What do you think?
Rate this book
Goosebumps 2000 #23
Slappy's Nightmare
Slappy, the evil ventriloquist dummy, is scary enough, but when Jimmy O'James unwraps Slappy's twin that he found in a magic store, it is not exactly a happy reunion
112 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
23 people are currently reading
1372 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 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...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 12, 2021
There are some lingering questions about the entryway into this book that caused me confusion; for example, how did Jimmy O'James get Slappy back into his possession following the end of Bride of the Living Dummy?
However, this might be the most original book I have read in any Goosebumps series, which is saying a lot. R.L. Stine's ambitious narrative in Slappy's Nightmare upends all expectations for Slappy stories that came before. I give R.L. Stine a lot of credit for his willingness to drastically change the paradigm in a story featuring one of his signature villains. Slappy's Nightmare is a notable Goosebumps book.
However, this might be the most original book I have read in any Goosebumps series, which is saying a lot. R.L. Stine's ambitious narrative in Slappy's Nightmare upends all expectations for Slappy stories that came before. I give R.L. Stine a lot of credit for his willingness to drastically change the paradigm in a story featuring one of his signature villains. Slappy's Nightmare is a notable Goosebumps book.
April 21, 2025
After reading 4 books that were virtually the exact same book, with the exact same characters, with the exact same villain, I was excited to see what this supposedly “creatively different” book was like. I think that this book is a huge disappointment, not only is this just boring book that not only DOES follow the same tropes from the first 4 dummy books, but also has easily the most repetitive content in Goosebumps history.
The same scene happens 7 times. SEVEN TIMES. No joke, and it’s made even worse by Stella who is just a terrible sibling character, a terrible mom character, and basically no redeeming factors to anything really. The book gets a 4.5/10, not a great book.
The same scene happens 7 times. SEVEN TIMES. No joke, and it’s made even worse by Stella who is just a terrible sibling character, a terrible mom character, and basically no redeeming factors to anything really. The book gets a 4.5/10, not a great book.
July 26, 2022
I read all 25 Goosebumps Series 2000 books for a 2-hour YouTube video, where I reviewed and ranked them all, which you can check out here: https://youtu.be/VsNwNpeqgLo
Read
July 18, 2020هنوز یادمه وقتی کلاس شیشم بودم زنگ ریاضیها هر روز یه کتابی از آر.ال.استاین میخوندم. :٫))))
پ.ن: خدا خیر بده معلمم که میذاشت یه گوشه کارمو بکنم و بهمکاری نداشت.
پ.ن: خدا خیر بده معلمم که میذاشت یه گوشه کارمو بکنم و بهمکاری نداشت.
October 19, 2023
داستان بد نبود ولی یک از بدترین تروپها رو داشت برای پایان، هیچ ربطی به جلد دوم مجموعه نداشت و هیچ کدوم از سوالایی که اونجا درمورد جیمی و اسلپی داشتیم رو جواب نداد، خیلی با داستانهای دیگهی اسلپی تناقض داشت، پیدیاف هم که ترکیده بود
نمره هم واقعا نمیخوام این کار رو بکنم ولی اصلا چیزای خوبی نداشت تنها جای خوب داستان فهمیدن اونی بود که داشت کارای اسلپی رو خراب میکرد ولی ۲ میدم بهش
نمره هم واقعا نمیخوام این کار رو بکنم ولی اصلا چیزای خوبی نداشت تنها جای خوب داستان فهمیدن اونی بود که داشت کارای اسلپی رو خراب میکرد ولی ۲ میدم بهش
March 12, 2021
It's going to be hard to review / talk about this book without spoilers. But I'll try my best.
For the twenty-third entry in Series 2000, we have another Slappy / NotLD book, which happens to be the 5th book (I believe) overall in the NotLD 'series'.
This book starts out with Jimmy O' James (the ventriloquist) placing a curse on Slappy before handing him off to Georgia, a 12 year old girl and fan of Jimmy's. (At least I think she was twelve... aren't most kids in Goosebumps?)
These aren't spoilers by the way, this all happens within the first few chapters.
From there, the story takes an interesting twist, and much of the story is told from Slappy's perspective, something that hasn't been done before, and, although I'm not entirely sure how much I liked it, it did feel quite refreshing and was enjoyable to read at times.
Also, because Jimmy O' James has made his return in this entry, I'm assuming this book is a sequel, or maybe a prequel to Bride of the Living Dummy?
Anyway...
What I liked about this book:
It felt very refreshing in regards to much of the story being told from Slappy's perspective. It puts a whole new spin on the NotLD books and R.L. Stine uses that device to keep this book new and interesting, it doesn't just feel like a repeat of other Slappy books. I also really liked the grounded feel this book has, very similar to the other NotLD books. It feels very down-to-earth and realistic, giving the more action-packed and suspenseful scenes that much more impact. There were a couple of scenes in particular that were very dark and intense, and because of the tone of the story (unlike many other s2k books) they felt all that much more believable and frightening.
I also enjoyed (as in NotLD I and II) the sibling-relationship dynamic. Here, the characters feel slightly more fleshed out (at least Georgia's did) than typical for a GB book, and the sister's relationship just feels so real... adding to that whole grounded feel of the book I mentioned earlier. Nothing feels outlandish or cartoon-ish, unlike *cough* Full Moon Fever *cough*.
What I didn't like:
The flip side to some of the story being told from Slappy's perspective, is that it almost didn't seem believable. Slappy's character is really explored in this book, and the bad side to that, for me, at least, is that I'm not sure his character coincides with what we know about him based on the four previous Slappy/Dummy books. He seems to be almost completely different in this book. Yes, the setup and the premise of him having the curse placed upon him DOES effect his choices and actions, but still, I wasn't entirely convinced Slappy's character fits who he really was. It just felt a little jarring to see this side of Slappy, especially if we are taking into account continuity between the NotLD books.
The Mixed:
The ending. Boy, that ending...
On one hand, that ending is very clever, kind of funny, and if you think about it, also kind of ties everything together and wraps up some of the continuity issues and the actions of Slappy that I kind of disliked / that felt out of place for his character. There's also a scene in the book that kind of foreshadows the ending, that at first, I hated that particular scene (I'm remaining vague to avoid spoilers), but after finishing the book, that earlier scene made perfect sense.
On the other hand... that ending also kind of ruins other parts of the books. I'm very torn on how I feel about it. It's also hard to discuss, as I mentioned, without giving anything away. Maybe I'll do a spoiler-review of this book on my Youtube channel in the future and go more in-depth with it.
Overall, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this book and gather my thoughts. I really enjoyed reading this Goosebumps book, but I'm not sure how well it works as a whole, and that ending is very divisive to the story itself. It works on some levels, and fails on others.
For now, I think I'm going to rate this book a 3.5 / 5
My YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNzZ...
For the twenty-third entry in Series 2000, we have another Slappy / NotLD book, which happens to be the 5th book (I believe) overall in the NotLD 'series'.
This book starts out with Jimmy O' James (the ventriloquist) placing a curse on Slappy before handing him off to Georgia, a 12 year old girl and fan of Jimmy's. (At least I think she was twelve... aren't most kids in Goosebumps?)
These aren't spoilers by the way, this all happens within the first few chapters.
From there, the story takes an interesting twist, and much of the story is told from Slappy's perspective, something that hasn't been done before, and, although I'm not entirely sure how much I liked it, it did feel quite refreshing and was enjoyable to read at times.
Also, because Jimmy O' James has made his return in this entry, I'm assuming this book is a sequel, or maybe a prequel to Bride of the Living Dummy?
Anyway...
What I liked about this book:
It felt very refreshing in regards to much of the story being told from Slappy's perspective. It puts a whole new spin on the NotLD books and R.L. Stine uses that device to keep this book new and interesting, it doesn't just feel like a repeat of other Slappy books. I also really liked the grounded feel this book has, very similar to the other NotLD books. It feels very down-to-earth and realistic, giving the more action-packed and suspenseful scenes that much more impact. There were a couple of scenes in particular that were very dark and intense, and because of the tone of the story (unlike many other s2k books) they felt all that much more believable and frightening.
I also enjoyed (as in NotLD I and II) the sibling-relationship dynamic. Here, the characters feel slightly more fleshed out (at least Georgia's did) than typical for a GB book, and the sister's relationship just feels so real... adding to that whole grounded feel of the book I mentioned earlier. Nothing feels outlandish or cartoon-ish, unlike *cough* Full Moon Fever *cough*.
What I didn't like:
The flip side to some of the story being told from Slappy's perspective, is that it almost didn't seem believable. Slappy's character is really explored in this book, and the bad side to that, for me, at least, is that I'm not sure his character coincides with what we know about him based on the four previous Slappy/Dummy books. He seems to be almost completely different in this book. Yes, the setup and the premise of him having the curse placed upon him DOES effect his choices and actions, but still, I wasn't entirely convinced Slappy's character fits who he really was. It just felt a little jarring to see this side of Slappy, especially if we are taking into account continuity between the NotLD books.
The Mixed:
The ending. Boy, that ending...
On one hand, that ending is very clever, kind of funny, and if you think about it, also kind of ties everything together and wraps up some of the continuity issues and the actions of Slappy that I kind of disliked / that felt out of place for his character. There's also a scene in the book that kind of foreshadows the ending, that at first, I hated that particular scene (I'm remaining vague to avoid spoilers), but after finishing the book, that earlier scene made perfect sense.
On the other hand... that ending also kind of ruins other parts of the books. I'm very torn on how I feel about it. It's also hard to discuss, as I mentioned, without giving anything away. Maybe I'll do a spoiler-review of this book on my Youtube channel in the future and go more in-depth with it.
Overall, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this book and gather my thoughts. I really enjoyed reading this Goosebumps book, but I'm not sure how well it works as a whole, and that ending is very divisive to the story itself. It works on some levels, and fails on others.
For now, I think I'm going to rate this book a 3.5 / 5
My YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNzZ...
April 10, 2008
This book is rather exciting you would not want to put it down after reading the first page of it.A puppet named slappy was made out of a dead and evil sorccer's coffin!He was performing with a boy and suddenly became reckless he bit a boy's ear.He fell asleep and had a nightmare.He dreamed that he would have to do 3 good deeds!!!He also dreamed that there was a girl trying to destroy him. He then wanted to kill her.....Did Slappy kill the girl? Did slappy's nightmare really come true ? You will have to read that book to find out!
February 10, 2022
Not a fan of the Series 2000 artwork, but this was a pretty good story! Our whole family was into the mystery of who was sabotaging Slappy's good deeds, so...that's something.
September 18, 2025
R.L. Stine (or his rumored ghostwriters) must have wondered what more they could do with Slappy the Dummy, the franchise mascot who'd already scared his way through four books to diminishing returns. Well, why not tell a story from Slappy's point of view? Slappy's Nightmare feels like a Hail Mary pass by Stine to prove this Living Dummy still had some life in him after all. Reunited with Jimmy O'James from Bride of the Living Dummy, Slappy pulls one prank too many and gets farmed out to a pair of twin sisters. To prevent mischief, Jimmy threatens to replace Slappy with an identical doll unless he performs good deeds. This shakes up the normal dummy formula a bit, as Slappy tries to serve rather than enslave the two girls - alas, to no avail as someone wrecks his plans! Is it Stella, the younger and crankier sister? Does Slappy suffer from undiagnosed dis-associative disorder, unconsciously performing evil deeds? Or is there another Living Dummy on the loose? Readers can probably guess without much effort, and truth be told there's little novelty in the scares here (even if one wonders how Stine got away with hanging a toddler in window drapes!). Showing events from Slappy's surly point of view, however, makes this tired story surprisingly fun; he grouses and grumbles about his mission, annoyed by the girls and vowing revenge against Jimmy, before deciding that murder is the best solution. After all, he explains, "Evil is Live spelled backwards." Can't argue with that logic!
August 12, 2021
The Summer of Slappy continues with what is the fifth book in the reading order I’m following. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seem to account for Bride of the Living Dummy at all, which is a bit disappointing. Stine could have easily kept the continuity, but I guess he just chose not to for whatever reason.
This time around were following Jimmy O’James and Slappy again, but the tables have turned. O’James puts a curse on Slappy that requires him to do three good deeds in a short period of time, or he’ll go to sleep for the last time. Because Slappy has to do good, and O’James got a second dummy that looks just like Slappy, he gives Slappy to Georgia as a gift. Georgia is trying to learn ventriloquism and is a big fan of O’James, so this was special. Unfortunately her younger sister is jealous, and starts lashing out.
This was a much more mature story than what we normally see with this line of books, and I loved it because of that. There is a really interesting plot line with the sister, and the question becomes is she psychotic, or what’s really going on? It’s a fun storyline to follow.
Unfortunately, as the story concludes, it falls back into a lot of the similar, more kid-oriented ideas you’d expect from the series. That wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the rest of the book didn’t feel like such a departure from all of that. But the ending is incredibly easy to guess, which is saying something coming from me.
Overall I enjoyed the ride, but the destination was a bit stale. It felt like a different style for Stine, and I loved that. Very intrigued to see where Slappy goes next!
3.5 stars
This time around were following Jimmy O’James and Slappy again, but the tables have turned. O’James puts a curse on Slappy that requires him to do three good deeds in a short period of time, or he’ll go to sleep for the last time. Because Slappy has to do good, and O’James got a second dummy that looks just like Slappy, he gives Slappy to Georgia as a gift. Georgia is trying to learn ventriloquism and is a big fan of O’James, so this was special. Unfortunately her younger sister is jealous, and starts lashing out.
This was a much more mature story than what we normally see with this line of books, and I loved it because of that. There is a really interesting plot line with the sister, and the question becomes is she psychotic, or what’s really going on? It’s a fun storyline to follow.
Unfortunately, as the story concludes, it falls back into a lot of the similar, more kid-oriented ideas you’d expect from the series. That wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the rest of the book didn’t feel like such a departure from all of that. But the ending is incredibly easy to guess, which is saying something coming from me.
Overall I enjoyed the ride, but the destination was a bit stale. It felt like a different style for Stine, and I loved that. Very intrigued to see where Slappy goes next!
3.5 stars
August 8, 2024
I am utterly shocked by how much my original score for this book changed. This is one I have a bit of nostalgia for, as it was one of my earlier reads that I can remember vividly. I loved it the first time around, but the second time now… dear god it stank. Let’s start with the good in this sea of shit—I liked the concept to an extent. Slappy doing good deeds, simple enough and works as it is very different from your average dummy book and is quite interesting, and like I just mentioned, I liked how this book took a spin from the formula a lot. It’s wildly different and is quite cool for that. Also, Slappy was great. However, positives end there; this book is straight garbage for the most part. The characters are fucking horrible and annoying, there are arguments every couple pages, like the twins in Dummy 1 ramped up to 2000 (two thousand times the dog shit lol). The book gets so repetitive when the story finally kicks off, having Slappy attempt good deeds, then it backfiring and bringing us back to square one for 100 FUCKING PAGES. The opening, whilst not bad, is the best part of the book—and that’s mid bruh! The final battle was very mixed for me; it was very gross to read since it involved slimy food, to say the least. But the ending of it was kinda cool? Then you get the twist ending which is hinted at in the title, and it’s a horrible twist ending, one of the worst in S2K at the very least. Also, random dream sequences, boring ahh book, and worst mom award. This book gets a 3/10, holy shit was this almost straight up atrocious no-good ass. I’d rather have my dick get eaten alive by fire ants than read this again ngl.
November 25, 2018
I have been an avid Goosebumps reader and fan for quite a while, but I had never read a Slappy book. This was my first Slappy book, and I was surely excited to read about Goosbumps' most evil villain.
Normally Slappy is the embodiment of pure evil, but in this book Slappy is faced with his biggest 'Nightmare'. If he does not do 3 good deeds in a week, then his owner Jimmy O' James will unleash a curse on him that will put him to sleep Forever.
This book was a really thrilling read, as it was exciting to see the opposite side of Slappy. Slappy was forced in doing good deeds, and wherever he did something good, a mysterious person would ruin it all. Now this book had an amazing story and concept, and Slappy was an amazing charecter, its twist was really mind blowing, as it makes you question the entire book and story. Definitely a Goosebumps classic. This book will surely make you a Goosebumps and Slappy fan.
Normally Slappy is the embodiment of pure evil, but in this book Slappy is faced with his biggest 'Nightmare'. If he does not do 3 good deeds in a week, then his owner Jimmy O' James will unleash a curse on him that will put him to sleep Forever.
This book was a really thrilling read, as it was exciting to see the opposite side of Slappy. Slappy was forced in doing good deeds, and wherever he did something good, a mysterious person would ruin it all. Now this book had an amazing story and concept, and Slappy was an amazing charecter, its twist was really mind blowing, as it makes you question the entire book and story. Definitely a Goosebumps classic. This book will surely make you a Goosebumps and Slappy fan.
September 12, 2021
I was a bit too violent a line about how a character should go jump off a cliff how he was going to kill three people not the usual Slappy if you ask me still overall a great book.
November 6, 2016
Slappy normalizzato.
Chiusura abbastanza deludente di una minisaga che con il terzo atto aveva già detto tutto.
L'idea sarebbe anche moderatamente interessante, ma il guazzabuglio di personaggi idioti e la storia incerta - si sfocia anche nel giallo sul finire - non sorreggono lo spunto iniziale del "contrappasso".
È comunque doveroso un ringraziamento all'autore per aver creato uno dei personaggi horror più iconici della narrativa per ragazzi.
Chiusura abbastanza deludente di una minisaga che con il terzo atto aveva già detto tutto.
L'idea sarebbe anche moderatamente interessante, ma il guazzabuglio di personaggi idioti e la storia incerta - si sfocia anche nel giallo sul finire - non sorreggono lo spunto iniziale del "contrappasso".
È comunque doveroso un ringraziamento all'autore per aver creato uno dei personaggi horror più iconici della narrativa per ragazzi.
January 11, 2014
One of my fav books when I was 12 or 11
October 22, 2014
How to read it ???
April 29, 2015
Just when you think that you know the end , read the last 2 chapters :D
Great one ;)
Great one ;)
Read
June 7, 2016it talks about that slappy has to do 3 good thigs or he will die but then it was all just a bad dream then he woke up then the same thing that heppened in his dream is now happening.
Read
April 5, 2016I liked this book because it made the villian the one we root for.
January 9, 2015
it's a god book
November 21, 2023
Kali ini tingkah jahat Slappy sudah sangat keterlaluan ketika sedang tampil. Jimmy pun mengutuknya untuk melakukan tiga perbuatan baik dalam jangka waktu seminggu. Kalau tidak, Slappy akan mati selama-lamanya. Boneka itu sudah berusaha keras melakukan sesuatu yang sangat berkebalikan darinya, tapi ada sosok yang berusaha keras untuk menggagalkannya. Waktu pun makin terasa mengejarnya.
Aku suka interaksi antara Jimmy dengan Slappy. Mereka saling benci, tapi ada sedikit keakraban dan juga komedi di sana. Hati-hati karena penggunaan bahasa dan adegan kekerasan di sini tidak cocok untuk pembaca di bawah 10 tahun.
Penggunaan sudut pandang ketiga di novel ini adalah hal yang sangat fresh, menarik, dan mengejutkan. Tapi, ketika tokohnya berpikir, sebaiknya penulisan kalimatnya dibuat miring supaya pembaca bisa membedakannya dengan narasi. Selain itu, rasanya sangat fresh mendapati Slappy sebagai tokoh utama. Pembaca pun bisa memahami intensi setiap perbuatannya. Sayangnya, meski tetap jahat, dia jadi terasa kurang mengintimidasi.
Hal yang sangat menggangguku di novel Goosebumps lainnya—yang berkaitan dengan karakterisasi anggota keluarga—berhasil dipaparkan dengan matang di sini. Penggambaran tentang kedua anak yang berkata kasar karena meniru sikap ibu mereka. Sementara itu, Mrs. Boonshoft sedang dalam kesulitan untuk memenuhi keperluan hidup sekaligus mengurus kedua anak sendirian karena suaminya meninggal. Selain itu, Mrs. Boonshoft tidak sepenuhnya terlalu tegas sehingga jadi kejam karena sesekali ia mencoba memahami apa yang terjadi kepada kedua anaknya meski terdengar tidak masuk akal. Dia juga berpikir mungkin anaknya perlu diperiksakan ke dokter. Lalu, kurang lebih Stella mendapatkan balasannya karena ia selalu berbuat jahat ke Georgia. Maka, aku jadi memiliki rasa simpati kepada mereka.
Aku sudah mengkhayalkan sekitar empat ending berbeda untuk masing-masing empat perkiraan identitas penyabotase. Sayangnya, penulisnya justru memilih pelaku yang paling mudah, tapi tak apa karena ini buku anak. Untuk akhirannya, aku pun mencoba berteori dua hal, yakni antara mimpi prediksi masa depan atau looping.
Kalau Slappy memang cuma kebetulan memprediksikan masa depan melalui mimpi buruk, mungkin itu bisa terjadi karena dia boneka yang mengandung sihir. Tapi, itu sangat menjengkelkan karena semua character developments di cerita ini jadi terasa sia-sia karena entah apa yang akan dilakukan Slappy berikutnya karena dia sudah tahu apa yang bakal terjadi.
Pilihan kedua, yaitu aku menganggap mimpi buruk yang dimaksud adalah looping. Jadi, Slappy harus melakukan tiga kebaikan selama seminggu itu berkali-kali dan tanpa henti. Tapi, kalau itu benar-benar looping, seharusnya Jimmy sudah mendapatkan dan mencari tahu soal Wally untuk mengancam Slappy sebelum mengajak diskusi dia—alias peristiwa di belakang bakal sama persis dengan peristiwa di depan. Dan kalau itu benar-benar looping, pertanyaanku:
1. Kalau Jimmy adalah ahli suara perut paling hebat di dunia yang sering tampil dengan Slappy yang candaannya sangat kurang ajar, kenapa dia enggak pernah di-banned para orangtua?
2. Omong-omong, tidurnya Georgia dan Slappy sampai terlelap macam apa sampai-sampai enggak bisa dengar sosok sedang menghancurkan kamar itu?
3. Kenapa Jimmy tidak sadar Wally telah menghilang dari sisinya?
Singkatnya, meski aku enggak bisa menerima ending absurd ini, namun aku tidak merasa terlalu terganggu. Mungkin itu karena aku sudah kebal dengan cliffhanger menyebalkan yang sering dibuat penulis.
Aku suka interaksi antara Jimmy dengan Slappy. Mereka saling benci, tapi ada sedikit keakraban dan juga komedi di sana. Hati-hati karena penggunaan bahasa dan adegan kekerasan di sini tidak cocok untuk pembaca di bawah 10 tahun.
Penggunaan sudut pandang ketiga di novel ini adalah hal yang sangat fresh, menarik, dan mengejutkan. Tapi, ketika tokohnya berpikir, sebaiknya penulisan kalimatnya dibuat miring supaya pembaca bisa membedakannya dengan narasi. Selain itu, rasanya sangat fresh mendapati Slappy sebagai tokoh utama. Pembaca pun bisa memahami intensi setiap perbuatannya. Sayangnya, meski tetap jahat, dia jadi terasa kurang mengintimidasi.
Hal yang sangat menggangguku di novel Goosebumps lainnya—yang berkaitan dengan karakterisasi anggota keluarga—berhasil dipaparkan dengan matang di sini. Penggambaran tentang kedua anak yang berkata kasar karena meniru sikap ibu mereka. Sementara itu, Mrs. Boonshoft sedang dalam kesulitan untuk memenuhi keperluan hidup sekaligus mengurus kedua anak sendirian karena suaminya meninggal. Selain itu, Mrs. Boonshoft tidak sepenuhnya terlalu tegas sehingga jadi kejam karena sesekali ia mencoba memahami apa yang terjadi kepada kedua anaknya meski terdengar tidak masuk akal. Dia juga berpikir mungkin anaknya perlu diperiksakan ke dokter. Lalu, kurang lebih Stella mendapatkan balasannya karena ia selalu berbuat jahat ke Georgia. Maka, aku jadi memiliki rasa simpati kepada mereka.
Aku sudah mengkhayalkan sekitar empat ending berbeda untuk masing-masing empat perkiraan identitas penyabotase. Sayangnya, penulisnya justru memilih pelaku yang paling mudah, tapi tak apa karena ini buku anak. Untuk akhirannya, aku pun mencoba berteori dua hal, yakni antara mimpi prediksi masa depan atau looping.
Kalau Slappy memang cuma kebetulan memprediksikan masa depan melalui mimpi buruk, mungkin itu bisa terjadi karena dia boneka yang mengandung sihir. Tapi, itu sangat menjengkelkan karena semua character developments di cerita ini jadi terasa sia-sia karena entah apa yang akan dilakukan Slappy berikutnya karena dia sudah tahu apa yang bakal terjadi.
Pilihan kedua, yaitu aku menganggap mimpi buruk yang dimaksud adalah looping. Jadi, Slappy harus melakukan tiga kebaikan selama seminggu itu berkali-kali dan tanpa henti. Tapi, kalau itu benar-benar looping, seharusnya Jimmy sudah mendapatkan dan mencari tahu soal Wally untuk mengancam Slappy sebelum mengajak diskusi dia—alias peristiwa di belakang bakal sama persis dengan peristiwa di depan. Dan kalau itu benar-benar looping, pertanyaanku:
1. Kalau Jimmy adalah ahli suara perut paling hebat di dunia yang sering tampil dengan Slappy yang candaannya sangat kurang ajar, kenapa dia enggak pernah di-banned para orangtua?
2. Omong-omong, tidurnya Georgia dan Slappy sampai terlelap macam apa sampai-sampai enggak bisa dengar sosok sedang menghancurkan kamar itu?
3. Kenapa Jimmy tidak sadar Wally telah menghilang dari sisinya?
Singkatnya, meski aku enggak bisa menerima ending absurd ini, namun aku tidak merasa terlalu terganggu. Mungkin itu karena aku sudah kebal dengan cliffhanger menyebalkan yang sering dibuat penulis.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2022
Fatoni Maraton Goosebumps Series 2000
Buku 23 dari 25
Slappy hari itu mendapat karmanya. Pemiliknya membeli boneka baru untuk menggantikannya. Tidak hanya itu, dia berhasil mendapat transkrip pembuat Slappy dan di dalamnya ada kutukan untuk Slappy. Kutukan itu menuntut Slappy untuk berbuat baik--yang sangat enggak banget untuk boneka iblis ikon Goosebumps ini--sebanyak 3x dalam seminggu, kalau tidak, Slappy akan mati selamanya.
Idenya segar, tentu saja. Belum ada antagonis menjadi tokoh utama buku ini. Misterinya juga lumayan, siapa yang terus menerus menyabotase usaha kebaikan Slappy? Aku cukup senang karena sejujurnya aku tak terlalu menyukai Slappy, dan melihatnya tersiksa membuatku senang. Ending-nya agak membagongkan, tapi lumayan lah.
Buku 23 dari 25
Slappy hari itu mendapat karmanya. Pemiliknya membeli boneka baru untuk menggantikannya. Tidak hanya itu, dia berhasil mendapat transkrip pembuat Slappy dan di dalamnya ada kutukan untuk Slappy. Kutukan itu menuntut Slappy untuk berbuat baik--yang sangat enggak banget untuk boneka iblis ikon Goosebumps ini--sebanyak 3x dalam seminggu, kalau tidak, Slappy akan mati selamanya.
Idenya segar, tentu saja. Belum ada antagonis menjadi tokoh utama buku ini. Misterinya juga lumayan, siapa yang terus menerus menyabotase usaha kebaikan Slappy? Aku cukup senang karena sejujurnya aku tak terlalu menyukai Slappy, dan melihatnya tersiksa membuatku senang. Ending-nya agak membagongkan, tapi lumayan lah.
December 6, 2023
I know it's a con for some people, but I enjoy reading stories from Slappy's perspective now and again. Really, this one was the first of its kind. I wish I reread it before picking up Slappy Beware because they're distorted funhouse mirrors of each other. The only con I have is that logically, this book must take somewhere before Bride of the Living Dummy (if Jimmy O'James is involved) despite it being published after. Not a big deal.
In reference to a SlappyWorld book:
In reference to a SlappyWorld book:
March 3, 2022
God this was so close to being perfect. The Goosebumps 2000 violence and edginess, more of Jimmy O'James, Slappy's background and origins expanded, Slappy as the protagonist who has his own conflict to overcome... We were so close to the edge of greatness but of course, the ending... That final chapter. There are few Goosebumps books where the ending either makes or breaks the whole book and sadly, this one breaks it. Still an enjoyable read, but one that will leave a green putrid taste in your mouth.
July 7, 2017
Ok so I am a huge Goosebumps fan and have been devouring every one of them since my early teens, which also means that these books have a huge sentimental value for me.
Having said that, I think the story was built up okayishly, and there was a tinge of suspense lurking which could have been pulled off better by RL Stine, had he not decided to settle on the predictable and intensely banal ending, which every goosebumps fan is well acquainted with.
Having said that, I think the story was built up okayishly, and there was a tinge of suspense lurking which could have been pulled off better by RL Stine, had he not decided to settle on the predictable and intensely banal ending, which every goosebumps fan is well acquainted with.
October 11, 2021
Honestly only scary if you're Slappy but very imaginative and well written! I loved the twists and it's kinda hard to believe that after the 5 slappy books I've already read he's still in 17 more books. Slappy truly is the mascot of R.L. Stine! I loved seeing this side of Slappy trying to do good deeds. I highly recommend.
April 8, 2025
Just when I thought the Living Dummy formula might get stale, Stine completely switched it up with a story mostly from Slappy's perspective where he's forced to do 3 good deeds in order to survive. While the twist might not be too surprising, this gets so many points for being a 5th installment still able to bring fresh ideas to the saga.
May 17, 2020
I did like the book, not my favorite though. Wasn`t scary enough
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews