The Hitchhiker by R. L. Stine

by R.L. Stine

Another chilling thriller from master of horror R.L. Stine, creator of Fear Street and the Cheerleaders series.He wants a ride. She wants a thrill. So, in spite of her best friend's arguments, Christina stops to pick up the handsome hitchhiker. He's everything she thought he'd be. And more. Much, much, more. Enough to thrill Christina and Terri . . . to death.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Thriller, Teen, Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa! I didn’t see that coming AT ALL! And I wanted Art to hang around. And there were piranhas!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

During a long drive back to Florida, friends Christina and Terri decided to pick up young good looking hitchhiker James to liven up the journey.
But during a rest stop they witness James short temper and with news reports of a murderer on the lose, have the girls made a massive mistake by allowing James to travel with them?

I really liked the horror mystery as Stine really has fun with laying plenty of twists throughout the story.
The three main characters were all interestingly written, the girls had a real spirit of adventure and it was really hard to trust James.

Stine always likes to throw in a twist ending and this one completely had me fooled!

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro que me costó algo de trabajo conseguir, y la verdad es que tener esta colección completa es una de mis grandes ilusiones.
Un historia simple que poco a poco nos va metiendo en un triller que la verdad, está algo conocido. Fue inevitable pensar en la película "Sé lo que hicieron el verano pasado" aunque con la dosis de Stine que la hizo un poco más entretenida.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 'twisty' than the average Stine, though I picked the twist early on, (or did I read this one as a teen....?)

Anyway, it should be a 3 star but I'm giving it an extra for the gory ending and the PIRANHAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I don't think I've ever read a book with death by PIRANHAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it would have scared the crap outta me as a kid.

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH EVERYBODY

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Well that very twisty! Also made me have to go back and think on what I thought I knew that turned out to be wrong. Fucked with my mind.

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Bob got me! This one is about the dangers of hitchhiking. Christina and Teri pick up James. He’s running from something but Christina is such a sucker for this bad boy. Teri isn’t on board with any of this. James decides that instead of staying with his cousin (the girls were supposed to drop him off there) he’s going back to Cleveland with them. They are in Florida.... there is some twist and surprises in this one that I didn’t even suspect. It’s a fun, nostalgic read and a good reminder not to to pick up strangers!

[Alex (The Bookubus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christina and Terri are on the road heading back home after a vacation in Florida and on a whim pick up a hitchhiker. He’s cute but seems a bit sketchy and as the journey continues their roadtrip takes a dark turn.

A pretty fun and quick read. Felt a little more adult than some of Stine’s other Point Horror books, which is a good thing. Some effective tension and an unexpected ending!

[Austin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Stine's better Point Horror efforts, but is still dragged down a bit by some illogical twists and a rather lackluster climax.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best kind of off-the-wall shit I’m hoping to find when I read a Point Horror title. One of my favorites so far.

[Clay Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic RL Stine with a fantastic twist!!!! 🌪

[Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't ever hitchhike

[Chelley Toy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub

Two girls, Christina and Terri have been living dangerously and visiting…… Florida! And we find out that it is very different from Mickey Mouse ears and visiting Disneyland. Other than putting people off visiting Florida for life the two girls decide their next destination is Tampa as they just cannot deal with everyone in Florida driving 15mph! This is when they decide to pick up a Hitchhiker called James who shows them how to work the a/c in their car! But soon they realise they are being followed….but by who! And with reports of an elderly man being killed by a hitchhiker suspicions soon fall on the bad tempered James.

With a cliffhanger ending on every chapter I would say this is more violent than our usual Point Horror! A slightly darker and more adult tone, along with the unexpected gore. And with one of the best Point Horror endings ever!

I think Stine’s writing is at its best in this book. You can tell this one was very carefully plotted out, and not made up as he went along. He uses a very cinematic style, which I loved. I could almost imagine the scenes as though it were a film. The change of perspective in the chopping and changing of the narrative kept me guessing who the villain of this was. It was also very audacious of him at the time (1993!) to have central characters who were essentially unlikeable and sociopathic and it plays way against type in terms of the other Point Horrors, and has fun along the way!

Give it a read if you enjoy Survive The Night by Riley Sager, Joyride / Roadkill (film), books about road trips, or unpredictable endings!

[Humayra Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not really an R.L. Stine fan. I was never crazily into the Goosebumps series or Fear Street and the few I tried to read seemed boring and repetitive to me. I expected the same when I started this book, but wow, was I surprised or what. I loved the story and was surprised at various points throughout the book. A great read.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two girls on vacation in Florida stop for an attractive hitchhiker, in order to liven up their drive.

Shortly afterwards, the trouble starts when they quickly learn he has a real temper. Not to mention, he seems so quiet and mysterious. Who is this guy, really?

[alba]

loveddd that this was set in FL, plot twist got me good

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an R.L. Stine, this is a good one—up to the point at which it absolutely jumps the shark (or a smaller, more ferocious version of one).

I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.

https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream

[Bea Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the most hateful characters yet in a Point Horror - I'm beginning to suspect ole R.L hates women. They are always turbo bitches who deliver all their dialogue 'shrilly' or with 'shrieks' and 'screams' while tearing at their hair and throwing hateful screed at friend and foe alike. No matter the story, I find it tiresome to slog through the book with these awful awful characters. Didn't see the ending coming, so the book was redeemed somewhat there, but yeah, characters dragged it down way too hard for me.

[Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I LOVED these and the Fear Street books growing up. I still have them and thought I would reread some of them and maybe start some of the ones I never got to.

Rereading this one it’s so cheesy but the twists and turns are so fun you just can’t be so judgmental with it.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, and they all go to the sudden!piranhas. Despite it being #NotHowPiranhasWork. Why should Stine let reality get in the way of a piranha massacre? Chomp chomp, motherf*ckers!

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, Christina and Terry are on their way home from Florida. They have a long drive that neither girl is particularly happy to be on. To spice things up, Christina decides the two should pick up a hitchhiker, James, on the side of the road. Filled with twists and turns, you’ll never guess what is coming. This book is a thrilling adventure and wild roller coaster that will flip everything as soon as you thought you had the characters pegged and the story figured out.

Well, I think I know why I have such a hinderance toward and fear of hitchhiking/hitchhikers. I vaguely remember reading this book as a kid (young adult?)…sometime. I saw the cover at Goodwill, and nostalgia instantly overwhelmed me. So, I guess this was the second push I needed to start my reread of R.L. Stine. All the pieces fell into place nicely, and I’m so glad they did.

So, let’s dive right in, shall we? (That may have been a pun attempt based on the ending of this story.)

The plot of this story was interesting and kept me reading. I didn’t want to put this short book down because I just had to find out what was going to happen. I quickly rediscovered why I loved Stine’s writing so much as a kid: it’s easy to read, and it makes you want to keep reading.

I loved all the ideas that were presented, even if some of them were quite fantastical. There’s a scene with piranhas (yea, have fun trying to figure out how that comes into play if you haven’t read the book yet) that was utterly ridiculous, and I loved every moment of it. I read a review where the reader said they had downgraded the star rating because this scene was totally unbelievable. I wanted to ask them what part of the story particularly was?

Now that I’m older I totally understand what Stine meant when he recently said he meant for his books to be humorous as well as scary. Everything I needed in a good story (especially in horror) was in this one – plot, interesting characters with development, good writing, thrills, chills, plot twists, tension –and then there was humor added into the mix. Some of these happenings are meant to be ridiculous. They’re supposed to be funny and strange. This isn’t supposed to be 100% realistic. He did this on purpose.

(To the reviewer I mentioned above: Loosen up and enjoy the story.)

As I just mentioned, the characters in this story are wonderful. Each has their own personality and is distinctly identifiable from the others. Most of them are the characters you love to hate. They’re delightfully horrible. However, I’ll give you fair warning – Be careful who you sympathize with. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

This short story is packed with tension, thrills, and twists that are bound to keep you reading. I honestly think this book can be enjoyed by all from ages 13 and beyond.

Quick Disclosure: There is quite a bit of gore involved in this, so be mindful of that if gore really isn’t your thing.

Other than that, I highly recommend this book. It’s a lovely read for horror/thriller fans as well as scary story junkies (like myself!). If you’ve been hesitating to reread R.L. Stine (worried about ruining your childhood memory like me) or to pick him up for the first time, don’t be. This was marvelous, and I can’t wait to read more!

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of THE HITCHHIKER started off incredibly ridiculous in that two teenager girls, maybe 16? One only having a driver’s permit, are allowed to drive from Cleveland to the southern tip of Florida for a vacation by themselves. On their way back they pick up a hitchhiker, which one of the girls starts totally drooling over because things like this happen in real life.

I get it. I need to suspend my disbelief. But one thing I’m learning in my Summer of Cheese pseudo-experiment is that Stine doesn’t ground his stories in reality. At all. Irrespective of monsters or anything supernatural, the characters are caricatures, the plots are ridiculous and the stories incredibly contrived. These aren’t silly Goosebumps books that are geared toward children. These are teen books. YA before there really was a solid YA category for books to fall in to. And they’re just ridiculous.

So Terri appears to be the one with a head on her shoulders while Christina is sucking face in the back seat with the random dude they picked up on the side of the highway. It starts going in true typical horror movie fashion when the hitchhiker, whose name escapes me, starts tapping into his rage. Do the girls ditch him? Of course not, even after he frightens them. Instead they end up staying at his cousin’s house somewhere in Florida. Not creepy at all.

Crappy characters start being crappy when Terri goes missing and Christina freaks out and puts roughly zero effort into finding her friend. Instead she and roadside dude start hitching north when things really go south for them. It’s in that southness that the standard Stine twist starts coming into play and the story starts to redeem itself just a little bit because it actually starts to become nominally interesting. But still following Stine fashion the ending is kind of coming out of nowhere and is just dropped on you like a bomb. With hindsight the hints that were dropped could have applied to how it all played out off the page but it still feels cheap and like an afterthought with this “twist” happening. Sometimes these things aren’t very well done. I mean it’s one thing to lead readers down one road and try to take their attention off of the real culprits and it’s another thing entirely to not even allude to the real culprits at all and make their reveal a total afterthought. To me this kind of thing works if I can go back and find the pieces that lead to the ending. It doesn’t when I feel entirely blindsided by the ending and the story is missing the pieces that would have otherwise gotten me there.

So yeah, I didn’t see the ending coming but it was kind of pulled out of nowhere. It made those last few pages a bit more interesting, though. But it’s a bit too little too late for me. I don’t expect to be terrified by these books but I do expect not to roll my eyes nearly constantly while reading them. THE HITCHHIKER was one of my lesser-liked Stine books.

2

[Jimbo Pantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUCK.

--the first word that came out of my mouth once I finished reading the last chapter. I was emotionally paralyzed for a couple of minutes. I couldn't believe it. R.L. Stine is a genius! All the time I was thinking and fearing the supposed antagonist when in fact... Tsk. I couldn't believe I was fooled! And I'm sure as fuck that all who have read this novel feel the same way too.

Let me expound why I gave it 5 stars.

The Plot
A lot of things were really happening in the story. And I like how the plot is in a way caused by the supposed protagonists, Terri and Christina. I mean, the characters weren't being spoon-fed with horrible things. They have their individual contribution of what was plaguing them, which, to my opinion, is really good. That way, it makes the image of the characters seem more solid and real.

The Characters
I'm not an expert or anything, but I learned the most important thing about the characters in stories are their developments at the end of the novel. And in The Hitchhiker I witnessed that. Christina turned into a frightened control freak that she would do anything to make her and Terri's secret stay buried forever. James realized at the end that he had done things in his past that hurt people pretty bad. And Terri...I don't know what she learned other than to fear hitching when traveling.

The Suspense
I'm going to give this one to the author. R.L. Stine made us look like dumb schoolchildren in reading this novel. Clearly, he wanted us to think that Christina and Terri are going to be the helpless victims, and that James is the antagonist. His brilliant narrative style built this kind of suspense.

The Concept
I always think hitching is a very dangerous deed, and that hitchhikers are scary. I wouldn't want to give ride to strangers along the road. But well anyway that really won't happen since I don't have a car.

The Ending
Couldn't have been better. I felt hopeless when Art, the real antagonist, revealed that he already took care of Terri, because she is my favorite character. And I jumped to my feet when she was resurrected! Well, not resurrected the way you're thinking it. No, not resurrected like Jesus. Anyway, it turned out she survived from the starving piranhas in the lake since she was a good swimmer. And Christina, who isn't, died instead. Terri and James, after all, are the survivors, which makes them as our protagonists as well.

I ran into a few holes that I found very acceptable and forgivable just the same, that's why I gave it 5 stars. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

[Weathervane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could see part of the twist coming, yet aspects of it still surprised. The characters grew on me throughout. By the end I liked James quite a bit, and even Terri, regardless of her wrong actions. Nice atmosphere. The piranha pond rivals most Fear Street demises! The prose here was also comparatively strong; sentence fragments were sparse, the text fluid. Nothing literary of course, but I feel Stine's prose has regressed, probably because once he started series his writing load increased significantly. Even compare Hitchhiker with his first adult novel, Superstitious -- the disparity in sentence quality is stark.

Strong story.

[Jackieoh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in my 30’s and yeah it was cheesy and maybe a little predictable but it was still a really fun read! In my teens probably a 4 star books!

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina and Terri are on a long drive back home from a vacation to Florida. When Christina sees hot but douchy James sticking out his thumb on the side of the road, she's eager to give him a ride, despite Terri's protest and concerns. All Christina fancies is just a little thrill!
But soon the two girls realize, that James is big trouble and picking him up might not have been their only bad idea.

This was surprisingly gory and mean for an R.L. Stine book. The last third of the story got absolutely crazy, with gripping tension and lots of twisty fun. What a ride! *ba dum tss*

[Kris Lugosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy crap, hitchhiking is not what it use to be! I would have been killed three pages in if I were these girls!

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So two girls named Christina and Terri pick up a young hitchhiker named James on their way back I assume from Spring Break in Florida. We get little snippets of thought from James about some girl he left behind pleading and how he sometimes can't control his anger.

Throughout we also get updates on an old man who was beaten and left along the side of the road after someone stole his car. James turns the station or the radio completely off each time we hear it and the girls think they may have picked up a monster and later...a murderer when the news indicates the man has died and had a habit of picking up hitchhikers.

Stine is always good at twists and I admit some of them were impressive and he's always inventive with kills. Motives for the reveal on one part make sense but the other left me kind of baffled and the ending was just kind of goofy and meh.

I did however like the subtle hints and if you paid enough attention you had this book figured out but then you were misdirected and surprised by where the story took you.

Not bad for a quick read on a rainy day or a late night but not exactly one of my favorites from Stine.

[Jaze Danelver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

RL Stine is one of my favorite authors and his books are all insta-read for me so naturally, I had to read this book. It has a much more mature theme and content compared to his Goosebumps and Fear Street books and the horror aspect in this book is much more realistic. Reading this feels like reading about true crime stories; it's riveting, shocking, and scary. The plot twist here wasn't something that I expected and I was so surprised by it. This isn't a long book so one could finish this in one sitting. I first read this when I was a teen and it took me a long time to go to sleep because I was so scared after finishing this. Fun times.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read The Hitchhiker when I was ten, and it had me in a choke hold. Picked it up again now, and it still pulls you in. It’s quick, chaotic in that classic R.L. Stine way, where things keep escalating and you’re not sure where it’s headed, but it doesn’t matter because you’re along for the ride.

This is the best kind of unhinged energy you’re hoping for in a Point Horror book: twists that hit hard, PIRANHAS, characters making awful decisions, and it just keeps getting weirder. Some of it’s out there, but that’s exactly what makes it fun. The ending’s gritty as hell. One of my favorites so far.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this one, but it fell very flat. Maybe it would have been better if I was 12, but as I'm not, it wasn't.

I do love stories about creepy hitchhikers though. There's something super cosy about roadtrips with strangers. And it gave me flashbacks to when I was lost in the countryside with my friend and came across a group of hitchers wanting a ride. Glad I didn't pick them up!