Pure, Goosebumps–style terror-by-formula, polished through use to such a high gloss that it slides along frictionlessly—a...
Making its fourth appearance and by now practically a recurring character in Stine’s creep-show opus, the evil mask with a mind of its own kicks off a new Goosebumps spinoff—the first to be originally published in hardcover.
Stine crafts two Halloween chillers and links them at the end. In the first, after an introductory setup set 40 years in the past, Lu-Ann wanders away from a friend’s boring party and discovers a demonic green mask in an old trunk. It not only doesn’t come off once she dons it (natch), but enflames her with uncontrollable and destructive anger issues. In the second, Lu-Ann’s friend Devin’s conviction that his holiday is going to be lame since he has to spend it helping his family sell pick-your-own pumpkins doesn’t last long. The vines start moving, the pumpkins turn squishy when he touches them, and the dead begin to rise from the graveyard beneath the field. Featuring plenty of sudden screams, eerie dreams, creeping dread and spooky undead (but no actual bloodshed), the plotlines ultimately intertwine in a climax that frees both young teens from their travails and allows them (and readers) to laugh at it all the next morning.
Pure, Goosebumps–style terror-by-formula, polished through use to such a high gloss that it slides along frictionlessly—a worthy celebration of the series’ 20th anniversary. (reversible dust-jacket mask [not seen]) (Horror. 10-12)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-41793-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
Mild chills in either language.
“La Llorona” and other traditional bugaboos from Mexican-American lore find modern young victims in this bilingual set of South Texas tales.
That ghostly mother seeking replacements for her dead children succeeds in two of Sandaña’s six offerings. The others are rather less eerie. Shy Joey fails to prevent his intended date, Marlen, from fatally “Dancing with the Devil,” and Cecelia comes to accept that “God’s Will Be Done” after a mysterious bull prevents her from meeting a suave stranger in defiance of parental orders. The other stories take almost comically grisly turns, with a mother’s warnings about the consequences of playing with knives coming literally true as “Louie Spills His Guts” through a small cut in his toe. Another lad is nearly “All Choked Up” in an ER waiting room by a severed hand that arrives in an ice chest. The original English versions occupy the first half of the volume, and their Spanish translations the second half.
Mild chills in either language. (Short stories. 10-12)Pub Date: April 30, 2012
ISBN: 979-1-55885-744-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
According to the author, Lady Bonquers is still remembered in “the international circle of pseudoscientists and mad...
The creator of useful field guides to monsters (2007) and aliens (2010) turns his attention to an eccentric Scottish inventor’s mechanical fancies.
Along with images of taped- or tacked-on rough sketches, scrawled notes, product brochures and schematic diagrams purportedly discovered in Lady Regina Bonquers III’s mysteriously abandoned castle near Loch MeeAhwey, Olander offers descriptions of over 23 marvelous machines. These range from a 40-foot-tall, garbage-recycling Crocobot Compactor and the protean household helper Chore Master X2000 to a pocket-sized Personal Grooming Robot equipped with pimple popper. Skating even closer to the boundaries of good taste, he also presents a tall and soft-bodied “Hugging Robot” built by the solitary Lady as her personal comfort object. Thanks largely to programming glitches and, often, attendant bad publicity, none of Lady Bonquers’ ingenious creations enjoyed commercial success, alas. Nevertheless, budding inventors may find inspiration in these pages (if not specific instructions or even clear details) for labor- and life-saving robots of their own.
According to the author, Lady Bonquers is still remembered in “the international circle of pseudoscientists and mad geniuses.” Here’s hoping that this tribute will expand her renown to a wider audience. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7614-6173-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
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