R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Cheerleaders: The Third Evil

Fight, fight, fight or die, die, die!

From the back cover:

IT'S BACK!

Did the evil spirit really leave Kimmy's body? The cheerleaders of Shadyside High can still feel its dark presence, and Corky knows that it is out there, somewhere close. And getting closer.

Corky is tormented night after night by dreams of her dead sister, Bobbi. What terrifying message is Bobbi trying to tell her? When the evil begins again - more horrible, more gruesome than ever - Corky knows it is up to her to learn the century-old secrets and destroy the evil spirit's power for good. But so many have died already - will Corky be next?

My thoughts:

I know it's Thursday and usually I do my R.L. Stine Book of the Week on Sunday, but I didn't have time to post it until now.

Cheerleaders: The Third Evil is probably the goriest of the series - just read the excerpt below for a sample. It's probably the most gruesome thing I've read from R.L. Stine so far. Except the body count is surprisingly low for a book with tons of gore. In fact, it's nonexistent. Not a single person dies in the book (excluding the flashback from the excerpt below, which I don't count). There a lot of bloody accidents, but nothing too serious, which was a disappointment.

The happily ever after ending was also a letdown. I guess you can't expect a book for teens to have lots of death and a not so typical, happy ending, but I thought this one was different since it had so much gore. Oh well, it's still an enjoyable Stine book.

Rating: 4/5

PG-13 gore: She saw herself murdering the man at the mill, the man who had caused her husband's accident. She saw the expression of utter disbelief on the man's face as she grabbed him and shoved him from behind. And she heard the crack and splat as she pushed his head under the mill wheel. And his head was ground up as fine as the corn.

The woman who lived in the big house on the hill was even easier to murder. And what pleasure Sarah had taken in the crime. What delight. After all, the woman insulted the Fears, insulted Simon Fear, insulted Sarah's dead husband, insulted the entire family.

She couldn't utter any insults with that length of clothesline wrapped around her neck. Sarah had pulled the clothesline tighter and tighter, until the woman's face was bright purple, as purple as the violets in her garden. So tight that the rope actually disappeared under the woman's skin. And the blood had flowed out in a perfect ring.

How lucky that Sarah was boiling up an enormous pot of potatoes when the young police officer arrived. She had only to shove his head deep into the boiling water, and wait.

What a struggle he'd put up. Thrashing his arms.

But Sarah had held his head under until the thrashing stopped. Until his breathing stopped, until he was dead, and he slumped lifeless over the black cast-iron stove.

All of his hair had floated off, floated to the top of the pot. And when she finally pulled him up, his head was as white as a boiled potato and nearly as soft.

Body count: 0


Next week: Cheerleaders: The New Evil