5 comments about Out of the Madhouse.

1. Sunnydale is known to be situated right upon the Hellmouth, so it's not a big surprise when demons of all sorts start piling into the small town. But when a collection of trolls, sea monsters, werewolves, toads, skyquakes, and numerous other strange things - stranger than normal things - begin infiltrating Sunnydale, Buffy knows that something isn't quite right. And with Giles hospitalized over three-thousand miles away, Buffy knows that it's more than one Slayer can handle. Especially when each ugly is coming through an old portal from centuries ago, through time and space. Buffy knows that the hell-hole must be found and corked ASAP, which means that Buffy, Angel, and the rest of the Scooby Gang are headed to Boston to meet up with the Gatekeeper. However, once there, Buffy finds that the supernatural mansion that the Gatekeeper reigns over, is home to thousands of rooms, all of which are entrances to so-called "ghost roads," that could bring Buffy face-to-face with some of the most evil beings on earth. Evil beings who are dying to teach the Slayer a lesson.
   
   As a huge BUFFY fan, and avid reader of all things Slayer-ific, I discovered years ago that Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder are, without a doubt, the best BUFFY writers out there. So when I stumbled across THE GATEKEEPER TRILOGY, I knew that I would adore all three books. While I have only read OUT OF THE MADHOUSE - so far - I can tell you that it is, by far, one of the best BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER novels to date. The action-packed novel is filled with emotional reunions between the living and the dead upon the ghost roads, as well as the introduction of numerous new creatures looking to wreak havoc on the Slayer, her pals, and the entire world. With a cliff-hanger that will send any reader on a quest for the sequel GHOST ROADS, OUT OF THE MADHOUSE, is, without a doubt, a must read for all BUFFY fans.
   
   Erika Sorocco
   Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper



2. OUT OF THE MADHOUSE
   Book 1 of The Gatekeeper Trilogy
   Christopher Golden & Nancy Holder (1999)
   
   RATING: 4/5 Stakes
   
   SETTING: Season Three
   
   CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Oz, Angel, Giles, Spike, Joyce, Devon, Sheila Rosenberg, Willow's father, Kendra, Jenny Calendar
   
   MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Il Maestro (sorceror); Micaela Tomasi (traitor Watcher); Roland (Lord of the Hunt); Springheel Jack (monster); Catherine de Medici; Richard Regnier, Jean-Marc Regnier, Antoinette Regnier (Gatekeeper allies); Giacomo Fulcanelli (sorceror); Brother Lupo (Son of Entropy)
   
   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Werewolves. Trolls. Sea Monsters. Rain of toads. Skyquakes. Sunnydale is being besieged by dark forces. But even with Buffy providing her unique style of damage control while Giles is hospitalized out of town, it's more than one Slayer can handle--especially since the abominations are coming from a centuries-old portal through time and space. Somehow, the hell-hole must be found and corked at its source. For Buffy, Angel, and the rest of her gang, that means a road trip to Boston where an ailing Gatekeeper resides over a supernatural mansion that has been, until recently, holding the world's worst monsters at bay. Once there, Buffy discovers the catastrophic truth: the magical structure houses thousands of rooms, all of which are doorways to limbo's `ghost roads,' and all of which may bring her face-to-face with the most nefarious forces in hell and on earth--forces bent on horrific plans far worse than the Slayer ever imagined."
   
   REVIEW
   
   Out of the Madhouse introduces two major settings in the Buffy mythos. The first is the Gatehouse, a huge, labyrinthine, mystical mansion in Boston that prevents all manner of monsters from escaping into the world. The second is the Ghost Roads, an ethereal, limbo-like place where the souls of the dead walk until the time has come to pass onto a higher (or presumably, lower) plane. These two elements are connected in a straightforward way in the first book of the Gatekeeper Trilogy: the Gatehouse is falling apart, allowing creatures to roam free; and only by travelling the Ghost Roads can Buffy, et al. rebuild the mansion's defences. Along the way are ancient 16th Century Italian intrigue, a new cult called the Sons of Entropy, and a plot to murder Watchers.
   
   Giles steals the spotlight in the first part of the book, as we get to see him out of his usual element. In a well-written scene, he attends the American Library Association convention in New York and becomes smitten with a fellow librarian. Unfortunately, poor Giles ends up with the required nasty bump in the noggin & his role diminishes in subsequent chapters. Buffy and gang fight several escaped monsters, end up in Boston at the Gatehouse, and eventually travel through the Ghost Roads. An exciting conclusion foreshadows the end of Season Four & sets up the next book in the trilogy.
   
   Holder & Golden do an excellent job portraying our heroes' dialogue and personalities. Scenes worth special mention include: Buffy & friends angsting over whether they'll separate after high school; rivals Angel & Xander teaming up like the first act in a buddy-cop movie to kill a troll; and Willow & Angel exploring the remnants of the frat house seen in Reptile Boy. The only downside is that some of the historical flashbacks are a bit slow moving and a scene where Angel tortures a human with Willow and Oz watching, seemingly unconcerned, is rather disturbing. On the whole, however, Out of the Madhouse is an excellent first book in the trilogy.
   
   (c) 2005 Jeremy Patrick (jhaeman@hotmail.com)
   
   Jhaeman's Buffy Reviews: http://www.geocities.com/jhaeman



3. One of the things I love most about Buffy as a whole, is character development. This book was so busy with endless action sequences, that the character's personalities were largely ignored.

   When the book stops for emotional moments it's hard to care, because the character's have all become cardboard cut-out's of themselves.

   I'll go ahead & read the next one- I'm hoping that Golden & Holder will let up a bit on the constant barrage of battle- it gets tedious after awhile.

   Proceed with caution.




4. Like I said above, the first book is slow and confusing. However near the end of the book things really REALLY picked up, and I finished it and the other 2 in less than a week and a half!! The series rocks!! Guess what happens to Xander?? ;)



5. I always read fanfiction but shied away from buying these sorts of books. I read so much ..... fanfic to find the gems, but it's free and I really wasn't interested in paying to read something like that. But *everyone* I knew in the Buffy fandom recommended this trilogy as the *best* of the Buffy books. So I immediately splurged on the whole trilogy (figuring once I started, I'd want to read them all).

   Boy was that a waste of money.

   I'm an avid reader of all types of books, and yet this book bored me to tears. The characters were all off. While I could sometimes believe their actions, I never believed their thoughts or their words. Worst of all though, the writing was atrocious. I could have written better than this.

   This book was so terrible that the other two still collect dust on my shelf. They will probably stay there for a long time, because I won't be giving anyone else these books for fear they might read them and blame me. I read almost anything available to me, so for something to turn me off this much, it has got to be pretty horribly written. If this really is the best Buffy novel, it will be my first and my last. I'm now afraid to try any of the others.

5 comments about Spiders in the Hairdo: Modern Urban Legends.

1. This is a book for older kids who want to have some different reading, besides chapter books. My daughter likes to read this book before bed. It has some off-the-wall stories which appeal to her sense of humor. It has some "adult type" topics [like the woman hiding in her closet naked] which may not be suitable for all children.



2. Spiders in the Hairdo is a collection of well known and in most cases frequently told myths, camp fire stories and I heard from a friend of a friend or a friend rumours. The majority you will have heard before but this is a good compact sized collection of some of the best tales. You've got the knife wheeling maniac in the back seat (as told by Auto on the Simpsons) who in this book is a rope strangler. The unwashed hair full of poisonous spiders, the hook on the lovers' car door, scuba diver in the tree after a forest fire and all the world's favourites.
   
   They are quite good versions in this book and this collection is just as good as as lot of other books out there such as The Big Book of Urban Myths or the Darwin Awards Trilogy.
   
   Spiders in the Hairdo is not however in the same high quality league for this genre as Hippo Eats Dwarf by Alex Boese, Great Mythconceptions by Karl Kruszelnicki,The Truth Behind Old Wives Tales by Thomas Craughwell



3. All those fun stories that you grew up with as a kid are here in this book. The next time you complain about all these new legends on the Internet, remember we all told the one about the bloody hook attached to the car door. And you know that story about the roach eggs in the taco meat made your skin crawl, no pun intended. This book is too much fun and a good source for nostalgic reflection or for retelling to all those people who you just want to scare a little! ...



4. This book does not explore anything new in terms of presenting new Urban Legends. But, it does dramatize well known legends giving them a new flare. Very good book.



5. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. My teenagers love this book, too (I think that's a first--Mom and the kids liking the same book!). Yeah, I've heard some of the stories before, but that doesn't make them any less funny. And the illustrations are a hoot, too. Good fun all around!

5 comments about Beach House (Point Horror Series).

1. I seresly loved the book and don't know why. I als don't know why I waited this long before writing this review (it's been more than a year). But trust me, this one is HARD TO FORGET! I think this his BEST YET! It revolves around a boy named Buddy (don't be fooled, hes no buddy!). It takes place in the summer of 1956 and now. I can't tell you much without revealing any big stuff! Just read it! There may be murders and be pretty sad but, trust me, if you like his books, get it. And if you think Goosebumps suck and this probably no better, you're wrong. This is the farthest thing from it! Goosbumps if for little kids and I'm pretty mature for 13 and read this when I was late 11 or early 12. All I can say now is, BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!



2. THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK EVA READ. It is an absolute page turner that I read in one day. I couldn't look away. It has a great ending twist and is a great horror better then any I have ever read!!!!!!!!!! It is about kids on a beach and one by one they're killed I do recommened this book --UNLESS YOUR EASILY SCARED!!!!!!!!!



3. This was the first 'scary" book I bought by myself. I wasn't supposed to read scary books so i had to sneak it at night when my mom was asleep. I still remember how scared I was while I read it. It is a book that I will never forget. Because of this book I went on to read almost everything by R. L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Enjoy this book it really is a good one!!!



4. I think that The Beach House by RL Stine is an excellent murder mystery book. It kept me on edge with book in hand, with a surprise at every turn of a page. You can really think about what's going on. In the parts of the book when it is set in the fifties, I read about the "modern" furniture of their day, which would seem really old fashioned to people today. One example of that would be when Lucy and Kip go into the beach house and see the fifties furniture and laugh about how old it is. This made me laugh too, and think about how times and styles have changed over the years. Boys and girls in middle school would deeply enjoy reading it, for the suspense keeps you hooked until the end.



5. R.L. Stine, switches about every 30 pages back and forth from two time periods. This Summer and Summer of 1956.
   In 1956 maria, Amy, Ronnie, and Sturat played a mean joke on a guy named Buddy. He doesn't like it.In fact he hates it so much he could kill...
   In this summer Ashly has a crush on Brad, but she doesn't know he might be a killer...
   I hated this summmer but I sort of liked 1956. So I guss that evens it out to 3 stars.
   
   --Scottie Schaeffer age ten

5 comments about The Girlfriend (Point Horror Series).

1. A boy fools around when his girl friend is away. Soon he finds that the new girl will stop at nothing to get with him.
   
   I didn't like this one. It could be mostly that I found Scott to be very unsympathetic. Either way it never caught my interest and I ended up skimming ahead.



2. Synopsis: Scotty Singleton has the perfect life. Scotty's girlfriend Lora DeMarco (whom he has known since the sixth grade), and Scotty are regarded as the perfect couple at Glenview High. He is the starting quarterback at his school, gets good grades, has received a preliminary acceptance to Princeton, and has a secure job at Mr. DeMarco's firm once he completes his education. The DeMarcos throw a party in Scotty and Lora's honor, but Scotty feels sad that because Lora and her parents are taking a trip to Paris for a week once the party gets over.
   
   After Lora leaves for her trip, Scotty meets a girl named Shannon on the street and becomes attracted to her. He gives her a ride, takes her out for a movie the next day and later, they make out at her place. Scotty thinks there is no harm in kissing Shannon as Lora is not in town. As soon as Scotty shows a little affection towards Shannon, she starts becoming obsessed with him and starts calling him every day, asking him to come over. She calls him her baby, and starts appearing wherever he goes. Scotty gets frustrated and starts avoiding her.
   
   However, Shannon makes sure to get Scotty's attention by violently killing his pet and threatens him by mentioning that her big strong brothers wouldn't like it if Scotty hurt her. She also threatens to expose their `affair' to Lora if she cannot have him. To make matters worse, Scotty sees someone following Shannon and suspects that he is one of her brothers looking out for her. Can Scotty get out of Shannon's hold without ruining his future with Lora?
   
   Review: I must admit, I loved reading this book. Shannon gave me the chills. The ending is a little predictable, but it was so much fun to read how far Shannon would go to get Scotty, and the ways he tried to avoid her. Some parts which I found memorable in this book were when:
   
   * Shannon breaks Scotty's fingers so that he cannot play anymore
   * Shannon crashes the Autumn ball and runs towards Scotty, screaming his name
   * Scotty carries Shannon to his surprise birthday party
   
   Probably the only annoying thing which I found in the story was the repetitive use of the word `bogus'. It was ridiculous and rather unbelievable for a guy like Scotty (who got into Princeton) using only that one adjective for all his responses.
   
   Other than that, the story is really suspenseful and kept me hooked. It fits well with the Point Horror Series.



3. I read a ton of Stine when I was young, and I'm collecting and rereading them now. Some, I can't believe how cheesey they are, and I'm embarrassed to admit I had read it.
   
   This book, though, is great. He makes us feel like we really know Scotty, his pressure, the girlfriend since 6th grade, football, going to Princeton, coming from a broken home. Even though he has a date with a girl he didn't know whille Lora was away, it was no big deal and the girl couldn't let go.
   
   Stine uses a lot of memorable descriptions here. I hadn't read the book in over 15 years, but I still remember Shannon tossing his hat, and that Lora used coconut shampoo. I have no idea why those images stuck with me, the point is they did, and this is a good story. Maybe not great literature, but fine to curl up with for a short read on a dark night.



4. This book is about a boy named scotty,sccotty has the pefect life and the perfect girlfeind.but one weekend while scottys gilfreind is out of town in paris scotty is less then fithful. Another gril comes into the picture nd things go hay wire................this bok teaches you about life and also help you to become a faith ful peron on what to and what not to do, and to understand life. i chose this book becuse its bcley on top of my favorite auther R.L Stine he created,more like invented the scary and mystery books of all time. Why not read a grate book by him? If you love the suspene that R.L Stine gives your gana love this bok no matter what! Why not read it? I did! It was very eye catching. why nt give it a try?



5. The Girlfriend influenced my life because it was full of intellectual curiosity and metacognition. The book is about a boy named Scotty, and his girlfriend named Lora. Lora was going on a trip away from Scotty for awhile, they said they're goodbyes and such, then lived life without eachother. I love how the book is filled with suspense, and things that you wouldn't really expect to happen.
   This book has intellectual curiousity because when you read it, you question yourself, and imagine how the character feels. It has metacognition because the bad person in this story, Shannon, thinks she knew everything and everything about Scotty. She acted like he was her boyfriend and no one elses, so she basically stalked him. It taught me that it's scary to be a girl like that, but i've never done that anyways.

5 comments about Final Grade (Fear Street, No. 30).

1. I put I hated it because I never received my product and have to wait to get my refund.



2. All of these books are so similar that after you have read like 5 or six of them you have read them all. This series would have been better if he didn't write so many of them.



3. I recommend to any of u here that's readiing my....well....comment, cuz the ending's very surprising! And the main character, who's Lily, was COOL! Read the book cuz R.L.Stine's SUCH a gr8 author! I can't put my book even to go to pee after I've started to read it!



4. This book was great and it was so full of action that I couldn't put it down. The only problem I had was the intense violence. I mean things like when a certian person is crushed in a printing press was really gross. Still a great read.



5. FINAL GRADE WAS AN AWESOME FEAR STREET BOOK! THE PLOT WAS CREATIVE, BUT YOU COULD KIND OF PREDICT WHO WAS ALL GOING TO GET KILLED. ONE OF THE DEATHS IS PRETTY CREATIVE AND AWESOME! LILY WAS A PRETTY COOL CHARACTER AND THE KILLER IS SURPRISE! I TOTALLY RECOMMENED FINAL GRADE!

5 comments about The DRIFTER : THE DRIFTER.

1. Here is the description on the back of the book:
   
   "HORROR HOTEL
   Glanton House was Carolyn Baxter's new home, the haunted island retreat her widowed mother was determined to transform into an inn. As if in answer to her prayer, tall raven-haired Joss Whitcomb appeared at their door and offered to be the handyman in return for room and board. But Carolyn was wary. Joss was dark, compelling, dangerous. He was still a stranger, even after he saved her mother from a near-fatal accident. And now they were alone together in the eerie house he seemed to know so well. He knew the legend of a jealous sea captain doomed to kill again and again. But did he hear the ghostly whispers echoing through the halls at night? Did he know the unseen eyes that followed her every move? Who was Joss? Why was he here? How could she trust this devastating drifter when she feared for her life..."
   
   I just finished reading this book, and now I am kicking myself; I almost didn't read it because the cover makes it look stupid! Boy was I wrong! It takes place in an old house up on the edge of a cliff on an island, where Carolyn and her mom have moved after they inherit it from their aunt Hazel. Carolyn's mom plans to turn it into an Inn, but people don't think that will work because of the creepy stories behind it. Then a drifter named Joss comes along, who asks to stay at the big house and earn his keep by fixing up the place. Joss creeps Carolyn out--but at the same time, she can't seem to pull her eyes away from him--and he sure seems to know a lot about the house.



2. this book is such a good book i could barely put it down. i was left wanting it to go on an on. i even ordered other of richies's out of print books online because i knew they would be just as good.



3. Carolyn Baxter's father recently died. Soon after, her mother gets word that her aunt died and her house was left to them. Mrs. Baxter is set on transforming the home -- Glanton House -- into an inn. They need a stronger financial income, so they hire a drifter to fix up the house. This adds to Carolyn's wariness about the house. After all the ghost stories, the creepy housekeeper (Nora), and now the new drifter, what is Carolyn going to do? Joss is tall, dark, and handsome and seems to be there when accidents happen -- rescuing people. Then again, could he be creating them?.....

   "The Drifter" was a pretty good book. I love Richie Tankersley Cusick, but this story is her weakest one so far. It didn't hold my interest at all, and the ghostly scenery didn't intrigue me. While there were a couple thrilling parts, they weren't very shocking or surprising....Cusick just incorporated too many ghost stories, which I didn't like. Overall, especially if you're planning on reading this book, and this book only, you should read it. But, if you're going to read all of Cusick's books, put this one on the bottom of your list!......

   Also recommended:
   a.) "Secret Santa" by D. E. Athkins
   b.) "The Train" by Diane Hoh
   c.) "Slay Bells" by Jo Gibson
   d.) "Starstruck" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
   e.) "Vampire" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
   f.) "Double Date" by Sinclair Smith
   g.) All R. L. Stine young adult thrillers
   h.) All books by Joan Lowery Nixon




4. this was the first book i ever read by RTC and i loved it! You could practically fall in love with the characters. Ever since I read the Drifter i've been collecting all her books and now i have all of them except for El Dia de Los Incents. I really need to get my hands on the new one wich will be comming out soon"the house next door" All RTC's books are great i recommend all of them but especially The Drifter, Summer of Secrets, Trick or Treat, Someone at the Door, and The Lifeguard.



5. The Drifter is a book about a girl named Carolyn. Her dad reecently died and her and her mom are left with only eachother to relie on. They are having Fincanial problems and are basically in a money pit. Suddenly her mother finds out that Carolyn's Aunt Hazel died and that she left her huge masion. This was like a calling for Carlyn's mom, and she jumped on the oprtunity to go and start over there. She had her mind set on making this huge masion a Guest house, and maybe that would bring in some money. The next think Carolyn's knows it, she is sitting in the living room in the old creepy masion. She wasn't very close to her aunt, but she remembers her being a little crazy. The house was old and scary, and had something about that just told her that there was something else happening in the house that she didn't know about just yet. A boy named Nick showed up on her door that day. He was dropping off some groceries from the only grocery store in the whole town and started telling her about what really happened to Aunt Hazel and what's going on in the house. He said that nobody really knows how Aunt Hazel died, but the old, quiet, evil house keeper, Nora, found her by the sea cliffs by the house. The cliffs were practically next to the house and with all the fog from the roaring sea next to the house, the fog made it hard for somone to see where the cliffs are. They believed that Aunt Hazel slipped and lay there for hours and finally gave up. Poor Nora found her there, too. The Nick told her legends of a sea captian leaving his wife to go to sea and she fell in love with someone else while he was gone, becaus eshe thought he would never come back, like he promised. But when he did he got so mad that he murdered the two of them in the Widow's Walk, the balcony on the top of the house. In the next few days she became more and more scared of the frightening house, and wierder and weirder things were happening. One colf foggy day a stranger showed up in the house. He wanted a place to sleep and promise to help around the house to get it ready for the Guest House, Carolyn's mom was so excited she put him up for the night right away, with no hesitation. Joss stayed with them and worked around the house like he said, but there was something about him that made Carolyn a little uptight around him. He had deep, black, slanted eyes that made her throat get a knot in it. Still, strange and horrible things kept happening in the house, and Carolyn was convinced that the legends and stories were true, but nobody would belive her. People around her weree getting hurt, noises were creepoing trhough the house, and things were alwyas showing up and disappearing. She knew something was going on, and she, herself was now on the verge of death, and the truth was unraveling. Who was causing all this and were the stories true???

5 comments about Dangerous Girls #2: The Taste of Night.

1. I liiked how the story was more fast-paced and how it was more involved in the vampire stuff. But I also liked the first book better, here's why:
   The second book was too romantic, and in the second book Destiny isn't a vampire. I don't like how Livvy is much more mean in this book either. Though the cover art is better in this book, looks aren't everything. The perks with this was that this book is more fast-paced, interesting, and there are more charectors involved. But the ending wasn't as satisfactory as in the first book, though it was still very good! It was griping and I couldn't stop reading! This is just my opinion though.



2. In this small town Dark Springs,Massachusetts theres two twin sisters livvy & Destiny Weller.They may look alike but their completly different.Destiny is this out going girl who loves her life the way it is.Then theres Livvy she likes her life but its kinda not really what she wants.She wants to be free and live longer and never grow old.So theres an invasion of vampires and sadly Livvy is one of them.Their father Dr.Weller is so mad and sad at the sametime that he wants to distroy the vampire population,for they have killed his beloved wife and stole his beautiful daughter.Then on another side he wants to find a cure for the vampire curse and save his daughhter and her friend Ross before its to late.Ross is Livvys boyfriend,He had decided to go with Livvy and become vampire,Even thou he haden wanted to.The twins have a little brother named mikey that is very terrified by this comosion that he starts dreaming about vampires and thinking he see livvy.Destiny is a graduate and all her close friends are moving a way from Dark springs and going to some major college,while Destiny is stuck going to some boring community college,for she dosent want to leave her father and brother behide.she doesn't want mike to think he's lost another sister.Destinys boyfriend Ari is killed by one of Livvys vampire friends so she starts having a bad time.She decide to apply for a summer job at a diner,where shes a waiter.While Destinys living her life livvys also suffering a lost for her formal boyfriend was murdered.She thinks Destiny did this to get back at Livvy for her lose of her own boyfriend that she stakes a revenge apun Destiny.While Clubing earlyer that night Livvy had ran acrossed another vampire who she had asumed to be a human.when she finds out,she has a plan.This guy will turn Destiny into a vampire.Unfortunly Destiny dont no.Meanwhile destiny meets another boy at the diner she works at.His name is Harrison.She starts going out with him,meeting all his close friends when a strange walks in one day and askes Destiny out.Secretly she says yes.Thats the day Destiny will turn.Finding that Destiny did not it fact kill Ross but to find the man she hired to turn Destiny is Ross's killer.She trys to warn Destiny and it turns out that they kill Patrick.This story was very great,filled with horror.it was in a 2nd point of view



3. Sixteen year old Destiny Weller and her twin sister Livvy used to be very close, until Livvy chose to become a vampire. Now Destiny will do anything to get her sister back. But then Destiny realises that the only way to bring Livvy back is if Destiny becomes a vampire too!
   A good book. I liked the first one better. I really disliked the ending.
   --Scottie Schaeffer age 10



4. This is a fabulous, well written book.
   The story about the dangerous vamipres proceed in "Dangerous Girls 2".
   I must admit that the first book seemed better; there were some tedious and slow bits in this one. I will not spill to much information here, but there were, to me, some disappointments.
   Look apart from that, though, this is a great book.



5. This book is DAMN good. I hope a third one comes out. It's different. At the end my heart cried out cause it was so sad. I feel sorry for the twins. Very EXCELLENT book. One of RL Stine's best!

5 comments about Switched (Fear Street, No. 31).

1. Synopsis: Nicole Darwin feels her life is too boring. Her parents don't do anything interesting; she does not like her classes, and her boyfriend David just broke up with her without an explanation. She just wants to escape from being herself for a while, and gets the perfect chance when she runs into her best friend Lucy. Coincidentally, Lucy tells her that they should switch bodies. Nicole is interested in the idea and follows Lucy deep into the Fear Street woods. Lucy takes her to a "Changing Wall" that her grandfather told her about. If two people sat on the wall together and jumped off, they would be able to switch bodies with one another. Nicole and Lucy decide to try it and soon find themselves in each other's bodies.
   
   Initially, Nicole is thrilled because she can live Lucy's life, with her parents, and Lucy's boyfriend Kent, whom Nicole has had a secret crush on. They part ways and Nicole realizes that she was so eager to switch places that she never found out what Lucy's reasons were for switching bodies. She goes to Lucy's house, but is horrified to find Lucy's parents, murdered! She finds a note in Lucy's bedroom confessing to murdering her parents. Nicole realizes that Lucy switched bodies with her to get away with murder and live Nicole's life.
   
   The story follows as Nicole tries to find Lucy and switch bodies back with her. It is very hard for Nicole, because she feels that Lucy is murdering more people, and also finds herself being followed by the police. Can Nicole get Lucy in time before she is wrongfully accused?
   
   Review: When I first started reading this book, I couldn't believe how farfetched the story sounded. Two girls switching bodies while sitting on a wall in the middle of the woods? I didn't have any hopes or expectations and thought this was going to be a ridiculous Fear Street book. But I still gave it a second chance and kept reading, and I am glad I did. After Nicole switches bodies with Lucy, the book became so suspenseful that it was hard to put down.
   
   R. L. Stine adds so many twists to the plot that I couldn't put the book down even if I wanted to. Some might argue that the ending was disappointing, but I thought it was a very suitable ending that provided an explanation to all the incidents in the book.
   
   Another reason why I enjoyed this book was because it was so different from other Fear Street books. True, I thought the first two or three chapters were boring, but this isn't a regular fear street book which involves ghosts, or psychotic boyfriends/girlfriends plotting revenge. It is also fast paced as we travel with Nicole in her search for Lucy. Some parts of the story were very explicit with gory details, but I thought this added well to the horror of the story.
   
   I think this is by far the best Fear Street book I have read lately, and would definitely put it in my top three Fear Street book list.



2. Switched is another great Fear Street novel.
   
   2 best friends, Nicole and Lucy, switch bodies by using magic. Nicole thinks Lucy has a great life, but she soon finds out that her friend has some issues when she uses Nicole's body to commit murder. Nicole flees as it seems that several people are conspiring against her.
   The ending is swell, as it usually is with R L Stine. Revealing more would be too much. Recommended.



3. This book was very good I so recomened it for people that love to have goosebumps and shivers down there back. Im 11 years old the daughter of the audolts acount I am a fan of R.L. stine, but I have to admit it was a bit gory but awesome. The way he discribed how the people got killed was unbelievilble I couldnt believe that his mind acutiolly works that way. Every time I read the part were someone got killed I could see everything Nicole could see. When I was reading the book I thought that Lucy was a Jerk for all the things she had done but the end tells everything. Read this book and find out what Lucy did and find what actually was hidden be hind the curtons!
   
   P.S. discover a bunch of to ways to kill!!! ha ha ha



4. This one great book with one twisted ending- in a good way! Lots of twists and turns! Great read; great adition to anyone's collection!



5. Its sad that Nicole thought that her best friend , Lucy , was still alive.The reason why I am writing this is because when I started reading this book I felt sorry for Nicole for having a depressed life, then Lucy asked Nicole if she wanted to switch bodies. Then when I read the ending, I was shocked when Nicole found out what really happend to Lucy. The ending was so sad that I cried for hours. I give this book 5 stars.

5 comments about Scavenger Hunt.

1. Normally when I read a book, I try not to mentally jump ahead. I try to surpress what I think might happen in order to enjoy the read and ride the story out to the conclusion.
   However, by the time I was less than 100 pages into this book, the outcome of the tale became very apparent. Sadly, my ideas proved true, and reading the remainder was just going through the motions.
   This story was well-told. I really thought it was fun that Pike detailed each scavenger hunt clue so the reader might try to solve the riddles. The places, events and characters were vivid. Even though I figured out the majority of the storyline, there were still some unexpected twists and character turnabouts that gave it a little kick.
   It was a good book overall, if not quite predictable.



2. Scavenger Hunt was okay. It is a story in where there are two groups that are thrown into a deadly game. The book revealed some good secrets that were mentioned in the book but the plot is unrealistic.



3. It took me a while to read this book, partly because I had so much else to read but also because it just wasn't really that interesting.
   
   It's about a scavenger hunt from hell. It's got this supernatural/sci-fi angle. It's got an ending that is just beyond bizarre. It's got a weird spiritual angle that I still haven't figured out. Pike's books often talk about the power of love. In this book, it's mentioned in the end, but in a sort of superficial way that made me roll my eyes. This book has got a little love story between two characters who are apart for most of the book and only profess their love for each other at the very end when they're standing, literally, at death's door. It was hard to care about their love when we never really got to see them interact much with each other or even really think much about each other, except to wonder, occasionally, how the other was doing.
   
   I was very disappointed with the ending. There were some questions that were raised in the book that were never answered. There was a minor incest subplot (incest between non-humans) that was thrown in there and never resolved. It seemed like it was just placed in there to shock the reader. Or maybe I just didn't get the hidden meaning.
   
   I would not recommend this book unless you like Pike's supernatural plotlines that are a bit far-fetched and ridiculous. There's a little bit of the Pike wit in there, but not enough to compensate for the boring plot.
   
   The reason I gave this two stars is because it's obvious that some effort went into it. But it may be a little too out there for many people.



4. I discovered Mr. Pike's books when I was about 12 or 13 years old back in the late 80s and was immediately hooked. I am 30 now, and remember how much I enjoyed his stories and how they were at just the right reading level for a young teen looking for a suspenseful, sometimes gory, and challenging storyline. I didn't care about stupid New Kids on the Block, I wanted to know how Pike's Final Friends trilogy was going to end. Who did it?! My friends and I had our own theories and analyzed the facts together. Mr. Pike is writing for the future fans of such writers as Patricia Cornwell and David Baldacci and I highly recommend him for any young, maturing reader.



5. Scavenger hunt is about a boy who lost his best friend, ending up doing a scavenger hunt with his new friend,a girl named Cessy, and her brother. After clue number two, he only see's the team of his friend Tracie. It turns out his new friend is his best friend brought back to life, and Cessy and her brother are super smart dinasour things. They kill people to look human and stay alive.

4 comments about The Dark Secret (Fear Street: Cataluna Chronicles, No. 2).

1. Synopsis: The book follows two different stories revolving around the same evil.
   
   Story #1: West Hampshire Colony - 1698: William Parker is in search for `Catherine of the Moon', an unspeakable evil presence that killed both his brother Joseph and their father. William's task is difficult, as Catherine can change into any form she desires. After much traveling, feeling he cannot go on, William is rescued by a girl named Evie. She takes him to her home, where he meets her father Henry Mason, and her cousin Jessica Mason. Jessica covers her head and keeps to herself, but William feels happy because he starts to fall in love with Evie. However, strange things start happening at their farm, and William senses Catherine's evil behind it. Can he catch her before she destroys all of them?
   
   Story #2: Shadyside - 1995: Lauren Patterson and her stepsister Regina have just received the best gift for turning 16; A new car named "Cataluna", with its signature mark of the crescent moon. They are both thrilled and decide to take her for a ride. However, Lauren gets scared when Regina almost drives over a young girl. Regina laughs it off, but Lauren feels that Regina's changing as she drives the car. Soon, there's news of a hit-and-run driver killing people in Shadyside. Is Regina responsible for the attacks, and if she is, can Lauren stop her in time?
   
   Review: This is the first book I read in the Cataluna series, and I thought it was amazing. Firstly, I liked the fact that I could really enjoy this book even without reading the previous one in the series.
   
   Secondly, I also enjoyed the way R. L. Stine wrote this book, by taking the reader back and forth between the two stories. On one hand, we got to read the terror the car was causing for Lauren and Regina. On the other hand, we got to read a thrilling adventure story of William's quest for Catherine. I was completely absorbed in both the tales and thought Stine nicely connected the two of them in the end (in a strange manner).
   
   Of course, the two tales also provide a twist in the end that I didn't see coming (in regards to the driver who was killing the citizens, and which disguise Catherine took the form of in 1698 to fool William). Some parts were so eerie that they gave me goosebumps, like when William's ax cut Henry's hand, or when Lauren noticed someone following her as she tried to hide the shirt.
   
   Of course, there are some questions unanswered regarding how the car time-traveled, but I guess the explanation to this would be provided in the next book of the series "The Deadly Fire". All in all, this was a great Fear Street book to read, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the series.



2. My niece (11) loves horror and goosebumps through the ages. So, I got her the 3 books in the Cataluna Chronicles. Her review: 2 thumbs up!



3. Cataluna is eye popping with excitement .Cathrine goes on a painful, mission to run away, but finds something else. If you like the goose bump books then this is the book for you. Cathrine has a lot of problems so she tries to take it out on others by killing them. Be ready to learn more.
   This book is mostly about survival. Cathrine has to run away because every one wants to kill her because she's bad luck. At one point they almost kill her. So she's out for revenge, but while she runs away she has to find food and water. Cathrine is a very easy person to relate to. These are some of the feelings in the book. Revenge Cathrine wants revenge. Even her family turns on her so she is sad. Painful trying to survive. Shamed that no one likes her. Scared that they will kill her.
   Cataluna takes place in 1668.She runs into a forest and they had more trees back then now. They tried to hang her with a rope. And she hinds in an old shack. The myth that she was born under the bad luck moon is a really old myth.
   Overall this book is good and a little scary but like I said if you like the goose bump books then this is the book for you. I assure you after you read the first chapter you won't be able to put the book down. I give this book a rating of ten. After you read the book answer some of these questions: will she survive, how, is she really bad luck, will anyone like her. Read it to find out Cathrine, s special power.



4. This book was very good and interesting. I enjoy all of R.L. stine's books and this was one of the best books I've read by him!