Throwback Thursday: R.L. Stine's Escape from the Carnival of Horrors + Giveaway!

Hellooooooooo fans and friends! I can't believe it's been almost a YEAR since my last post, but here we are again! (And I have to say, I'm glad to be back!) Since it's almost Halloween, I thought I'd bring the blog back--waaaaay back to a magical time--1995(!!!!!), and a series you might have heard of, Goosebumps.

If you are an early nineties kid like me, the Goosebumps series probably had a place on your bookshelf. (I used to beg my mother to buy them for me from the B. Dalton Bookstore at the mall, then get disappointed when they only took me two hours to read. LOL!) So this one's for you, nineties kids, a review of R.L. Stine's 1995 Give Yourself Goosbumps Series #1, Escape from the Carnival of Horrors!

In addition to the catchy tagline, "Readers beware...you choose the scare!" there is so much to love about Mr. Stine's writing/this book. First off, the throwback quality. When was the last time you cracked open a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-type book? If you're old like me, probably not for a long while. This book takes you back to the time where, sure, you'll turn to page 42 because you've chosen it or the directions say so, but you're half-cringing, half-excited about what comes next! Secondly, the endings. This gem of a book boasts 20 different endings for hours(?) of entertainment! (I'll admit, my grown-up brain got impatient and thought that 4 endings was enough for me to read to write a review, but still. I loved each of them.) Third, it might not be literature, and I might be 22 years older, but there's still something about R.L. Stine's writing which sucks me in, leaves me hanging at the right moment, then finishes me off with a gross-out kill. (Figuratively speaking, of course!) There were some lovely allusions to his other titles in this book as well, which made me love this book even more.

Sooooooo. I hope you enjoyed this overdue post! Leave a comment below with the title of your favorite throwback series/or stand-alone book. I'm always on the lookout for new/old titles to review here! Also, if you leave a comment by 12:00AM October 13th, Eastern Standard Time, I will randomly select a commenter to win my copy of Escape from the Carnival of Horrors so that you can enjoy it, too! Happy Halloween, and Happy Reading, everyone!

Photo Credits

Demian's Gamebook Web Page

Throwback Thursday: Betty Ren Wright's The Pike River Phantom

Whether you are 9 or 99, there's always something magical about a scary story. Back in the Stone Age, I remember the brave girls (and it was always girls) carrying around scary story books like they were badges of honor. "Look at me, I'm not afraid of the Pike River Phantom!" their eyes would say. Meanwhile, other girls (like me) would take a quick peek at the cover and decide it was NOT the genre for me. Please, don't even leave it on my desk!

Now that I'm older, the cover of this classic reads more kitschy than frightening, and I can giggle that I was so afraid of this? Getting a good scare is still tons of fun, however, especially during Halloween, and especially when Betty Ren Wright is the author.

Betty Ren Wright (I just have to say her full name!) is a very efficient writer. In a book of only 153 pages, she manages to flesh out the story of 12-year-old Charlie Hocking, a Milaukee transplant new to the small town where his father grew up, and where all Charlie's troubles begin. His father is an ex-con, and his cousin Rachel, who also lives in the same house, is perfect. How can anyone compete with that? Throw in a ghost with a dilemma and a Fourth of July parade, and you've got one entertaining story. While I didn't encounter anything revolutionary in this book, Wright's skill as a writer of suspense kept me on my toes. Also, the way she portrays family relationships, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes baffling, always necessary and complicated make this book ring emotionally true. Yes, it's only 153 pages, and yes the cover has a picture of a ghost lady chasing some kids down the stairs, but it was a good read.

Overall, five stars. Come for the ghost story, stay for the happy ending. Wax nostalgic with your friends about book fairs, and for the time when kids were allowed to do scary things--like ride their bikes in the woods by themselves! (yes, Charlie does this often in the book!)

Haven't had enough? For more frightening fun check out an earlier review of middle-grade classic, Stonewords: A Ghost Story.

Photo Credits

The picture of of The Pike River Phantom came from here. Thanks!

Print Media Monday: What Do You Want To See In A Children's Book?

When I first started working on my manuscript (a middle-grade adventure/fantasy), my only concerns were 1.) Making the dialogue sound true 2.) Making sure the reader wouldn't be bored to tears. As I get deeper and deeper into the manuscript, however, I am beginning to wonder. What does a reader look for in a children's book? What do I, as a parent, look for in a book for my own daughter?

Of course, the answers to these questions are as diverse as the children and parents out there. Here is my own personal wish list. Feel free to add anything you feel is missing in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you!

1.)The book appeals to both genders.

I was browsing a certain online bookseller looking for my daughter's favorite series, Ivy and Bean when I saw a suggestion for a book series called, The Never Girls. I'd never heard of it before, so I clicked on it. Apparently, the premise for this series is that four girls get lost (somehow) in Never Land. Yes, the (Disney-fied version of) Never Land of Tinker Bell and Peter Pan. The front and back covers are very girly (not pink, but pale purple, and maybe sparkly). From the reviews of the book, it seems that all the readers are young girls.

So what's the problem, you ask? I don't have a problem per se. My own daughter reads Ivy and Bean, as I just mentioned, and that is also a series that appeals overwhelmingly to young girls. But she also reads books with gender neutral appeal, like anything by Roald Dahl. And I'll borrow books from the library about race cars and dinosaurs, and other random subject matter, especially if it's subject matter that's not typically thought of as something girls would be interested in.

So what's my point? I don't want to make it seem like I'm attacking fairy books, or Ivy and Bean, or any other books that are (gasp!) marketed toward young girls. But I do feel like we need to present a balanced world to our children. And if our children are lucky enough to have access to books, then a great way to expose them to the world is through books that show both sides, "boys' world" and "girls world." Why not let your son read The Never Girls or your daughter pick up a Ninjago book? Or better yet, why not let them read books that just have a great story, and are not trying to over-market a brand or product? *end rant*

2.) The book shows ethnic, class, personality, and ability diversity, in a genuine, and not token way. (whew!)

Growing up as a minority in the U.S, I always got excited when I saw someone who looked vaguely Asian on television. It was the same way for books. I think the first character I encountered who was Asian American was the Chinese-American girl (whose name I cannot remember) from Zilpha Keatly Snyder's The Egypt Game. That book was great in that it had ethnic diversity, but also family diversity. The main character, April, was living with her grandmother after a divorce at a time when divorce was something almost unheard of.

Of course, diversity doesn't always have to mean something serious. On a lighter note, I love how Ivy and Bean of Ivy and Bean are imperfect in their imperfections. Bean hates to read (which makes me giggle considering she is a character in a book) while Ivy likes to make magic spells. I love that they are both weird and crazy and not obsessed with their test scores and soccer practices.

The world is wide and the kinds of people in it are many. If my child and I can learn something but also empathize with the characters, then I would say the book was a good read!

3.)The author tells a good story.

'Nuff said! Read on, write on!