The Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine

It’s the Last Saturday of September!

Everyone ready for a marathon of horror books for the mouth of October?

Let’s get started with a popular book series that is sure to give you goosebumps (pun intended).

 Elementary School

Readers beware! You’re in for a scare!

I’d be very surprised to hear about a child who hasn’t heard about this series. The Goosebumps book covers you see above are the book covers I grew up seeing at libraries and bookstores. Book companies change the cover art on older book series to make them seem more current but I prefer the originals. Goosebumps has many spin-off series but I’m just going to talk about the original series. Which, to me, are the best.

My favorite part about the Goosebumps stories is that the parents are never involved. They’re either not there, don’t believe the kid, are the problem or are completely useless. The thing I loved most about these book is that they never had an ending. They always left you with a twist.

I watched an interview with R.L. Stine, or as he’s been referred to as the “Stephen King of children’s literature”, on a Goosebumps DVD and had a lot of great information about the author and the whole series. Apparently, he wrote all of the Goosebumps books on an old typewriter using just one finger. If you want to learn more about R.L. Stine, check out his biography.

That’s right people! The great R.L. Stine originates from Ohio! This proves that the greatest people come from Ohio. Yay Ohio!

But the terror doesn’t stop at the books. When I was a kid, every October on Cartoon Network, they would have marathons of the show based on the books and I looked forward to it every year. I was scared of most stuff as a kid but this show was just the right amount of spooky that I was able to handle it. It was mostly because the special effects looked so fake, but to me, that’s what made it great. The show is now available on Netflixs for anyone who’s interested. 

I wish someone had made this movie sooner but I guess they wanted to wait for special effects to get better. I also wish that R.L. Stine had played himself in this movie. Don’t get me wrong; Jack Black was great but still. R.L. Stine did make a cameo at the end of the movie. He pulled a Stan Lee. Ha ha!

The reason why I’m posting about this series now is because Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is coming to theaters October 12. This movie will be taking place years after the first one and the R.L. Stine house has been abandoned. We’ll be getting a new cast of characters and Jack Black will be returning as R.L. Stine. I’m hoping the real R.L. Stine will make another cameo. 

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about R.L. Stine

Each book in R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series took about 8 days to write.

Gravity Falls: Lost Legends by Alex Hirsch

For Gravity Falls Fans, Young and Old

The strange adventures continue in this collection of 4 brand-new tales never before revealed!

Answering questions that were never asked!

Just when you thought the story was over…BAM! It comes back again! So far ‘Gravity Falls’ has made two comebacks. The first one was the Cipher Hunt. Remember that one second glimpse of an actual Bill Cipher statue in the series finale? Well, that was the first clue in the race to find the statue. The two links below will tell you the rest of this story. The first link is to a written-out description of the entire hunt. The second link is to Vailskibum94’s YouTube channel playlist of videos recording everything that happened during the Cipher hunt. 

Gravity Falls Wikia – Cipher Hunt

http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Cipher_Hunt

Vailskibum94 – Mystery of the Bill Cipher 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkL_WVx8fpY&list=PLS7H4767w-aVmsWlK0d3z_XUIgy3x4NMb

I won’t give away too much info about the what happens in this book but I will say a few things: 

1) There are two references to the show ‘Rick and Morty’; one you have to look closely to see, the other is more obvious to those who’ve watch the show.

2) Prepare for various art styles.

3) This book reminds me of ‘Bottomless Pit’ and ‘Little Gift Shop of Horrors’. Instead of one long story, there are four mini ones.

4) BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!

This book contains a secret code that leads to a secret site, which contains more information on various characters and small comics. I found this out when I was on the certain website that decoded all the coded messages on Gravity Falls (I know it’s cheating but not everyone is good at decoding messages). Below is a link to the secret site for anyone who couldn’t find the secret code. 

https://partners.disney.com/shmeb-you-unlocked

Including the shows ‘Kim Possible’ and ‘Phineas and Ferb’, ‘Gravity Falls’ is one of the best shows Disney Channel has ever had. Speaking of ‘Phineas and Ferb’, I always thought it was a shame that the two shows never had a crossover. I mean they both take place over summer vacation and the drawing styles were similar enough. There are so many reasons why Gravity Falls is such a great show; it’s clever, it’s fun, it has mysteries, it has depth, it’s not just a kid’s show. The action gets your heart racing and the tender moments get you right in the heart. It’s the kind of show that brings people together and teaches you without you knowing it. To prove my point, click below to see one of my favorite fan made videos sharing the 13 life lessons Gravity Falls has taught us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J04FQDKNvYA

Even though the show ended with everyone wanting more, at least it ended with everything being wrapped up and no questions left unanswered. That’s the one good things about Disney Channel shows, they always end a series with a solid ending. Unlike some shows where the series gets canceled on a cliffhanger.

There is a very high chance that we haven’t seen the last of Gravity Falls. Maybe Disney will make a live-action movie ten or so years from now like with the upcoming 2019 Kim Possible movie. And we definitely haven’t seen the last of Alex Hirsch, who recently signed a deal with Netflix. Whatever he has planned next I’m hoping he’ll be doing some voice acting. Before I end this review, I’d like to share with you one last video, the Gravity Falls cast reenacting the first episode. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o6XT8eA-4E

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about Coded Messages

JuliusCaesar, leader of the Roman Empire, used codes to communicate with his generals. Each letter he wrote was actually the third letter after the correct one in the alphabet. For instance, to spell out “attack” he’s write “dwwdfn”.

NHHS JUDYLWB IDOOV ZHLUG

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

3^rd Grade and Up

Catrina and her family have moved to the coast of Northern California for the sake of her little sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis - and Cat is even less happy about the move when she is told that her new town is inhabited by ghosts, and Maya sets her heart on meeting one.

As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones’ approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister’s sake – and her own.

This is the first time I’ve read about someone who has cystic fibrosis (It took me awhile to pronounce this right). Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, making breathing difficult and leading to frequent infections. Some of the treatments Maya goes through really freaked me out (take note that many things freak me out). For example, she has to have extra nutrition delivered through a port in her belly while she sleeps because cystic fibrosis affects digestion and she doesn’t get enough nutrients from food. And later on, Maya has to wear a breathing tube to administer more oxygen. My grandmother wears a breathing tube and it has always disturbed me, I don’t like seeing people with tubes in them. There is still no cure of cystic fibrosis but treatments have improved in recent years. The really sad thing is that Maya knows that her disease is eventually going to kill her and she says one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard, “It’s not like I’m ever going to get better. So why not let me have fun while I can?” Nobody should die before they get a chance to live.

Catrina is really scared of the ghosts but I think it’s because she’s scared that the ghosts are going to take her sister away and that’s understandable. 

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an ancient tradition that is now largely celebrated in Mexico and throughout the world. Instead of mourning the people who are gone, they celebrate and honor the dead at the beginning of November, building altars (ofrendas) in homes, parks, and cemeteries, and decorating them with flowers, food, photographs, and other personal items. That’s why I like the Day of the Dead, it’s all about celebrating loved ones’ memories, that way they aren’t really gone.

If you loved the movies ‘Book of Life’ and ‘Coco’, you’ll love this book. Interesting fact: I actually met Jorge R. Gutierrez, the man who wrote and directed ‘Book of Life’. He’s really cool and I got his autograph! I asked him if I could get a free ticket to his next movie. He said no.

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is a colorful two-day holiday that celebrates life and honors the dead. The tradition comes from the Aztec and continues today in Mexico.

The ‘Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels’ Series drawn by Raina Telgemeier & Gale Galligan

3^rd Grade and Up

In these new graphic novel editions of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’, books, Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligancaptures all the drama of the original books in illustrations.

Witness Kristy’s eureka moment, when she gets the idea for a baby-sitter’s club and enlists her best friends, shy Mary Anne, artistic Claudia and new friend Stacey, in an exciting new adventure. Join the girls as they confront common problems such as divorce, remarriage, diabetes, overprotective parents, fights between friends, sibling rivalry, and new club members.

I’m going to be honest here; I’ve never been interested in the original ‘Baby-Sitters Club’ book series. But since the first four books were drawn by one of my favorite graphic novel artists I decided to give them a shot.

I’ve never read the original Baby-Sitters Club series (and I don’t really plan to) but I think I would still like this version better. While reading the first book, I did some research on the whole series (and by research, I mean I went on Wikipedia). I learned that Kristy, Stacey, Mary Anne and Claudia are the first members of the Baby-Sitters Club in the graphic novel spin-off and the original series. 

I also learned that graphic novel titles are the same ones as the titles from the original series. See below:

I was a pretty easy kid to babysit. The babysitter pretty much got paid to watch me watch TV. Except for this one time when I was 5 and my sister was babysitting me. After watching an episode of ‘Dragon Tales’, I got the ‘brilliant’ idea of putting a glop of play goo in my hair and I thought it would slide right out. It did not. In my defense, I was 5 and I didn’t know any better. My sister freaked out and didn’t know what to do. In the end, she cut the goo out of my hair and I had really short hair on the top of my head. I’m kind of upset that she didn’t take any before and after pictures.

For the fans who read the original series as kids and for future readers, I highly recommend these books.

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about Ann M. Martin

When author Ann M. Martin first started writing the Baby-Sitters Club series, she wrote one book a month – in longhand.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

11 and Up

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi, she can’t really sing. Instead she’s the set designer for the drama department stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier.

I love the theater. I’ve seen Wicked twice, saw The Addams Family Musical in New York City and many other great plays. Live theater has always amazed me because so many things could go wrong. When you think of all the mistakes actors make while filming, it makes it even more amazing that the actors on stage don’t make more mistakes.

In my freshmen year of high school, I volunteered at the school theater for service hours. I didn’t really do much, I just ran flowers backstage to the performers, I did other stuff but I can’t remember what. It was a pretty sweet deal, I got service hours and I got to see the play for free. I still remember the first play I saw in high school, A Flea in her Ear. That was one funny play and it was done so well. 

I also spent my lunchtime in high school hanging out in the drama room watching the Improv Team practice. I still question why no one kicked me out. I think they let me stay because I was a good audience. 

I’m going to give you all a heads up about this story, the two cute brothers that Callie meets are twins and they are both gay. It’s more obvious for one of them. I’m only telling you this because there are one or two scenes that might make people uncomfortable. I know if I saw one of these scenes in real life I’d be all “What’s happening right now?’ 

I felt kind of bad for Callie because throughout the book the boys she liked are either jerks or gay. And you can’t really blame the boys in the book for being jerks because they’re still young, they’re still learning. Middle school is a confusing time. You’re growing up, your hormones are racing, and it’s a tough time. Middle school relationships are really just practice so you’ll know what not to do in the future.

If you enjoyed the book Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan and ‘Julie’s Greenroom’, you’ll enjoy this graphic novel. 

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about the First Theater

The first theater in North America was built in 1716 in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.