R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Goosebumps: Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns

Put one head in front of the other...

From the back cover:

PUMPKIN POWER!

Nothing beats Halloween. It's Drew Brockman's favorite holiday. And this year will be awesome. Much better than last year. Or the year Lee and Tabby played that joke. A nasty practical joke on Drew and her best friend, Walker.

Yes, this year Drew and Walker have a plan. A plan for revenge. It involves two scary pumpkin heads.

But something's gone wrong. Way wrong. Because the pumpkin heads are a little too scary. A little too real. With strange hissing voices. And flames shooting out of their faces...

My thoughts: In anticipation of Halloween, for the next five Sundays I will be reviewing a Halloween-themed R.L. Stine book. The first one I chose is Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, which ended up being one of the most uninteresting Goosebumps books I have read so far.

Half of the book is comprised of flashbacks to previous Halloween nights which were ruined by snobby Tabby and Lee's mean (yet dull) pranks. When Drew and her friends finally get revenge, their practical joke is lame and not scary at all. I don't understand how being forced to trick-or-treat forever by jack-o'-lantern people is terrifying. I suppose you would get sick of it eventually, but that still doesn't make it remotely scary. I don't know where R.L. Stine comes up with some of these ideas....

But I enjoyed all the descriptions of autumn, trick-or-treating, costumes and just Halloween in general. And since it made me excited for Halloween to come, I'll give Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns a 2 instead of a 1.


Rating: 2/5

PG gore: "Noooo-!" I cried out as two ugly creatures came snarling through the hedge.

I saw only a blur of ragged fur. Open jaws. Saliva-covered teeth.

Before I could move, one of the creatures leaped onto me, snarling and growling. It shoved me roughly down to the grass. And dug its fangs into my shoulder.

Next week: Fear Street: Halloween Party