt to ressurect the show for the new series, (hey, I can dream, can't I?) So 'readers beware, you're in for a scare'!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun, fast-paced, spine-chilling thriller for kids who love to be scared, August 11, 2008
This review is from: Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Britney Crosby is not very happy, and that is an understatement. Her pain-in-the-neck cousin Ethan has moved into her house. That's bad enough, but Britney's mother gave Ethan her room, so now she's sleeping in the sewing room! At least Britney has her BFF, Molly Molloy, to sympathize with her. Ethan is a complete brat, but Britney's parents insist she be especially nice to him because he's had such a hard life.
This is nearly impossible, especially when Britney sees Ethan's best buddy --- a creepy smiling ventriloquist's dummy that Ethan calls Mr. Badboy. Bam! Mr. Badboy whacks Britney on the forehead the moment she meets him. Ethan, of course, denies any responsibility, insisting that the dummy hit Britney all on his own. Meanwhile, Mr. Badboy screeches, "I'm a BAAAAAD boy!"
Britney's mom makes her take Ethan (still toting Mr. Badboy) to Molly's house. Molly's dad is a folklore professor who travels everywhere, bringing home bizarre artifacts like horrible-looking dolls, old toys and skulls. When Professor Molloy sees Mr. Badboy, he's intrigued, saying that the dummy looks vaguely familiar to him. He takes the children up to his attic museum and shows off a doll with a shrunken head that he's recently acquired. The doll is called a Mind Stealer, and supposedly it can take your mind right out of your head. Even worse, Professor Molloy believes it's actually capable of doing the evil deed...but he feels it's safe under thick glass.
When Britney and Ethan get home, Ethan shows her his ventriloquist act. Surprisingly, he's excellent at throwing his voice to make Mr. Badboy talk. Or so Britney believes, until she sees the dummy moving all on its own. Britney is sure her cousin has rigged the dummy, even though Ethan appears to be trembling in fear. She continues to believe that Ethan is putting one over on her, until something happens that is completely unexplainable. How can a dummy move and say, "I don't like you, Britney!" when its ventriloquist is away from the room?
Britney is terrified, but (not surprisingly) her parents don't believe her when she tells them that Mr. Badboy is alive. That's terrible, but things go even further downhill for poor Britney as Mr. Badboy grows increasingly violent. And her life gets more complicated when Molly calls, begging Britney to come help bury the Mind Stealer doll.
Along with each complete horror story, each entry in R. L. Stine's Horrorland series --- a spin-off of his popular Goosebumps books --- features a serial tale in installments, which takes place in a creepy amusement park known as Horrorland. In this first book, Britney and Molly have received a puzzling invite to the Horrorland amusement park, which is complete with a werewolf petting zoo and a quicksand beach. The girls think this is the most amazing thing ever...at first. But it isn't long before they experience the true horror in Horrorland.
REVENGE OF THE LIVING DUMMY is a fun, fast-paced, spine-chilling thriller for kids who love to be scared. These readers will also enjoy the first episode of the serial story, which will leave them yearning for the next title in this 12-book series.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Return of R.L. Stine, April 26, 2008
This review is from: Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
After almost a decade R.L. Stine decided to please his fans and write more Goosebumps books. I have to say that this has been the best Goosebumps book I have ever read. I am a teacher and I read the Goosebumps series to my class. My class loved this book. They are big fans of Slappy so they basically forced me to get this book. There were laugh out loud parts and scary parts. This has been the funniest Goosebumps ever and then when you think the tale is over R.L. Stine throws a whole new story in. The family gets an invitation to go to Horrorland. From who? The reader doesn't know but my class has some ideas about what or who it might be. The family then goes to Horrorland where weird things begin to happen. The story ends and the reader still wants more just like the previous Goosebumps book. But the reader should feel satisfied because it seems like all of our questions are going to be answered within the 10 Goosebump Horrorland books. I don't want to spoil any parts for anybody but R.L. Stine throws in another doll into the story and its not a puppet. All I can say is that the doll was very interesting and brung a whole new type of scare to this story. There are also extras in the book like a map of Stagger Inn. Every book has its own map. There is also more extras that I won't spoil for you so just pick up the book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
