Stinetinglers

July 22, 2022

Gr 3-6-Another collection of tales from the most trusted name in kids' horror. This collection of short stories by "Goosebumps" creator follows 10 ordinary-seeming preteens as their lives collide with the supernatural. Smartwatches that stop time, evil twins, and hallucinatory bugs are just some of the weird and creepy events these characters face. One notable tale is about a basketball player who becomes unexpectedly clumsy, only to find that his skin is slipping off like a snake's. Although Stine makes references to the modern with smartwatches, cell phones, and more, these entries have a nostalgic tone, as if they were set in the small-town or suburban past. These tweens travel freely around their neighborhoods without much parental supervision, benefitting the plot. Short introductions about the story's inspiration preface each chapter, which may inspire some future young authors. These notes also serve to tamp down the horror level as readers are reminded that these are inventions and not real events. Similarly to his previous series, Stine's latest collection is unsettling, and the vignettes' endings will stay with kids long after they're done, especially since the author does not shy away from an unhappy denouement. However, the horror elements still stay within the bounds of what is expected for this audience. VERDICT A must-have volume wherever Stine's other work has a following.-Jeri Murphy

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August 15, 2022
In these 10 darkly humorous short stories, Stine (the Goosebumps series) delivers bite-size frights. “Welcome to the In-Between,” a cautionary tale about middle schooler Gabe, who’s always late, opens the collection on a terrifyingly realistic note. After finding, and subsequently breaking, a smartwatch, Gabe becomes stuck in time, living life as if it’s moving forward, but the clocks never tick past 6:10 p.m. In “Our Little Monsters,” teenage Becka’s new gig babysitting preteen terrors results in punny, madcap shenanigans. Creepy-crawly “Bugs” follows Alvie’s attempts to work through his fear of insects, with a disastrous outcome. Though the stories are seemingly unconnected, each is preceded by a note from Stine detailing its inspiration, including a childhood anecdote about sibling wrestling matches as well as a pensive observation regarding a snake shedding its skin. Stine’s collection, full of disaffected or downright miserable narrators, and bullies who take the form of friends, parents, and siblings, is a harrowing look at myriad current real-life horrors plaguing tweens, and foregrounds the idea that, more often than not, one must be brave enough to save oneself. Most characters are coded as white. Ages 8–12.

October 1, 2022
This collection of 10 scary short stories from the bestselling Goosebumps author promises--and delivers--chills, twists, and surprises. Each entry opens with a brief introduction addressed to readers from Stine describing his inspiration for the story. The book includes a range of subgenres, including cosmic horror, body horror, paranormal, and more. One boy finds himself stuck in time, unsure if he will ever get beyond 6:10. A young athlete's body betrays him as his skin begins to stretch and slip off. And a practical joker realizes he may have gone too far when he explores cries for help coming from a spooky house. Each story ends with a classic Stine twist and campy humor. This combination is sure to appeal to returning fans and surprise those new to his writing. The stories, whose settings include small-town Indiana, where a transplant from Brooklyn settles down, and a seaside town where kids hang out at the beach, include clues to a contemporary setting (smartwatches, TikTok) and feature timeless preteen fears involving children who act like--and may be--literal monsters; feeling uncomfortable in bodies that are rapidly growing strange and unfamiliar; uncertainty about identity; concerns about being forgotten; fears of being perceived as strange or mundane; and parents who don't understand you. Black-and-white spot art adds to the spooky atmosphere. The racially indeterminate characters are minimally described. Quick doses of horror that send a tingle up your spine. (Horror. 8-12)

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