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Give Yourself Goosebumps #1
Escape from the Carnival of Horrors
TAKE A RIDE IF YOU DARE...
Late one night you and your friends visit the old fairgrounds. They're putting up rides and booths for the annual carnival. But this year things look really different. Really odd. Really scary.
The place is lit up by a hundred fiery torches. And spooky music is coming from the main tent. Then you meet Big Al, the creepy carnival manager. He's invited you in to test some of the rides.
Will you brave the terrifying Supersonic Space Coaster? Risk the horrors of the Reptile Petting Zoo? Slice through the oily waters of Booger Bog? Or confront the evil Snake Lady?
The choice is yours in this scary GOOSEBUMPS adventure that's packed with over 20 super spooky endings.
Readers beware—you choose the scare! GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS
Late one night you and your friends visit the old fairgrounds. They're putting up rides and booths for the annual carnival. But this year things look really different. Really odd. Really scary.
The place is lit up by a hundred fiery torches. And spooky music is coming from the main tent. Then you meet Big Al, the creepy carnival manager. He's invited you in to test some of the rides.
Will you brave the terrifying Supersonic Space Coaster? Risk the horrors of the Reptile Petting Zoo? Slice through the oily waters of Booger Bog? Or confront the evil Snake Lady?
The choice is yours in this scary GOOSEBUMPS adventure that's packed with over 20 super spooky endings.
Readers beware—you choose the scare! GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS
135 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
283 people are currently reading
3506 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,680 books18.7k followersRobert 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
June 29, 2021
One of my goofier life goals is to read all of the Goosebumps books. I loved them as a kid, but our local libraries only had so many. I binged through as many as I could back in the day. As an adult, I noticed a couple at a local charity book store and then decided... Why not? These brought me so much joy as a kid. Let's take a nostalgia trip.
I READ THIS BOOK SO MANY TIMES AS A KID I AM SURPRISED I COULDN'T RECITE IT.
All caps that. It's crazy. I remembered the route to take to get the ending I wanted too. It's kind of creepy, not gonna lie.
This book is fun if you want a choose your own adventure book. It's a creepy carnival with spooky twists and turns. The version I was reading has a shiny cover too, so bonus marks for the cool factor. If you want a lot of endings and a book that will make you think as you go, grab this. It's a wildcard but super fun for those middle grade, horror fans. It's a must read from me. Still just as fun as back in the day!
Four out of five stars.
I READ THIS BOOK SO MANY TIMES AS A KID I AM SURPRISED I COULDN'T RECITE IT.
All caps that. It's crazy. I remembered the route to take to get the ending I wanted too. It's kind of creepy, not gonna lie.
This book is fun if you want a choose your own adventure book. It's a creepy carnival with spooky twists and turns. The version I was reading has a shiny cover too, so bonus marks for the cool factor. If you want a lot of endings and a book that will make you think as you go, grab this. It's a wildcard but super fun for those middle grade, horror fans. It's a must read from me. Still just as fun as back in the day!
Four out of five stars.
October 5, 2025
Not Peng Shepherd's All This & More...
July 7, 2022
You’ve been introduced to Slappy, now it’s time for Snappy.
One positively must not wear a pleased expression on his countenance when confronted with a large lizard-like amphibious reptile, who has long jaws, armoured skin and webbed feet and who is known as the Alligator.
It has been discovered upon numerous occasions, (seven to be precise, out of a total of twenty-two, I checked, I believe I did quite well in that regard, a pleasant thought indeed), that one simply cannot cherish an amicable or trustworthy relationship with the a for mentioned species.
In addition, it is mandatory that one does not become irresistibly drawn into the erroneous belief that the lateral open extension of his lips means that you are entirely welcome. It is much more reasonable to assume that he is contemplating how you would look in a lizard-like skin... his.
In conclusion, it is best to avoid being on the menu so keep your finger on that page. Or you will be leaving the Carnival of Horror in more than just the one piece.
As Always...
4 Stars.
Bonuses
69, 86, 61, 100, 12, 115, 119
One positively must not wear a pleased expression on his countenance when confronted with a large lizard-like amphibious reptile, who has long jaws, armoured skin and webbed feet and who is known as the Alligator.
It has been discovered upon numerous occasions, (seven to be precise, out of a total of twenty-two, I checked, I believe I did quite well in that regard, a pleasant thought indeed), that one simply cannot cherish an amicable or trustworthy relationship with the a for mentioned species.
In addition, it is mandatory that one does not become irresistibly drawn into the erroneous belief that the lateral open extension of his lips means that you are entirely welcome. It is much more reasonable to assume that he is contemplating how you would look in a lizard-like skin... his.
In conclusion, it is best to avoid being on the menu so keep your finger on that page. Or you will be leaving the Carnival of Horror in more than just the one piece.
As Always...
4 Stars.
Bonuses
69, 86, 61, 100, 12, 115, 119
April 23, 2024
These CYOA stories are really fun, but don’t have a ton of substance. It is cool to try to get to all the possible endings though!
February 16, 2018
Errrrrr look I was never good at Choose Your Own Adventures because I'd always get scared of picking the wrong thing and then I'd get all embarrassed when I did and I'd pretend I hadn't made the wrong choice and hoped no one noticed.
Clearly I was a weird kid.
Anyway, this series was never as good for me as the straight up stories. I guess it just wasn't my thing. *shrugs*
Clearly I was a weird kid.
Anyway, this series was never as good for me as the straight up stories. I guess it just wasn't my thing. *shrugs*
December 14, 2025
I recall seeing Escape from the Carnival of Horrors for the first time in a bookstore. It combined two of my favorites in a package I'd never even hoped to see: gamebooks and Goosebumps, a duality of delights. R.L. Stine had penned gamebooks as far back as the early 1980s for series such as Twistaplot, Find Your Fate, and Wizards, Warriors & You, but would that magic work on Goosebumps? Near the end of summer, you and your friends Brad and Patty stop by Bennet's Field to see the carnival setting up. Every year the rides and games are too tame for you, but this time there are towering roller coasters and posters for creepy exhibits in the midway. The carnival hasn't yet opened to the public, but you sneak in...and are caught by Big Al, the scary-looking manager. To your relief, he lets you stay and preview the carnival. Should you head for the rides or midway first?
The Space Coaster rises way into the clouds, and the ride's sheer velocity snatches your breath. The coaster car abruptly stops in a dark tunnel; exit the car to seek help, and a dwarf leads you to a pair of doors. Choose the correct one and you come out beside a mountain that boasts access to the Doom Slide from the Goosebumps book One Day at Horrorland. Do you recall what number the slide is that will have you sliding forever? Avoid it and you may land safely outdoors where a group of prisoners held by Big Al says you must escape the Carnival of Horrors by midnight or be trapped for life. You could search for the exit on the Halls of the Mountain King ride, but watch for violent elves with axes. If you look for an exit on the Halloween Express instead, you're attacked by ghouls. Had you earlier chosen a different non-lethal chute on the Doom Slide, you'll have to brave the Reptile Petting Zoo. An alligator stalks you, but can you tame it? If you never went on the Space Coaster and tried the House of Horrors instead, you end up in a confusing mirrored hallway. Avoid getting caught in a time loop and you meet Dr. Frank N. Stone, who created the Carnival of Horrors. If you went on the Boat Trip to Nowhere, you get stranded in a sinking boat in the bogs, but still have a chance to escape Big Al.
Did you choose the midway first and not the rides? Madame Zeno the fortune-teller has a crucial warning: she recites three numbers in sequence and says they will save your life. Moving on, you can play the Wheel of Chance, where an unlucky spin means death and a lucky one wins valuable prizes for when you arrive at the Final Challenge. A canister of Monster Blood might be your ticket out of here. Survive the Wheel of Chance and you play Guess Your Weight on Mars, but if the lady guesses correctly, the results are catastrophic. Should she miss, you proceed to Big Al’s Final Challenge. If you never obtained the Monster Blood, you'll cross paths with Slappy from Night of the Living Dummy, but when did he ever perform a noble deed? Perhaps Madame Zeno's numbers can bail you out. If she never mentioned any numbers, members of the Freak Show beg you to help them escape. They say Big Al has them prisoner, but he insists they're scamming you. Take the wrong side in the conflict and you'll be incarcerated with a violent giant, but a decent ending is possible. Many story paths funnel into the Final Challenge; once there, Big Al is beatable if you possess the right items.
Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is a terrific concept but disappointing in execution. Too many decisions are left to pure luck, diluting reader involvement. The action is silly, shying away from real scares, a tactic that is the opposite of what attracts young readers to Goosebumps classics like Say Cheese and Die!, Let's Get Invisible!, and The Haunted Mask. The writing is amateurish, leaning on excessive exclamation points instead of actual suspense the way R.L. Stine was a master at. I round my one and a half stars to two, though, because some of the game mechanics are surprising and innovative, better than a typical gamebook. Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is no triumph, but avoids being unreadable.
The Space Coaster rises way into the clouds, and the ride's sheer velocity snatches your breath. The coaster car abruptly stops in a dark tunnel; exit the car to seek help, and a dwarf leads you to a pair of doors. Choose the correct one and you come out beside a mountain that boasts access to the Doom Slide from the Goosebumps book One Day at Horrorland. Do you recall what number the slide is that will have you sliding forever? Avoid it and you may land safely outdoors where a group of prisoners held by Big Al says you must escape the Carnival of Horrors by midnight or be trapped for life. You could search for the exit on the Halls of the Mountain King ride, but watch for violent elves with axes. If you look for an exit on the Halloween Express instead, you're attacked by ghouls. Had you earlier chosen a different non-lethal chute on the Doom Slide, you'll have to brave the Reptile Petting Zoo. An alligator stalks you, but can you tame it? If you never went on the Space Coaster and tried the House of Horrors instead, you end up in a confusing mirrored hallway. Avoid getting caught in a time loop and you meet Dr. Frank N. Stone, who created the Carnival of Horrors. If you went on the Boat Trip to Nowhere, you get stranded in a sinking boat in the bogs, but still have a chance to escape Big Al.
Did you choose the midway first and not the rides? Madame Zeno the fortune-teller has a crucial warning: she recites three numbers in sequence and says they will save your life. Moving on, you can play the Wheel of Chance, where an unlucky spin means death and a lucky one wins valuable prizes for when you arrive at the Final Challenge. A canister of Monster Blood might be your ticket out of here. Survive the Wheel of Chance and you play Guess Your Weight on Mars, but if the lady guesses correctly, the results are catastrophic. Should she miss, you proceed to Big Al’s Final Challenge. If you never obtained the Monster Blood, you'll cross paths with Slappy from Night of the Living Dummy, but when did he ever perform a noble deed? Perhaps Madame Zeno's numbers can bail you out. If she never mentioned any numbers, members of the Freak Show beg you to help them escape. They say Big Al has them prisoner, but he insists they're scamming you. Take the wrong side in the conflict and you'll be incarcerated with a violent giant, but a decent ending is possible. Many story paths funnel into the Final Challenge; once there, Big Al is beatable if you possess the right items.
Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is a terrific concept but disappointing in execution. Too many decisions are left to pure luck, diluting reader involvement. The action is silly, shying away from real scares, a tactic that is the opposite of what attracts young readers to Goosebumps classics like Say Cheese and Die!, Let's Get Invisible!, and The Haunted Mask. The writing is amateurish, leaning on excessive exclamation points instead of actual suspense the way R.L. Stine was a master at. I round my one and a half stars to two, though, because some of the game mechanics are surprising and innovative, better than a typical gamebook. Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is no triumph, but avoids being unreadable.
September 18, 2019
Follow Just A Girl High On Books for more reviews.
And finally, after going through this plethora of endings made by Stine, I finally finished reading Escape from the Carnival of Horrors, the first book in the Give Yourself Goosebumps series. I have to admit, reading it on my Kindle was a rather hard task. I would have much preferred having a physical copy, considering how it is easy to hold the pages in my hand then. (It's just a habit I picked up from when I was a kid and lacked bookmarks. I would hold the pages in between my fingers and hold the book from my other hand. Dangerous, in case the book tears up but pretty effective otherwise.) So I guess I'll hold on reading the second one until I return home because I have a copy over there.
Anyway, Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is about a Carnival of Horrors that occurs every year in different towns and places. Any kid who enters inside has until midnight to leave. And if one doesn't, then that kid will be stuck inside forever. So naturally, if there is a carnival like that, me and my friends just have to venture in, don't we? Despite knowing that barring one, all the endings are going to result in our deaths.
Reading this book was rejuvenating because I remembered all those times that I read such books as a kid. However, the thing about reading it this time was that I was getting more and more irritated as time passed. I guess I'm not as good with "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as I was once before. Or maybe it was just because I was reading everything on the Kindle. Whatever the reason be, there was definitely something here and I didn't very much like it.
Plus, I also found the writing to be a little cheesy as compared to the other Goosebumps books. It was as if the same guy didn't even write them! Can it be possible, or is this just my mind overthinking the "how I hate Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books"? But, I don't know, it kind of felt like the options given to me weren't really options. So for example, choosing an option based on the day of the way or based on a number of based on right or left doesn't really satisfy to me as an option. It may satisfy an eight year old but I would still not recommend reading it with them. The choices make sense if there are actual choices to make. Isn't that the main point of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book?
P.S. I did like the references to the other Goosebumps books so maybe that was a plus because it got the nerdy fan in me giggling like a little girl again.
And finally, after going through this plethora of endings made by Stine, I finally finished reading Escape from the Carnival of Horrors, the first book in the Give Yourself Goosebumps series. I have to admit, reading it on my Kindle was a rather hard task. I would have much preferred having a physical copy, considering how it is easy to hold the pages in my hand then. (It's just a habit I picked up from when I was a kid and lacked bookmarks. I would hold the pages in between my fingers and hold the book from my other hand. Dangerous, in case the book tears up but pretty effective otherwise.) So I guess I'll hold on reading the second one until I return home because I have a copy over there.
Anyway, Escape from the Carnival of Horrors is about a Carnival of Horrors that occurs every year in different towns and places. Any kid who enters inside has until midnight to leave. And if one doesn't, then that kid will be stuck inside forever. So naturally, if there is a carnival like that, me and my friends just have to venture in, don't we? Despite knowing that barring one, all the endings are going to result in our deaths.
Reading this book was rejuvenating because I remembered all those times that I read such books as a kid. However, the thing about reading it this time was that I was getting more and more irritated as time passed. I guess I'm not as good with "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as I was once before. Or maybe it was just because I was reading everything on the Kindle. Whatever the reason be, there was definitely something here and I didn't very much like it.
Plus, I also found the writing to be a little cheesy as compared to the other Goosebumps books. It was as if the same guy didn't even write them! Can it be possible, or is this just my mind overthinking the "how I hate Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books"? But, I don't know, it kind of felt like the options given to me weren't really options. So for example, choosing an option based on the day of the way or based on a number of based on right or left doesn't really satisfy to me as an option. It may satisfy an eight year old but I would still not recommend reading it with them. The choices make sense if there are actual choices to make. Isn't that the main point of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book?
P.S. I did like the references to the other Goosebumps books so maybe that was a plus because it got the nerdy fan in me giggling like a little girl again.
November 30, 2015
I remember reading through all of the Goosebumps book as a kid in elementary school and loving them. Recently I find myself looking for the "Give Yourself Goosebumps" series whenever I am at a book sale or used book store, as they are out of print, but with no luck. Thankfully I came across some recently at a flea market and decided to pick this one up and take it home with me. I was worried that the writing would be overly cheesy and hardly as nerve-wracking as I remembered it as a kid and did not have time to flip through it as the flea market stand was packing up to leave to deliberate on if I wanted more than just this one book. However I played through this book with my boyfriend, it was amazing how enamored I still was with the dialogue and the number of paths available to follow. Not the mention, the storyline wasn't sugar-coated at all, still instilling horror and chills in the reader as your slowly choose your own fate (most likely one that doesn't end up all biscuits and gravy). I'd say for not remembering much of what the series actually entailed, this book was thoroughly amusing to read and, just like when I was a kid, really interesting to go through all different possibilities of how the story will end. There was definitely some nostalgia attached to my amusement, but I'd say this series would be great for kids, as long as they aren't easily frightened.
November 3, 2018
As good as they ever were when I was a kid. I can recommend to all kids 8 and above.
January 19, 2021
I tried multiple endings! Lol these are so neat.
December 26, 2022
Read to my daughter and well shorter than I remember! Redid a few decisions and couldn’t make it out alive
November 1, 2025
Was enslaved by a mannequin. Happy Halloween!
January 20, 2024
A really great GYG story!! I loved all the different and unique paths you could take in this one. There is lots of variety and you never really know what to expect next. This one, however, was obviously experimental and had stuff involving Big Al that seemed abrupt and definitely had confused me a lot more than the average GYG does. I still loved it nonetheless but it’s all over the place and not in a great way. 8/10. Still a fun time.
September 12, 2025
Within 5 minutes I fell into a pit of rocks and died. 5 stars. Check it out!
October 2, 2025
nostalgic more than anything
October 16, 2022
I did really like the concept of this book where you get to choose your own storyline and it’s a much more immersive reading experience. There are many options on how to make the story come together and I found myself going back and forth at certain points to see who it would’ve turned out if I choose something else. This one is set in the carnival of horrors starting with you and two friends entering the carnival, meeting the owner who says you have free roam before opening the following day and then leads to different rides, games and shows. Overall it was okay
I did film a reading vlog and review video on my BookTube with the 10 Goosebumps books I read if anyone wants to check it out https://youtu.be/2quZD9vtoh8
I did film a reading vlog and review video on my BookTube with the 10 Goosebumps books I read if anyone wants to check it out https://youtu.be/2quZD9vtoh8
August 12, 2021
Tym razem udało mi się tak podejmować wybory, że historia potrwała naprawdę długo, a nie jak poprzednio, że skończyła się szybciej, niż zaczęła. Super było też trafić na nawiązania do kilku innych książek Stine’a. A niektóre zakończenia to mistrzostwo! Dobre, złe, wśród tego nieoczywiste, zaskakujące.
Sama fabuła kręci się wokół Wesołego miasteczka, coś jak w „One day at Horrorland”, tylko że tutaj to TY decydujesz, w którą stronę pójdziesz!
▸Na przejażdżki a może w alejkę z grami?
▸Wybierzesz się na Podróż łodzią Donikąd czy do Domu grozy?
▸Zjeżdżalnią pod którym numerem zjedziesz?
I najważniejsze – czy uda ci się ujść z tego wszystkiego z życiem?
Sama fabuła kręci się wokół Wesołego miasteczka, coś jak w „One day at Horrorland”, tylko że tutaj to TY decydujesz, w którą stronę pójdziesz!
▸Na przejażdżki a może w alejkę z grami?
▸Wybierzesz się na Podróż łodzią Donikąd czy do Domu grozy?
▸Zjeżdżalnią pod którym numerem zjedziesz?
I najważniejsze – czy uda ci się ujść z tego wszystkiego z życiem?
August 5, 2023
WOW, this was a delightfully spooky book! I really had fun going through various endings and finding one good ending, haha. There are still some endings left, but while it did work to go through the routes if you reach the end you just get teleported to the beginning of the book and after 7-ish new routes I just got annoyed with it that I had to start all over. But the book was spooky and I love the story and that carnival! With rollercoaster rides to mysterious fortune tellers to freaks in a Freakshow to a mysterious man who is determined to keep your here. I had so much fun! I will definitely have to get more of these, would be a nice addition to my TBR for Spooktober!
August 21, 2021
Visiting an annual carnival with friends and hell breaks loose at a place where many scary dangerous things could happen. I loved the theme of this one, I mean: risky rides, black holes, wild animals, fortune tellers, the wheel of fortune, freak show, and a Halloween roller coaster. Not all endings are bad here.
August 31, 2020
Cool concept . You start the book then you have to make a choice and every choice takes you to a certain page and you basically create your own fate, that is ending of the story . There are over twenty endings !
Read
November 16, 2022Okay this should only be read with the paperback copy. The digital one from the library isn't that fun.
My choices also lead to an early death, before I even met the monster. Haha
But I love that these were made and I would love to track some of these paperbacks down!
My choices also lead to an early death, before I even met the monster. Haha
But I love that these were made and I would love to track some of these paperbacks down!
May 26, 2018
whoa, nice!
May 30, 2019
Read this with my best friend and we literally screamed in the library and got scolded LOL
July 5, 2021
Had this as a kid and was OBSESSED by these and how scared they made me. This was the first one and I always died- I don’t know if I found the best ending or not still- but do I have to see them all to mark this as read? So much fun!
Read
March 4, 2022A student gave this to me today and that rules. I attempted the story three times in a row and died three times in a row. That tracks.
July 14, 2023
Fun little stroll down memory lane. I continue to read it because I want alllllll the endings.
Read
October 15, 2018I remember reading the ever loving crap of this growing up and going on a choose your own adventure binge.
July 15, 2016
Stuff I Read – Escape from the Carnival of Horrors by R L Stine Review
So I picked this up to read with my partner, because it seems like such a great idea to read a choose your own adventure aloud with booze involved. And I have the entire first series of Goosebumps and most of the Give Yourself Goosebumps line of books, of which this is the first. So indeed, some beer in hand, me and my partner decided to sit down and play through some endings. And I must say, this is not very good. I mean, as far as choose your own adventures go, this might be fine, as it does provide a lot of different options and various endings. But there is something strange about a lot of the options, in that they aren’t really options. I suppose it’s possible that this is meant to make it different from other, normal choose your own adventures, but it really made parts of this book frustrating, even with booze.
On the other hand, I’m a fan of the Goosebumps series, having learned to read thanks to these books, and so it’s difficult not to look at this not through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia. The basic premise, that you and some friends jump a fence into a carnival and find yourselves in some “terrifying” circumstances, is fair enough. There is that supernatural quality to it, and it allows the book to homage some other great carnival clichés. And there are some varied options to take, either with your friends or by flying solo for most of the time, though there are times when you are forced to either be with or apart from your friends. And the various resolutions were okay, though as with many choose your own stories, the options didn’t always make sense for what the consequences are.
And, again, the biggest problem that I had with this was that there were far too many non-options that were disguised as legitimate “choices.” Deciding right or left when there is no way to discern which might lead to a better outcome, is not really satisfying. Similarly, having options like “point randomly on this wheel” or “what day of the week is it” or “how much do you weigh” don’t do much to make things move along in a satisfying manner. It’s all too frustrating, too up to things that have nothing to do with choice, and smack a bit of running out of ideas and so not wanting to give the reader too many options. Which is a bit a shame, and probably due in large part to this being written for children. Like them, though, the best option is to basically pick “wrong” and then just lie to “choose” the “right” path. And that’s just a bit too much.
This wasn’t a terrible read, though, and had a bit of a Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe to parts of it. It also references other Goosebumps stories, like Monster Blood and Night of the Living Dummy, which was nice and made the Goosebumps fan in me nerd out a little bit. That said, there aren’t all that many “good” endings. I know that’s on purpose, because the “good” endings are supposed to be more difficult to find, but it was a little disheartening that even many of the “good” endings weren’t really all that good, that they involved rampant destruction or some messing up of space and time. Still, my partner found probably the best option out of everything, and I found one that left everything a smoldering crater. So I guess we both won.
And in the end, it was still kind of fun to do, more so because of the drinking but still a fun and rather enjoyable time. The writing is light and definitely for kids, and it’s cliché and rather groan-worthy at time for some of the jokes and some of the things that are supposed to be scary. As an adult reading this I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that the magic here is gone a little. Not that all of it is. I mean, I have gone back and read some of the original Goosebumps and some of them do hold up well. This one just doesn’t do all that well, and so I must give it a 4.5/10.
So I picked this up to read with my partner, because it seems like such a great idea to read a choose your own adventure aloud with booze involved. And I have the entire first series of Goosebumps and most of the Give Yourself Goosebumps line of books, of which this is the first. So indeed, some beer in hand, me and my partner decided to sit down and play through some endings. And I must say, this is not very good. I mean, as far as choose your own adventures go, this might be fine, as it does provide a lot of different options and various endings. But there is something strange about a lot of the options, in that they aren’t really options. I suppose it’s possible that this is meant to make it different from other, normal choose your own adventures, but it really made parts of this book frustrating, even with booze.
On the other hand, I’m a fan of the Goosebumps series, having learned to read thanks to these books, and so it’s difficult not to look at this not through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia. The basic premise, that you and some friends jump a fence into a carnival and find yourselves in some “terrifying” circumstances, is fair enough. There is that supernatural quality to it, and it allows the book to homage some other great carnival clichés. And there are some varied options to take, either with your friends or by flying solo for most of the time, though there are times when you are forced to either be with or apart from your friends. And the various resolutions were okay, though as with many choose your own stories, the options didn’t always make sense for what the consequences are.
And, again, the biggest problem that I had with this was that there were far too many non-options that were disguised as legitimate “choices.” Deciding right or left when there is no way to discern which might lead to a better outcome, is not really satisfying. Similarly, having options like “point randomly on this wheel” or “what day of the week is it” or “how much do you weigh” don’t do much to make things move along in a satisfying manner. It’s all too frustrating, too up to things that have nothing to do with choice, and smack a bit of running out of ideas and so not wanting to give the reader too many options. Which is a bit a shame, and probably due in large part to this being written for children. Like them, though, the best option is to basically pick “wrong” and then just lie to “choose” the “right” path. And that’s just a bit too much.
This wasn’t a terrible read, though, and had a bit of a Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe to parts of it. It also references other Goosebumps stories, like Monster Blood and Night of the Living Dummy, which was nice and made the Goosebumps fan in me nerd out a little bit. That said, there aren’t all that many “good” endings. I know that’s on purpose, because the “good” endings are supposed to be more difficult to find, but it was a little disheartening that even many of the “good” endings weren’t really all that good, that they involved rampant destruction or some messing up of space and time. Still, my partner found probably the best option out of everything, and I found one that left everything a smoldering crater. So I guess we both won.
And in the end, it was still kind of fun to do, more so because of the drinking but still a fun and rather enjoyable time. The writing is light and definitely for kids, and it’s cliché and rather groan-worthy at time for some of the jokes and some of the things that are supposed to be scary. As an adult reading this I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that the magic here is gone a little. Not that all of it is. I mean, I have gone back and read some of the original Goosebumps and some of them do hold up well. This one just doesn’t do all that well, and so I must give it a 4.5/10.
November 10, 2017
Amazing and super fun/creepy
September 4, 2019
The first book I ever read all by myself. I have to be honest, it's almost impossible for me to give an impartial review as this was such a formative part of my childhood. My obsession with roleplaying and interactive media was shaped by the give yourself goosebumps books, and this was my first one!
The magic of R.L. Stine is that he understands scary. Classic, good old fashioned, panic, suspense and supernatural terror. Even though this book is aimed at children it's impossible not to feel a few chills even as an adult. This book is masterpiece of the choose your own adventure genre, though simple. EVERY choice feels like an investment, your logical adult mind wrestles with your inner curious 11 year old and the feeling is amazing.
I cannot recommend enough.
The magic of R.L. Stine is that he understands scary. Classic, good old fashioned, panic, suspense and supernatural terror. Even though this book is aimed at children it's impossible not to feel a few chills even as an adult. This book is masterpiece of the choose your own adventure genre, though simple. EVERY choice feels like an investment, your logical adult mind wrestles with your inner curious 11 year old and the feeling is amazing.
I cannot recommend enough.
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