Goosebumps was one of my favourite series as a child. I really enjoyed re-reading every single book I could get my hands on. I swear, some of these books I read upwards of 50 times each because I loved them. As an adult, I really wanted to go back and enjoy all of the nostalgia of my youth. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy to read these. It's a great throwback!

Clark and Gretchen, a set of step siblings, have to go stay with their Grandparents for a bit. Their parents leave them in this house in a swamp that's super big and super spooky. There's not much to do, and Grandma and Grandpa seem to be hiding some secrets... They are not supposed to go in a specific room. Their grandparents take off and leave them alone in the house... and it turns out, they've been hiding a monster.

This book wasn't the best Goosebumps book, but it was still fun and spooky. The cliffhanger at the end if frustrating, so I hope there is a sequel somewhere out there. I'm sure eventually I'll get my hands on the rest of the series.

The grandparents have me curious. Why were they hiding the monster? Did they capture it? Did it blackmail them? The twist ending on what happens to the monster makes me super confused why they were scared of it to begin with.

The monster takes a while to appear in this book, and then when we do see it the plot moves fast. Suddenly it's over, but the plot isn't resolved in any way.

Overall, this is a great middle grade read for those seeking a bit of spooky horror in their life.

Three out of five stars. ( )

#46 "Step 1: Run. Step 2: Run faster."
Gretchen and Clark think staying with their grandparents in the middle of their swamp is a real drag. Their grandparents are weird and not very much fun. But when they keep hearing noises from the room upstairs something tells them they're not alone in this house. Curiosity killed the cat! ( )

Reader Beware You're in for a Scare!

Or at least a confused sort of squinting at the page as you continue reading, frustrated huffing noises, and an eventual loud SIGH as you finish the book.

One of those two things. Definitely.

[b: How to Kill a Monster|125555|How to Kill a Monster (Goosebumps, #46)|R.L. Stine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328867790s/125555.jpg|120920] remains the gold standard of Poor Parenting in Goosebumps books. While other books have included parents taking their children on dangerous adventures, not realizing their children are missing, etc. This book includes parents leaving their kids with their "eccentric" grandparents while they go on a business trip, and said grandparents then abandoning the kids in their mansion with a monster and only two notes to explain what's going on. Of course, if the kids weren't such idiots they wouldn't have released the monster in the first place and would have been content to just laze around reading, eating pie, and relaxing. But no. They had to release the monster and then figure out how to kill it.

The book isn't terrible as far as Goosebumps books go, and the penultimate twist was actually pretty amusing. The premise itself just irritated me due to the fact it required such thoughtlessness on the parts of the parents and grandparents. The swamp is presumably dangerous... so you lock the kids in the house with a monster. How is that remotely responsible? Why? I understand the need for framing narratives, but this seems a bit excessive in terms of irresponsible behavior. ( )

## Step 1: Run. Step 2: Run faster.

How to Kill a Monster is as generic as the Goosebumps series got. Siblings Gretchen and Clark are spending a few days with their grandparents while their parents are on a business trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Their grandparents live far off the grid in the heart of the swamps. They have no phones, no TV, almost no windows -- they hardly even have working electricity! They also live in a house designed after a castle, oddly enough, which isn't the smartest move for sinking swamp soils.

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

Gretchen and Clark are baffled by the way their grandparents live, and by the odd behaviors they exhibit. They're both constantly cooking impossibly large portions and sneaking the plates off to a locked room of the 'castle.' The siblings investigate and, sure enough, find a verifiable swamp monster trapped in part of the house.

In a shocking display of poor -- bizarre -- parenting, the grandparents lock the siblings in with the monster and leave, asserting that the kids must either prevent the monster from getting out, or find a way to kill it.

## "'We know it's unfair to run off now. But we're just going for help. We'll be back -- as soon as we can find someone. Someone who knows what to do with this horrible beast.
## "'Sorry, kids. We really are -- but we had to bolt you inside the house. To make sure you didn't wander into the swamp by yourselves. It's not safe out there.'"
## Were they for real?

It's a plain entry, repeating too many beats from earlier stories. I did like that the siblings were not biological siblings, even if it didn't affect the plot -- R.L. Stine's families typically stick to stereotypes of the American ideal. Other than that, it's a mildly enjoyable diversion compared to the better Goosebumps stories, but I can't recommend it.

(It also contains this baffling paragraph: 'Clark stared at me. Frozen. His eyes on the raging monster.' How in the world did that make it past the editor?)

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#45 Ghost Camp | #47 Legend of the Lost Legend ( )

Goosebumps. This is the series that kept me reading through my childhood. More than any other series, Goosebumps kept me interested in reading, and R.L. Stein is a wonderful children's writer. I applaud his efforts, and can't express enough my gratitude for the series. ( )