Amelia's Book Room: Goosebumps & Un!

Boo! Did I scare you? Oh, I didn't? ...Well, these books will!

In this special Halloween book review, I've got two spooky series' for you. The first is one I'm sure we've all heard of: Goosebumps! One of the most memorable horror writers, R. L. Stine, has written over fifty of these creepy tales. The one that sticks most in my mind is Night Of The Living Dummy. Slappy the Dummy (one of Stine's favorite characters to write!), as expected, comes alive in #7 of the series to torment sisters Lindy and Kris. I remember this one giving me nightmares; just the cover makes me shiver at the memory of going against my instincts and reading it alone at midnight!

It's not all living dolls, though, if that's not quite your thing. There's also man-eating hamsters, swamp monsters, mysterious summer camps, and of course, ghosts. You'll definitely want to pick one of these up on Halloween night if you're tired of movies and want a good scare!
Next up is not exactly a series, but I like to call it the 'Un!' series. With titles like Undone!, Uncanny!, and Unbearable!, Paul Jennings tells an array of creepy, weird, and sometimes downright gross short stories. Zombie parakeets, anyone? A stuffed fox that's a little too lifelike, locked in a closet for years? Or how about ice cream that makes you smart?

These are some of the best and craziest short story collections for kids, and great if you like surprise endings and, well, disgusting stuff. Jennings also has a lot of other fun books you should check out. I hope you enjoyed this Halloween-themed review, and have a good time this Saturday! Also, don't forget to read Melissa Walker's book Violet On The Runway; we're reading it for November, too, so you have until the end of next month, when we'll have our Dekoposh Book Club meeting! Happy reading!