Deep Trouble

Goosebumps #19

by R.L. Stine

In Deep Trouble, find out why Billy Deep and his sister, Sheena, are afraid of dark lagoons, coral reefs, and anything that appears to be half-human, half-fish!

Genres: Horror, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...

Reviews

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always loved this Goosebumps book, so experiencing it on audio with a sound effects, music, and a full cast narration made it even cooler! Recommended.

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

#19 "Just when you thought it was safe..."
Visiting their uncle in the Caribbean Seas, Billy and his sister Sheena are having a lovely time. when diving one day Billy feels something grabbed his foot and pull him down beneath the water, he swears he saw what the creature was that pulled them down. But nobody will believe him. There are folktales that the fisherman in the area tell of mermaids in the water. But those are just folktales right?

[La loca de los libros · Rating 2 out of 5]

En abril leí con las peques el tercero de la colección de Pesadillas.
Sigo en modo nostálgico 🥺😂

Aquí nos ha faltado el factor sorpresa y más terror.
Veremos las aventuras de Billy y su hermana en el barco de su tío pero más como en cualquier libro de eso, aventuras, que de terror.
Es que hasta la mayor me decía que donde estaba el terror, que no daba nada de miedo. Incluso me parecía estar viendo un capítulo de una serie que dejé a medias por empalagosa 😂 Siren 🌊

Y es que Billy no es capaz de hacernos sentir ese terror que padece en sus múltiples sueños en los que un monstruo marino le ataca o cuando se encuentra con un peligro inesperado en una de sus incursiones a mar abierto, y una ayudante igualmente inesperada pero que me ha dejado igual de fría.

Lo he encontrado tan simplón que por eso he tardado en hacer esta mini reseña. No sé qué más puedo decir, sólo que no me arrepiento de tener la colección completa, no todos pueden ser buenos.

Entretenido sin más.
Como un libro de aventuras marinas no está del todo mal 😅

https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 📚

[Weathervane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billy and Sheena are staying with their uncle "Dr. D." over the summer on his ship. So they end up like, looking for mermaids. Or something.

Billy manages to be continually stupid, all the way up until the end. Going out for a swim, by yourself, in the early morning, in the ocean, is not a good idea! But he never learns.

Sheena is the obligatory annoying little sister who pinches Billy underwater. Yawn.

This book is not about sea monsters. There is a shark (which Billy somehow manages to evade for five minutes), mermaids, and Bad Guys, but the sea monster only makes two appearances, and very brief ones at that.

There is a moderately successful drowning scene, but it doesn't make up for the utter dullness of the rest of the book.

Oh: and at one point a mermaid cries underwater.

Tears roll down her cheeks.

Underwater.

[Coos Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Es de Escalofríos, pero no taaanto. Entré en esta historia pensando que iba a tratarse de una cosa, y resultó ser otra (y eso es error mío, en tal caso). Aun así, sentí que no estuvo tanto a la altura de otros títulos. Quizá le faltó un poco más de terror, no tanta fantasía. Más allá de eso, sigue siendo un librito agradable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nighttime read with the kiddo. This one felt darker than his usual? The monsters in this case were humans, but we still had fun with it.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, this book was so exciting!

Billy Deep's uncle, Dr. Deep, is a marine biologist. Billy and his little sister Sheena spend every summer in the Caribbean with him on his boat while he does research. This summer the Zoo shows up promising one million dollars to Dr. Deep if he can find them the mermaid that the locals have been talking about for years now.

Billy has already seen a terrifying tentacle monster in the deep. But he has such an active imagination, no one believed him. Now can he prove himself by finding the mysterious mermaid?
...

Wow. Underwater settings, exotic fish, sea monsters AND mermaids. What more could I want?!?!? I ate this book up.

Billy goes into the lagoon and crosses the fire coral reef. Then a hammerhead shark attacks him! Suddenly, the mermaid appears and fights the shark off! Yay! She saved Billy's life!

Her head and shoulders were smaller than mine, but her flashing green tail stretched out, long and powerful. Her wide, sea-green eyes sparkled. Her skin gave off a pale pink glow.
I stared at her, unable to speak.
She's real! I thought. And she's so beautiful!
At last I found my voice. "You - you saved me," I stammered. "You saved my life. Thank you!"
She shyly lowered her eyes and cooed at me through shell-pink lips. What was she trying to say?
"What can I do in return?" I asked her. "I'll do anything I can.

Ooooh, will there be mermaid romance?!!?!? Will Billy be an actual capable, noble character who kicks a bit of ass, unlike the complete losers and morons that usually populate Stine novels? I won't tell you! :)

So exciting! I was so happy and satisfied with this book. :)

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aquatic horror, nostalgia, mermaids, and sharks. This is still lots of fun as an adult who wants to relive the books, which made him a fan of horror fiction as a kid.

[Rocio Voncina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Titulo: Peligro en las profundidades
Autor: R.L. Stine
Motivo de lectura: Letras Macabras (Isla Macabra 2023)
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Mi edicion: Electronico
Puntuacion: 2/5

Esta es la historia de los hermanos Billy y Sheena, y como estos niños pasan las vaciones con su tio George Deep, mas conocido como "Doctor D." quien es un doctor especializado en el mundo marino.

El terror per se no esta muy presente, siento que Stine explora mas la esencia de la maldad humana, y hasta que punto llegarian en sus actos para tener una criatura simplemente para exponerla en un Zoo.
La trama es un poco repetitiva, y para ser sincera demasiado sencilla, si tuviera que resumir el libro diria que estan los malos, los niños heroes, una sirena, un tiburon y un zoo.

Este libro me aburrio, una verdadera pena.

[Luca Masera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le figure dei mostri marini sono presenti nell’immaginario collettivo fin dagli albori della letteratura: dal leviatano al calamaro gigante, dal serpente marino al kraken, il favoloso legato a queste creature ha sempre avuto una forte presa sull’immaginazione degli scrittori, appartenendo a territori ai limiti dell’ignoto e lontani dalla quotidianità.



L'idea di creature mitologiche che popolano le profondità degli abissi ha sempre stuzzicato la fantasia dei romanzieri per i quali questi esseri leggendari rappresentavano il rischio del viaggio... ma dietro ogni racconto su un mostro marino, per quanto fantasioso possa apparire, un pizzico di verità si nasconde sempre.



Sulle orme di Collodi, di Melville e delle loro balene, di Virgilio, di Verne, di Shakespeare e dei loro esseri mostruosi, anche R.L. Stine nel diciannovesimo libro della saga Piccoli Brividi decide di far incontrare i protagonisti della sua storia con alcuni esseri leggendari che dovranno fare i conti con l'egoismo, l'arroganza e l'avidità degli uomini veri. Lettura come al solito non impegnativa, veloce e divertente.

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent a month re-reading all 62 original Goosebumps books to see if they still hold up today, you can check out my 3.5 hour vlog here: https://youtu.be/2C73xc1FS5o

You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA

[Miles Madonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

false advertising.. this was about mermaids, not sharks. as far as goosebumps books go, this one was pretty solid. not very scary but a fun little ocean adventure! really enjoyed the classic goosebumps twist ending

[Sanchez.Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book. Was white interesting from the beginning to the end. Also the best part was the end it left you on a cliff hanger.

[Judith Sonnet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun! Feels a bit "higher budgeted" than most Goosebumps books. Lots of excitement and action. I love anything set on the ocean too

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title : Deep Trouble

What I thought of this book as a kid : I have some really fun nostalgia for Deep Trouble And some slightly disappointing nostalgia for the book as well.I remember goong to a flea market when I was around ten or eleven and finding this wall full of Goosebumps books that I've never seen before along with some Ghosts Of Fear Street books, that up until that point I don't think I've ever heard of.My dad let me get a handful of them and I remember staring at multiple book covers trying to memorize the beautiful art.Keep in mind this was the late 90s /early 2000s and at the time I never had Internet so I couldn't really look up pictures of the covers.I ended up picking Deep Trouble from the lot and loving the cover.Whats really funny is the fact that when I saw the title Deep Trouble i didn't know what to expect I had no idea it would have anything to do with a shark.In fact I swore for a while Deep Trouble was accociated with Welcome To The Wicked Wax Museum from the Give Yourself Goosebumps series.I guess i thought the lady on that cover was standing in front of a weird pot, like a witches couldren or something.I also assumed this book was about a character turning into a shark because of the back of the book.One day while I was out of school I remember being sick.I did skip school as a kid by pretending to be sick but this time I was actually sick.I picked Deep Trouble as my book to read while I lounged around the house and I remember only bits and pieces from the book.I remember the scene with the fire coral burning Billy's foot and I remember the shark scene and mermaids.One thing in particular though that I remembered was that I didn't love this book that much.

Plot: The story begins with a cop out of Billy exploring underwater pretending to be this famous explorer fighting off giant squids and stuff.It turns out though that Billy along with his sister Sheena are staying on the Cassandra,a really big boat that has tons of marine life on board.They are staying with there uncle Deep of the coast of iilondra.While Billy is out in the water he ends up running into a sea monster and escaping but nobody believes him because of his overactive imagination.Billys uncle warns him to stay away from the coral reef and the nearby lagoon.One day Billy sees a boat approaching the Cassandra and sees the name of a zoo on it the two zookeeper people go and talk to Dr D and his work partner Alexander. Billy ends up eavesdropping and hears them mention trying to find a mermaid.Billy is super excited and ends up falling into the room with these people much to the dismay of Dr.D.He asks Billy not to tell anyone and thats that.Billy sneaks out and goes hunting for the mermaid but instead runs into a hammerhead shark.Billy tries swimming away and ends up running into the fire coral trying to escape Billy ends up getting saved by the mermaid via her tail slapping the shark in the head.She even heals his wounds but is quickly captured by his uncle and the mermaid is placed in a tank.Billy feels bad for the mermaid and thinks that she should be released but Dr d says he will take good care of her and when she goes to the zoo she'll be put in a place just like her own home. Billy tries to communicate with the mermaid but she doesn't seem to speak at all she only chirps and whistles. Billy assumes that she's hungry so he tries to give her a chocolate chip cookie which dissolves into the water. Things get worse as a bunch of kidnappers pop up on the boat and try to steal the mermaid this is close to the climax so I'm not really going to reveal much more but the scene is very intense and the kids get thrown in a tank and get thrown overboard and left to drown, which I always thought was a very scary scene.

What I thought of this book as an adult: Deep Trouble really surprised me.This was of course a buddy read with my good friend. I thought this book was absolutely fun.There we're even some scenes that were actually really funny,like when Billy is trying to talk to the mermaid and she nods her head yes no matter what he says and the scene where Alexander makes the spicy tuna salad.I honestly am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, because I am going to give it a five out of five stars.Its not scary really unless you count the tank scene.Its just sweet,funny and super engaging.I did read the reprint edition of this book as well so I wanted to mention the bonus material like the Q and A with Stine about deep water adventures,"facts" about mermaids,documented shark attacks as well as how to survive shark attacks.

[Elina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
1400/2/27
9:18 AM

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Anna Kuhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short little chapters for kids with short, little attention spans. Plenty of action to keep them entertained. Cliffhanger ending though.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always found the Goosebumps that we’re set in another part of the world more memorable as a kid, it felt like it was opening the series up to more adventures.

This one being set in the Caribbean sees Billy and Sheena spending their summer vacation with their marine biologist uncle.

This is more of an action adventure style story, there’s still plenty of traditional cliffhangers - normally something grabbing Billy whilst he’s in the ocean.

A thrilling story for younger readers.

[Sanara♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember liking this book a lot when I read it for the 1st time years ago, but re-reading it now, I find it pretty dull and boring. Nothing major happens and no unexpected plot twists. Just plain boring.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cover is one of the first I remember from when I was a kid. We used to take shore vacations as a family every year, and sharks were always such a fascinating and scary thing to me. They can be just below you, and you don’t even know!

I honestly didn’t remember the story that much, so I was incredibly surprised with the inclusion of mermaids. I think my brain just stuck with the shark cover and that was about it.

Very enjoyable though, and it was nice to be surprised. The research stuff described, as well as the different marine life on board, definitely had me hooked and wanting more of that background info.

Personally a 5/5* for me. The setting change was a bit hit.

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Trouble is definitely different than any other book in the series I have read so far. Instead of being shocking or scary it is more of a fantasy story. I enjoyed it but was really hoping to be bothered with a little more underwater terror as the cover indicates. 3.5 stars!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be one thing but ended up being another thing and that was a pleasant surprise.

3.5

[David Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.davidasantos.com/

They say not to judge a book by its cover, well like I have said before. Do not judge a book by its title either! This book did not interest me at all judging by the cover. I think Hammerhead sharks are one of the ugliest creatures to ever walk......I mean swim on the planet. However, the book was better than I had thought.
Billy a curious boy loves the water and looks for adventure, but everytime he jumps in the water something goes after him. (kids, they never seem to learn their lesson) A very good story, a nice twist to the story. Enjoyable. We don't really see much of the characters. Somewhere in the book Sheena disappeared, not part of the story, she just wasn't written in for a couple of chapters. Like I said I have ADD so maybe I missed the part where she left somewhere. Anyways the entire story takes place on a boat. Which is a nice change to the first 18 books which all take place on dry land. Nice little book. Lots of suspense in this one. Heck I read it all in one day ad that's saying alot since I can't read cereal boxes without falling alseep.

[Manisha Malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was my first time to read goosebumps.The story revolves around an adventurous 12 years old boy William Deep Jr. a.k.a. Billy who along with his sister Sheena visited his Uncle Dr. D on his boat (Cassandra) to spend their summer vacations. How some mysterious creatures come across Billy during his stay at Ilandra Island give pace to the story. Now A Marina Zoo wants Dr. d to find a Mermaid in the waters of Ilandra which gave a motivation to young undersea explorer for his first discovery. Will he find the mermaid?Do mermaids even exist? R.L. Stine described Billy's imagination power beautifully. A beautiful book that would be loved by 10-12 year old kids and those who want to start reading books.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the five Goosebumps books I've read so far! Sea monsters, mermaids, sharks and Caribbean seas...let's face it, this was always going to be top-notch!

[Paige Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm doing a full series reread and this was one of my favorites as a kid and I still enjoyed it just as much having read it as an adult. I'm a sucker for sea horror and all things involving the ocean itself.

Deep Trouble follows two siblings who are visiting their marine biologist uncle for the summer. Billy overhears his uncle talking with someone from the zoo inquiring about a mermaid based on information they got from fishermen. Billy can't help himself and decides to sneak off toward the lagoon early in the morning in hopes of seeing this mermaid! However, he finds himself in the presence of a shark! YIKES. Billy is fighting for his life when another creature decides to save him. I'll leave it at this. I don't want to spoil it too much.

If you read any Goosebumps stories definitely make it this one!

[Thea | (unapologetic_bibliosmia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reader beware...you’re in for a scare.....

The second goosebumps book I’ve read as an adult, and I don’t remember reading this one as a child.

Billy and his younger sister Sheena are holidaying with their uncle, Dr D on a marine research boat in the waters of the Caribbean. Billy has an overactive imagination, frequently pretending to be sucked down into the deep by a scary sea monster whenever he and his sister are out snorkeling near the boat. Therefore, when something really does grab Billy by the foot....no one is prepared to listen to his screams, or come to help him. Luckily for Billy though, assistance comes in the form of something half human, half fish...and his adventures are just beginning. A good twist on the goosebumps scary story....are the monsters the sea creatures....or man?!

[Oneirosophos · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was raised with John Carpenter's classic films and I barely remember how bad it was. The only certain thing that I remember, was me threwing it away at a recycle bin and stopped reading books out of school for a decade... Just a boring "Jaws" for kids. Yup, I was a kid and I hated Goosebumps because they were disgustingly stupid. I preferred Beast Wars back in those days. Much better character development. ^_^

Also, it was given as a pocket-size gift in a Mickey Mouse issue.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook version on YouTube - https://youtu.be/5AiXyy8mjCg


3 stars


*Sigh* I remember as a kid I did like this and yes, the story is good. But. It's lacking that particular Goosebumps feel to it. It didn't have any of that creepy vibe that Goosebumps books are known for.

The other reason I remember liking this or having high hopes for it, was because of the cover. Sharks were something I was definitely interested in because they did scare me so yeah, definitely high hopes. But, there are no sharks in the actual story so....🤷‍♀️

I guess if you are interested in Goosbumps books but don't like moderate to decent amount of creepy, (as in for a Middle Grade level story) then this is a good one to start with. You get everything else that R. L. Stein brings to his stories and that is also why this got a 'good' 3 star rating from me.