Sunday 30 June 2013

Goosebumps Most Wanted: Planet of the Lawn Gnomes

Goosebumps Most Wanted: Planet of the Lawn Gnomes by R.L. Stine (Scholastic Inc)
PB RRP $9.99
ISBN 978-0-545-41798-3
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

When Jay moves with his family to a new town he intends to make good use of the fresh start he’s been offered. He is determined to stay out of trouble.

It’s just that the neighbour Mr McClatchy is such a grump, someone seems to be moving the annoying lawn gnomes around, and Jay has no idea why there is a curfew imposed after dark. Elliot, his new best friend, seems reluctant to explain any of this to him so Jay really has to look into it himself if he wants to find any answers.

Before long, Jay is starting to get a little creeped out by the creatures in the Quagmire and the Buzzard Hawks, which smell fear, eat flesh, and carry off his dog. Then the lawn gnomes come to life and the horror really sets in.

Goosebump books are great for middle grade readers who love to scare themselves. They are a slim book and readers can enter the horror zone, speed through it with a burst of adrenalin, and then come out the other end fully satisfied with a racing heart!

The note from the author in the prologue is very amusing and sets the tone for the story to follow. A little like gathering around a campfire in anticipation of the scary stories about to be told.

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