Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand Series #1)

by R. L. Stine

Overview

It's a whole new ride from master of horror and bestselling author R.L. Stine--with a story so fiendish that it can't be contained to just one book!

Fright-master R.L. Stine invites you on an all-new, all-terrifying adventure!
The thrill ride begins when 12-year-old Britney Crosby encounters an old ventriloquist's dummy with a lively secret--and a wicked plan.
Just when she thinks the nightmare is over, Britney receives an invitation to an amusement park where everything is not as it seems. Who--or what--is summoning ordinary kids to HorrorLand? Britney and her friends must find out fast--or remain trapped forever in the scariest place on Earth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439918695
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2008
Series:	Goosebumps HorrorLand Series , #1
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	49,078
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.63(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

R.L. Stine's books have sold more than 300 million copies, making him one of the most popular children's authors in history. Besides Goosebumps, R.L. Stine has written series including: Fear Street, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room, and Dangerous Girls. R.L. Stine lives in New York with his wife, Jane, and his King Charles spaniel, Minnie. www.RLStine.com.

Hometown:

New York, New York

Date of Birth:

October 8, 1943

Place of Birth:

Columbus, Ohio

Education:

B.A., Ohio State University, 1965

Website:

http://www.rlstine.com

Editorial Reviews

R. L. Stine's Goosebumps HorrorLand series lives up to frightful title. In each novel-length episode, youngsters receive an eerie invitation to visit the terrifying amusement park, little knowing what awaits them around every dark corner. Just unsettling enough to keep young readers glued to their chairs.

After eight years, the bestselling master of middle-grade horror returns, this time with the first book of a new, deliciously chilling 12-book series. As is planned for the other titles, this suspenseful opener is broken into two equally enjoyable sections-a standalone story and the first installment of what already reads like a ghostly serial at its spookiest. In the same tried-and-true style as the older Goosebumps stories, the standalone involves two smart yet vulnerable kids as they try to bury "Mr. Badboy," an evil ventriloquist's dummy with a mind of its own, and a Mumban doll with a shrunken human head that steals minds when touched, before the two dolls can do any major damage. In Part Two, the same characters embark on another petrifying adventure to a mysterious theme park advertised as "HorrorLand: Where Nightmares Come to Life." All the essential tricks of the trade to keep readers up at night are front and center: the ominous noises at just the right moments, the grisly visual descriptions and the cliffhangers around every corner. Combined with the promise of an ongoing story, this series should easily garner a new crop of scare-addicts. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

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Publishers Weekly

Britney Crosby is having a nightmare! Her bratty cousin Ethan has come to stay with her family for awhile. She even has to give up her bedroom to him! He has stayed with them before, which was bad enough, but this time Ethan has brought along a little friend—an ugly old ventriloquist's dummy called Mr. Bad Boy. Between the mean pranks Ethan plays on her and the ever-present Mr. Bad Boy scaring her, Britney's nerves are raw. She tries everything to stay away from Ethan and his dummy, but they always seem to follow her wherever she goes, and they are trouble. And now Britney's parents think she is the one causing all the trouble! The only one who truly understands her plight is her best friend Molly Molloy. The tables turn when Britney finds out that Ethan is also terrified of Mr. Bad Boy. Who wouldn't be? The dummy is really alive, inhabited by the spirit of Slappy, who was made by an evil magician in the late 1800s. Britney and Molly come up with a plan they hope will put an end to Slappy's mean jokes forever. This new 12-book "Goosebumps" serial has two parts. Part #1, "Revenge of the Living Dummy," features villains of the past. Part #2 takes place inside HorrorLand, a haunted theme park to which Britney and her family have been mysteriously invited. From the moment they arrive, strange things begin to happen. The book includes chapters from book #2, Creep from the Deep. R. L. Stine promises to keep readers guessing until the final chapter. Reviewer: Beverly Melasi

Children's Literature - Beverly Melasi

Gr 3-6

Alissa Hunnicutt does a more than capable job reading these two related stories (Scholastic, pap. 2008) by R.L. Stine. In the first story, Hunnicutt superbly conveys the mounting fear that Britney Crosby feels towards her cousin Ethan's creepy old ventriloquist's dummy named Slappy, voicing him to sound like Donald Duck gone psycho. Of course, she has every reason to be terrified of the wooden sociopath, and she and a friend try to get rid of the cursed item. As usual, her parents don't believe her, sand this comes back to haunt them in the second story. The Crosby family and Britney's best friend go to Horrorland for a vacation. While most people might have suspected something weird was happening, the family falls for it hook, line and sinker. Stine ups the chills level by concluding the second story with the girls realizing that Britney's parents have disappeared, and Slappy is responsible. The abrupt ending leaves no doubt that the girls are doomed to the nasty fate hinted at in the Horrorland story. Effective and nearly constant sound effects enhance the telling and increase the tension. This production will definitely be a hit with the author's fans and listeners who relish scary tales.-B. Allison Gray, Santa Barbara County Library, CA

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