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Goosebumps #9
Welcome to Camp Nightmare
Billy thinks life at Camp Nightmoon is weird. And when his fellow campers start disappearing, and his parents don't answer his letters, Billy starts feeling a little scared.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
315 people are currently reading
8846 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 894 reviews
August 24, 2020
RILETTURA, DA ADULTO, DEI "PICCOLI BRIVIDI" N.3
Per 170 pagine mantiene una tensione costante.
Ho adorato il fatto che Stine mantenga il mistero nella totale ambiguità: ragazzini spariscono nel nulla, le lettere dei piccoli campeggiatori ai genitori non vengono spedite, i sorveglianti sono freddi e menefreghisti. C'è pure un capanno in cui è assolutamente proibito entrare. Il ritmo del romanzo è quello di uno slasher: ogni tre pagine, un nuovo scomparso. Qualcuno, forse, è fatto pure a pezzi.
Due ragazze scappate dal campeggio femminile adiacente affermano che da loro sta succedendo la stessa cosa!
Pagine di pura paranoia che mi hanno incollato, desideroso di sapere come proseguisse. Non oso immaginare cosa possa significare leggerle da piccolo: pura scagazza!
E poi.
Il finale.
Ora.
Il finale.
Due colpi di scena uno dietro l'altro.
Non capisci se geniali o se completamente fessi.
Il primo fesso lo è sicuramente.
Il secondo è sul labile confine tra il "ma vaffanchiul" e il "c'è del genio".
Per 170 pagine mantiene una tensione costante.
Ho adorato il fatto che Stine mantenga il mistero nella totale ambiguità: ragazzini spariscono nel nulla, le lettere dei piccoli campeggiatori ai genitori non vengono spedite, i sorveglianti sono freddi e menefreghisti. C'è pure un capanno in cui è assolutamente proibito entrare. Il ritmo del romanzo è quello di uno slasher: ogni tre pagine, un nuovo scomparso. Qualcuno, forse, è fatto pure a pezzi.
Due ragazze scappate dal campeggio femminile adiacente affermano che da loro sta succedendo la stessa cosa!
Pagine di pura paranoia che mi hanno incollato, desideroso di sapere come proseguisse. Non oso immaginare cosa possa significare leggerle da piccolo: pura scagazza!
E poi.
Il finale.
Ora.
Il finale.
Due colpi di scena uno dietro l'altro.
Non capisci se geniali o se completamente fessi.
Il primo fesso lo è sicuramente.
Il secondo è sul labile confine tra il "ma vaffanchiul" e il "c'è del genio".
October 5, 2018
#9 "It's the little camp of horrors!"
Camp is always weird your first time going. Strange noises out in the woods, weird acting camp counselors... people disappearing? What could be terrorizing Billy and his new friends at Camp Nightmoon? Another fantastic ending. I never saw it coming!
Camp is always weird your first time going. Strange noises out in the woods, weird acting camp counselors... people disappearing? What could be terrorizing Billy and his new friends at Camp Nightmoon? Another fantastic ending. I never saw it coming!
Read
August 4, 2015I will be copy-pasting this for every Goosebumps novel I'll be reading.
On a whim, I decided to read all of the Goosebumps books. Some of them I've read before but, for the most part, I haven't. I won't be giving any stars; this doesn't mean anything about my actual opinion for the books, it only means that I don't think I can realistically, objectively rank 62 books which are not even meant for my age. I did enjoy the ones I read as a child and I am enjoying the ones I'm reading now, so that's what matters, I believe. Yes, there are some repetitive patterns and, yes, the endings are sometimes silly and, yes, R.L. Stine may not be the best of writers. Still, I feel like I have to commend him for two things in particular: first, for bringing the horror genre early on into our lives and, second, for subtly dealing with important family issues, such as moving away, a parent loosing a job, a accident happening etc. And I think the huge success of these books speaks volumes. So, I'll just be enjoying reading them in the following couple of weeks, not reviewing or evaluating them.
On a whim, I decided to read all of the Goosebumps books. Some of them I've read before but, for the most part, I haven't. I won't be giving any stars; this doesn't mean anything about my actual opinion for the books, it only means that I don't think I can realistically, objectively rank 62 books which are not even meant for my age. I did enjoy the ones I read as a child and I am enjoying the ones I'm reading now, so that's what matters, I believe. Yes, there are some repetitive patterns and, yes, the endings are sometimes silly and, yes, R.L. Stine may not be the best of writers. Still, I feel like I have to commend him for two things in particular: first, for bringing the horror genre early on into our lives and, second, for subtly dealing with important family issues, such as moving away, a parent loosing a job, a accident happening etc. And I think the huge success of these books speaks volumes. So, I'll just be enjoying reading them in the following couple of weeks, not reviewing or evaluating them.
March 5, 2024
I am a notoriously difficult reviewer. Since November 2022, I've only given a book five stars once, and I've only rated books four stars four times. Out of 71 books read since then.
I almost gave this book five stars.
Of the 38 Goosebumps books I've read and reread since 2022, from numerous different Goosebumps series (the original 62-book series, HorrorLand, Hall of Horrors, SlappyWorld, and Most Wanted): Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the best.
It follows young protagonist Billy as he goes to the remote Camp Nightmoon for summer camp. At first things seem fine, but soon kids start disappearing from the camp under suspicious circumstances, and the camp counselors and director claim to know nothing about it. All this amidst rumours of a mysterious monster known as Sabre, and frightening screams coming every night from The Forbidden Bunk the kids aren't supposed to go near.
I'm shocked at how great this book was. Stine's writing is usually unbearably repetitive, not only in his prose but in his reused, paper thin characters that he usually only spends a sentence or two developing (telling you what hair and eye colour they have and whether they're chubby or thin, basically). He even recycles entire plots of previous books, essentially just rewriting them and changing just enough to be able to slap a different title on it and sell it as a "new" Goosebumps book. His plots are also usually complete nonsense, with no cohesiveness whatsoever, numerous and glaring plotholes, and things that just don't make any sense.
But Welcome to Camp Nightmare has none of that. It's excellently written, and the plot is incredibly executed, cohesive, and intriguing. Billy's character is also very well-developed and he undergoes a great transformation into a brave character throughout the story. Uncle Al and Larry the camp counselor are also developed enough to be good antagonists for Billy. With most Goosebumps books, it feels like I'm just slogging through them to get them over with, but this is the first one where I legitimately didn't want to put it down. And, perhaps best of all, Stine achieves something with this book that he so rarely does: it's scary! This book has a constant sense of dread reminiscent of an H.P. Lovecraft story, and the plot unfolds in a way that is nerve-wracking and genuinely unsettling. Stine absolutely nailed the atmosphere in this book.
The book does have a controversial ending, probably the most polarizing ending in the entire original 62-book series, and many people hate it, but I actually really liked it. I do think it was executed a bit clumsily in terms of the details provided to explain it, so it felt a bit rushed, but I liked the way it ended, and it's a welcome change from Stine's usually dreadful endings.
Superbly written, brilliantly executed, and deeply unsettling, Welcome to Camp Nightmare is everything a Goosebumps book should be. It goes places most modern entries in the series refuse to, having things like blood, graphic injuries, guns, and missing boys who are presumed dead. It's a better book for pushing the series to limits I've rarely seen it reach for, and it's the most enjoyable reading experience I've had with Goosebumps to date.
This book is a masterpiece, and I highly recommend it!
P.S. I use the CAWPILE rating system to give me a precision numeric rating out of ten, so it will be easier for me to rank these books someday, and when I use that rating system this book gets four stars. But f*** that. This book was awesome. My real rating for this classic is 4.5 stars. Simply spectacular.
CAWPILE rating:
Characters: 8.5
Atmosphere / Setting: 9.0
Writing Style: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Intrigue: 8.5
Logic / Relationships: 8.5
Enjoyment: 8.5
= 60 total
÷ 7 categories = 8.57 out of 10
= 4 stars
I almost gave this book five stars.
Of the 38 Goosebumps books I've read and reread since 2022, from numerous different Goosebumps series (the original 62-book series, HorrorLand, Hall of Horrors, SlappyWorld, and Most Wanted): Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the best.
It follows young protagonist Billy as he goes to the remote Camp Nightmoon for summer camp. At first things seem fine, but soon kids start disappearing from the camp under suspicious circumstances, and the camp counselors and director claim to know nothing about it. All this amidst rumours of a mysterious monster known as Sabre, and frightening screams coming every night from The Forbidden Bunk the kids aren't supposed to go near.
I'm shocked at how great this book was. Stine's writing is usually unbearably repetitive, not only in his prose but in his reused, paper thin characters that he usually only spends a sentence or two developing (telling you what hair and eye colour they have and whether they're chubby or thin, basically). He even recycles entire plots of previous books, essentially just rewriting them and changing just enough to be able to slap a different title on it and sell it as a "new" Goosebumps book. His plots are also usually complete nonsense, with no cohesiveness whatsoever, numerous and glaring plotholes, and things that just don't make any sense.
But Welcome to Camp Nightmare has none of that. It's excellently written, and the plot is incredibly executed, cohesive, and intriguing. Billy's character is also very well-developed and he undergoes a great transformation into a brave character throughout the story. Uncle Al and Larry the camp counselor are also developed enough to be good antagonists for Billy. With most Goosebumps books, it feels like I'm just slogging through them to get them over with, but this is the first one where I legitimately didn't want to put it down. And, perhaps best of all, Stine achieves something with this book that he so rarely does: it's scary! This book has a constant sense of dread reminiscent of an H.P. Lovecraft story, and the plot unfolds in a way that is nerve-wracking and genuinely unsettling. Stine absolutely nailed the atmosphere in this book.
The book does have a controversial ending, probably the most polarizing ending in the entire original 62-book series, and many people hate it, but I actually really liked it. I do think it was executed a bit clumsily in terms of the details provided to explain it, so it felt a bit rushed, but I liked the way it ended, and it's a welcome change from Stine's usually dreadful endings.
Superbly written, brilliantly executed, and deeply unsettling, Welcome to Camp Nightmare is everything a Goosebumps book should be. It goes places most modern entries in the series refuse to, having things like blood, graphic injuries, guns, and missing boys who are presumed dead. It's a better book for pushing the series to limits I've rarely seen it reach for, and it's the most enjoyable reading experience I've had with Goosebumps to date.
This book is a masterpiece, and I highly recommend it!
P.S. I use the CAWPILE rating system to give me a precision numeric rating out of ten, so it will be easier for me to rank these books someday, and when I use that rating system this book gets four stars. But f*** that. This book was awesome. My real rating for this classic is 4.5 stars. Simply spectacular.
CAWPILE rating:
Characters: 8.5
Atmosphere / Setting: 9.0
Writing Style: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Intrigue: 8.5
Logic / Relationships: 8.5
Enjoyment: 8.5
= 60 total
÷ 7 categories = 8.57 out of 10
= 4 stars
March 26, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
This is NOT my favorite R.L. Stine. Not bad, but not my favorite as this one is more sci-fi and less horror. I was really intrigued throughout the book, but didn’t care for the conclusion. If you are looking for old school Gossebumps nostalgia - this is not it. Or if this is a first R.L. Stine book for a child - I could recommend a million others to start with before this one.
This is NOT my favorite R.L. Stine. Not bad, but not my favorite as this one is more sci-fi and less horror. I was really intrigued throughout the book, but didn’t care for the conclusion. If you are looking for old school Gossebumps nostalgia - this is not it. Or if this is a first R.L. Stine book for a child - I could recommend a million others to start with before this one.
October 20, 2017
I think this was my favorite goosebumps read of this year (though I only read 3). It kept me on my toes and I couldn’t put it down. I just had to know what happened. It was the creepiest of the 3 that I read too.
I will say the ending was quite a big let down, but I’m also used to adult thrillers, which don’t always have happy endings like kids’ books do.
I will say the ending was quite a big let down, but I’m also used to adult thrillers, which don’t always have happy endings like kids’ books do.
July 19, 2018
O λόγος που δεν ήθελα να πάω σε παιδική κατασκήνωση ήταν αυτό το βιβλίο... :)
August 22, 2023
Going into this I knew this one had a twist ending that's pretty bonkers, but I didn't expect it to be so predictable. The story follows a kid named Billy who goes to Camp Nightmoon and crazy stuff happens, including but not limited to snakes attacking kids, a scary monster being on the loose, and counselors bullying the campgoers. I had never seen the TV episode before so I was hoping that I'd be caught off guard by the ending, but it was so unbelievably typical of this series that it was honestly insulting. Up until the very end this was a fun read, but honestly, I'd say skip this. This would get a higher rating from me but 2/5 is the best I can do with a predictable and terrible ending like that.
November 5, 2024
4.75 Terrifying Stars 😳 rounded up to 5 Terrorizing Stars 😲
What kid, or kid at heart, has not watched a Goosebumps video or two? This kid at heart has been gleefully ghosted by several effervescent episodes over the years; the best bearing an essence of mawkish mirth –>delightfully devilish –> fiendishly fun, the worst high spirited and hokey if maybe a bit tiresome. Yesterday, in celebration of this ghostly season, I participated in a Goosebumps marathon- videos & books, along with other family members and a few friends. A ghoulishly good time was had by all! While we affectionately spun our “vintage” DVDs and rolled. with de rigueur, the dusty VHS tapes you, with just a click on this link, may make tracks to a mollifying macabre Goosbumps marathon of your own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb32i...
Camp Nightmare is my first Goosebumps read, a truly terrifying tale for this adult reader! The story opens with twelve year old Billy making his way, along with 21 other same-aged kids: 18 boys & 4 girls, to Camp Nightmoon via school bus. The expected adolescent antics ensue: name calling, face making, spit balls, and other sordid teasing. The dialogue is spot on for that age group during the early 1990's when the story was written. Billy is level headed and likable, possessing a keen sense of fairness, responsibility, and self preservation. You are sucked into the story via empathy easily evoked for a cast of characters made life-size, unfolding in an extraordinary environment just shy of being over-the-top, and engaged in customary camping activities – except that they aren't!
Oh, yes, there is hiking; canoe trips abound; and woodsy expeditions ensue!
Much like Stephen King's The Long Walk, most hikers don't make it to the finish, and the pre-teen angst ties knots in your stomach. My subconscious passed over subliminal scenes from the 1972 film 'Deliverance', https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YotXa... as Billy and his 'new camping buddies' lugged their canoes through muck and brush to the river in preparation for their (watery one way?) trip. The final camp activity, a woodsy excursion in which all remaining campers are required to participate, drew uncanny parallels to Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game!
The camp's food is unpalatable; the bunk houses dark, damp, and musty smelling; there is no camp nurse/doctor/first aid station. Billy's concerns fall on deaf ears as the camp counselors and 'Uncle Al', the camp leader, ignore the boy's pleading questions and trivialize his reports of missing campers. Herein lies the terror: Billy's entire being is at the mercy of Uncle Al and the counselors, and Billy comes to the realization that:
“I just saved Larry's life, but Uncle Al didn't care about that.
And he didn't care that two campers were lost on the river.
He didn't care that two campers and a counselor never returned from their hike.
He didn't care that boys were attacked by creatures!
He didn't care that kids disappeared and were never mentioned again.
He didn't care about any of us.
He only cared about his canoe.
My anger quickly turned to fear.
Of course, I had no way of knowing that the scariest part of my summer was still to come.”
You can speculate as to the ending of Billy's summer camp escapades...
or better just to make the quick read and find out for yourself...
This kid-at-heart thought it a 5⭐️ ending! Highly recommend🧚♀️🙋🏼.
What kid, or kid at heart, has not watched a Goosebumps video or two? This kid at heart has been gleefully ghosted by several effervescent episodes over the years; the best bearing an essence of mawkish mirth –>delightfully devilish –> fiendishly fun, the worst high spirited and hokey if maybe a bit tiresome. Yesterday, in celebration of this ghostly season, I participated in a Goosebumps marathon- videos & books, along with other family members and a few friends. A ghoulishly good time was had by all! While we affectionately spun our “vintage” DVDs and rolled. with de rigueur, the dusty VHS tapes you, with just a click on this link, may make tracks to a mollifying macabre Goosbumps marathon of your own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb32i...
Camp Nightmare is my first Goosebumps read, a truly terrifying tale for this adult reader! The story opens with twelve year old Billy making his way, along with 21 other same-aged kids: 18 boys & 4 girls, to Camp Nightmoon via school bus. The expected adolescent antics ensue: name calling, face making, spit balls, and other sordid teasing. The dialogue is spot on for that age group during the early 1990's when the story was written. Billy is level headed and likable, possessing a keen sense of fairness, responsibility, and self preservation. You are sucked into the story via empathy easily evoked for a cast of characters made life-size, unfolding in an extraordinary environment just shy of being over-the-top, and engaged in customary camping activities – except that they aren't!
Oh, yes, there is hiking; canoe trips abound; and woodsy expeditions ensue!
Much like Stephen King's The Long Walk, most hikers don't make it to the finish, and the pre-teen angst ties knots in your stomach. My subconscious passed over subliminal scenes from the 1972 film 'Deliverance', https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YotXa... as Billy and his 'new camping buddies' lugged their canoes through muck and brush to the river in preparation for their (watery one way?) trip. The final camp activity, a woodsy excursion in which all remaining campers are required to participate, drew uncanny parallels to Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game!
The camp's food is unpalatable; the bunk houses dark, damp, and musty smelling; there is no camp nurse/doctor/first aid station. Billy's concerns fall on deaf ears as the camp counselors and 'Uncle Al', the camp leader, ignore the boy's pleading questions and trivialize his reports of missing campers. Herein lies the terror: Billy's entire being is at the mercy of Uncle Al and the counselors, and Billy comes to the realization that:
“I just saved Larry's life, but Uncle Al didn't care about that.
And he didn't care that two campers were lost on the river.
He didn't care that two campers and a counselor never returned from their hike.
He didn't care that boys were attacked by creatures!
He didn't care that kids disappeared and were never mentioned again.
He didn't care about any of us.
He only cared about his canoe.
My anger quickly turned to fear.
Of course, I had no way of knowing that the scariest part of my summer was still to come.”
You can speculate as to the ending of Billy's summer camp escapades...
or better just to make the quick read and find out for yourself...
This kid-at-heart thought it a 5⭐️ ending! Highly recommend🧚♀️🙋🏼.
June 10, 2010
more concise. (January 2010)
Billy has just been sent off to Camp Nightmoon by his mom and dad. While on the bus to camp, Billy encounters many characters, such as Mike, the fat kid who's scared of everything; Colin, who wears sunglasses and a red bandana around his long brown hair; Jay, the jockish kid with wild curly red hair and Dawn and Dori, two girls from the Girl Camp faction of Camp Nightmoon. The busdriver stops the vehicle in the middle of a desert on the way to the camp and orders everyone out of the bus. He unpacks everyone's belongings then drives off, abandoning the children in the desert. The children are suddenly surrounded by a group of creatures who prepare to slaughter the children until a man shows up on another bus with a rifle and shoots it at the creatures. The creatures run away in fear.
The man who saved the children introduces himself as the leader of Camp Nightmoon, Uncle Al. Uncle Al invites the children onto his bus and drives approximately five minutes to the camp from where they were dropped off. Mike and Jay and Colin all bunk together, and while preparing their cabin, Mike finds a pair of poisonous snakes in his bed. Jay jokes around and play pushes Mike into the snakes. Mike is bitten on his hand, which then starts copiously bleeding. He runs off to find the nurse while Billy devises a plan to rid the snakes by wrapping them up in a bedsheet and throwing them outside. This plan is heralded as brave by their bunk's counselor, Larry, who then laughs when he is told that Mike went to find the nurse because there is no nurse. Mike returns and as his hand is described as bleeding profusely onto the floor of the cabin, Larry tells him to just wash his hand and wrap a bandage around it.
The boys go to eat dinner around a campfire, where Uncle Al tells them the rules of Camp Nightmoon. The campers have to write home every day to tell their parents what fun they're having. They're not allowed out in the woods or along the river that runs between the boy's and girl's camps. This is peppered with a warning by Uncle Al that the woods are dangerous. Uncle Al also informs the campers that they're not allowed to ever enter the Forbidden Bunk. Jay decides after the fire that he wants to sneak out to see the Forbidden Bunk. Larry overhears him and tells him he probably shouldn't, as the Forbidden Bunk is where the Sabre lurks. Then the boys hear hideous howling from the Forbidden Bunk.
Billy has just been sent off to Camp Nightmoon by his mom and dad. While on the bus to camp, Billy encounters many characters, such as Mike, the fat kid who's scared of everything; Colin, who wears sunglasses and a red bandana around his long brown hair; Jay, the jockish kid with wild curly red hair and Dawn and Dori, two girls from the Girl Camp faction of Camp Nightmoon. The busdriver stops the vehicle in the middle of a desert on the way to the camp and orders everyone out of the bus. He unpacks everyone's belongings then drives off, abandoning the children in the desert. The children are suddenly surrounded by a group of creatures who prepare to slaughter the children until a man shows up on another bus with a rifle and shoots it at the creatures. The creatures run away in fear.
The man who saved the children introduces himself as the leader of Camp Nightmoon, Uncle Al. Uncle Al invites the children onto his bus and drives approximately five minutes to the camp from where they were dropped off. Mike and Jay and Colin all bunk together, and while preparing their cabin, Mike finds a pair of poisonous snakes in his bed. Jay jokes around and play pushes Mike into the snakes. Mike is bitten on his hand, which then starts copiously bleeding. He runs off to find the nurse while Billy devises a plan to rid the snakes by wrapping them up in a bedsheet and throwing them outside. This plan is heralded as brave by their bunk's counselor, Larry, who then laughs when he is told that Mike went to find the nurse because there is no nurse. Mike returns and as his hand is described as bleeding profusely onto the floor of the cabin, Larry tells him to just wash his hand and wrap a bandage around it.
The boys go to eat dinner around a campfire, where Uncle Al tells them the rules of Camp Nightmoon. The campers have to write home every day to tell their parents what fun they're having. They're not allowed out in the woods or along the river that runs between the boy's and girl's camps. This is peppered with a warning by Uncle Al that the woods are dangerous. Uncle Al also informs the campers that they're not allowed to ever enter the Forbidden Bunk. Jay decides after the fire that he wants to sneak out to see the Forbidden Bunk. Larry overhears him and tells him he probably shouldn't, as the Forbidden Bunk is where the Sabre lurks. Then the boys hear hideous howling from the Forbidden Bunk.
October 22, 2020
I wasn't a fan of this story at first, but the last few chapters - and especially the ending - made me change my mind. Not one of my favourite in the series, but not the worst one either!
December 3, 2025
3 - 3.5 stars
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the ninth book in the Goosebumps series. It is a little fun, a lot creepy, and a tad scary. Loved it.
I am re-reading this series for nostalgic reasons and having fun doing so.
The Goosebumps series was a staple in our house. My kids absolutely loved them, and to say I read these books with them once is an understatement. We read them many times as each of my three kids became old enough to read them. They still have them and are getting to read them with their kids.
The book is well written, and the narrative is engaging.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the ninth book in the Goosebumps series. It is a little fun, a lot creepy, and a tad scary. Loved it.
I am re-reading this series for nostalgic reasons and having fun doing so.
The Goosebumps series was a staple in our house. My kids absolutely loved them, and to say I read these books with them once is an understatement. We read them many times as each of my three kids became old enough to read them. They still have them and are getting to read them with their kids.
The book is well written, and the narrative is engaging.
February 28, 2024
I'm sorry... but that was so dumb. I rolled my eyes at the twist. This wasn't the story I was expecting it to be. Sure, it was intense throughout the whole story, but I deadpanned at the ending when I realized it wasn't what I thought it was.
July 7, 2020
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.
My daughter seemed to enjoy it mostly. But it was a very slow-moving plot and she had a hard time paying attention to the story. Even I did and I was the one reading it. Also, I don't know if it was because I already watched this one as an episode of the tv series, but it felt a bit boring to me. Maybe just not one of my favorites.
My daughter seemed to enjoy it mostly. But it was a very slow-moving plot and she had a hard time paying attention to the story. Even I did and I was the one reading it. Also, I don't know if it was because I already watched this one as an episode of the tv series, but it felt a bit boring to me. Maybe just not one of my favorites.
September 19, 2024
Τα κάμπινγκ και οι κατασκηνώσεις αποτελούσαν ανέκαθεν καλούς χώρους για να τοποθετήσεις την εξέλιξη μιας ιστορίας τρόμου. Λίγο η εξοχή, λίγο η μαύρη νύχτα, λίγο οι παράξενοι ήχοι, δεν χρειάζονται πολλά περισσότερα για να πανικοβληθεί κανείς. Και ναι, μπορεί σε έναν βαθμό το όλο concept να θυμίζει αμερικανιά των 90's αλλά επί της ουσίας, κι άσχετα αν το συζητάμε σήμερα, αυτό ακριβώς είναι. Αλλά πως να το κάνουμε... το cult έχει κι αυτό τη γοητεία του.
July 14, 2025
actual rating: 3/5 stars
read for the tarot readathon 2025: 6 of cups (brings you back to a nostalgic time in your life)
read for summerween 2025: read a book with a sky on the cover
this was fun! i really really liked the end.
read for the tarot readathon 2025: 6 of cups (brings you back to a nostalgic time in your life)
read for summerween 2025: read a book with a sky on the cover
this was fun! i really really liked the end.
January 3, 2015
I avoid the horror genre like the plague so when I am required to read horror for a challenge I turn to children's horror - I can manage that - just!
R.L. Stine wrote his Goosbumps series in the 1990s and my daughters devoured them. They are about as scary as I can cope with!
Billy is off to his first Summer Camp and a bit nervous about his first time away from his parents. It soon turns out that he has every reason to be nervous. First the camp bus deserts them on the side of the road where they are rescued just in time from being attacked by strange furry critters with big teeth. Screams in the night, disappearing campers and badly cooked food all add to building fear and creepiness.
Billy is a brave young man and even though he is really scared he still insists on looking for answers.
A great twist at the end - very Twilight Zone!
R.L. Stine wrote his Goosbumps series in the 1990s and my daughters devoured them. They are about as scary as I can cope with!
Billy is off to his first Summer Camp and a bit nervous about his first time away from his parents. It soon turns out that he has every reason to be nervous. First the camp bus deserts them on the side of the road where they are rescued just in time from being attacked by strange furry critters with big teeth. Screams in the night, disappearing campers and badly cooked food all add to building fear and creepiness.
Billy is a brave young man and even though he is really scared he still insists on looking for answers.
A great twist at the end - very Twilight Zone!
July 3, 2025
9.75/10
My second time reading this masterpiece and it was just as amazing as I remembered. This book has some of the most memorable characters in the whole Goosebumps Franchise, amazing atmosphere and the story is flawless except the ending which I have extremely mixed feelings about. It is slightly anticlimactic which is a shame because the suspense going into the last act is insane. But because of how random and crazy the ending is I kind of like it.
The idea of horrible things happening to you and and others and nobody believing you or straight up gaslighting you is absolutely horrifying. The action scenes in this book are also extremely thrilling and in some scene: terrifying, one scene consists of a kid being torn apart by a monster, and another has someone practically held gunpoint.
My only complaints are the ending (which is just slightly anticlimactic) and I wish that Stine did more with Sabre and the forbidden bunk. Regardless I highly Recommend this one.
My second time reading this masterpiece and it was just as amazing as I remembered. This book has some of the most memorable characters in the whole Goosebumps Franchise, amazing atmosphere and the story is flawless except the ending which I have extremely mixed feelings about. It is slightly anticlimactic which is a shame because the suspense going into the last act is insane. But because of how random and crazy the ending is I kind of like it.
The idea of horrible things happening to you and and others and nobody believing you or straight up gaslighting you is absolutely horrifying. The action scenes in this book are also extremely thrilling and in some scene: terrifying, one scene consists of a kid being torn apart by a monster, and another has someone practically held gunpoint.
My only complaints are the ending (which is just slightly anticlimactic) and I wish that Stine did more with Sabre and the forbidden bunk. Regardless I highly Recommend this one.
September 7, 2016
Μια στο τόσο λέω να διαβάζω καμιά νουβέλα της παιδικής σειράς τρόμου "Ανατριχίλες", έτσι, για να νιώσω ξανά μικρό παιδί. Η συγκεκριμένη ιστορία είναι η ένατη της σειράς και είναι εξίσου διασκεδαστική με τις υπόλοιπες. Ο δωδεκάχρονος πρωταγωνιστής μας, ονόματι Μπίλι, πάει για πρώτη φορά κατασκήνωση, όπου θα ζήσει πολύ έντονες στιγμές, θα νιώσει ένα κάρο... ανατριχίλες, ενώ θα αντιμετωπίσει πολλά περίεργα γεγονότα. Ευχάριστη ιστοριούλα, με μυστήριο, ωραία ατμόσφαιρα και ένα ιδιαίτερα ανατρεπτικό και ενδιαφέρον φινάλε. Ό,τι πρέπει για ένα παιδί δέκα-έντεκα χρονών. Τα τρία αστεράκια που της βάζω δεν σημαίνουν κάτι (7/10).
October 24, 2017
Αγωνιωδες page turner βιβλιο,με πολυ ιδιαιτερο φιναλε!!!!!!!!!
July 12, 2020
An other kind of book out of the goosebumps series. At times I found this book a little messy. Too many characters and not enough suspense building and A lot happen in the story. Still, I enjoyed it.
April 29, 2015
Billy is 12 and going to his first overnight camp.
First, the bus driver drops them off in the middle of nowhere after putting on a monster mask and scaring the crap out of the kids. Then, while waiting for someone to pick them up, the kids are attacked by these weird creatures. A man called "Uncle Al" shows up and frightens them away by shooting at them with a rifle.
Once they actually get to Camp, things are even stranger. There's no nurse or medical aid. Kids are getting injured and disappearing. There are screams coming every night from the "Forbidden Bunk." Can Billy figure out what's going on? How come Uncle Al and the counselors don't care about children being injured, killed, or going missing? What kind of camp IS this?
...
I honestly had no idea what the flip was going on in this book. It was a wild, crazy ride from beginning to end. The camp is obviously highly unsafe from the beginning, with no nurse. Kids get injured or disappear, and nothing is said or done about it. Billy slowly realizes that the mail he's writing his parents isn't being sent and there's no way to contact home.
I thought this book was pretty scary. One, you've got kid protagonists, and everyone knows that kids are powerless and at the mercy of adults. Two, the adults they are with aren't even adults who love them, like family. Instead they are in the middle of the country with strangers who are callous and violent. Three, the idea of being at the mercy of the elements and wild animals but being unable to receive any medical attention is terrifying, even for adults - much less 12-year-olds.
Of course, there's a INSANE twist ending that I didn't see coming, and actually really enjoyed.
First, the bus driver drops them off in the middle of nowhere after putting on a monster mask and scaring the crap out of the kids. Then, while waiting for someone to pick them up, the kids are attacked by these weird creatures. A man called "Uncle Al" shows up and frightens them away by shooting at them with a rifle.
Once they actually get to Camp, things are even stranger. There's no nurse or medical aid. Kids are getting injured and disappearing. There are screams coming every night from the "Forbidden Bunk." Can Billy figure out what's going on? How come Uncle Al and the counselors don't care about children being injured, killed, or going missing? What kind of camp IS this?
...
I honestly had no idea what the flip was going on in this book. It was a wild, crazy ride from beginning to end. The camp is obviously highly unsafe from the beginning, with no nurse. Kids get injured or disappear, and nothing is said or done about it. Billy slowly realizes that the mail he's writing his parents isn't being sent and there's no way to contact home.
I thought this book was pretty scary. One, you've got kid protagonists, and everyone knows that kids are powerless and at the mercy of adults. Two, the adults they are with aren't even adults who love them, like family. Instead they are in the middle of the country with strangers who are callous and violent. Three, the idea of being at the mercy of the elements and wild animals but being unable to receive any medical attention is terrifying, even for adults - much less 12-year-olds.
Of course, there's a INSANE twist ending that I didn't see coming, and actually really enjoyed.
June 11, 2022
This is a great one
December 27, 2021
3.5 stars
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the ninth instalment of the hugely successful Goosebumps series aimed at pre-teens. This was a series that I became obsessed with as a child, and I wanted to revisit it to see if it still held up nearly twenty years later. I’ve started with Welcome to Camp Nightmare, number 9 in the instalment (I’m a bit of a rule-breaker ha-ha). This was my first outing into horror as a child and it’s been something that has been upheld ever since. I’m pleased to say that I still found this one enjoyable with plenty to keep the reader entertained.
Billy has been shipped off to Camp Nightmoon for the summer. It’s almost a right of passage for American kids. Getting there in itself seems to be a bit of an adventure. He is introduced to characters that become engrained in his heart. He develops friendships with them, he cares about what happens to them and they look out for one another. He also meets two girls that are heading to the girls only camp across the water. Things seem off from the very start – why on earth have the campers been dumped in the middle of nowhere, how will they arrive at the actual camp?
Whilst waiting on the arrival of somebody they are hunted and circled by creatures? They seem hungry and determined to have their next snack. The children are fearful for their lives, until the camp director turns up, named Uncle Al, who shoots the creatures dead. Uncle Al acts very strangely but so is the things that begin to happen around the camp. Mike gets bitten by a snake and disappears one night, another boy disappears after sneaking out to spy on the forbidden bunk, but that’s where Sabre lurks…
Welcome to Camp Nightmare was still an enjoyable read but I don’t think it’s my favourite one. There’s plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep a young reader entertained but as an adult, I really need more shocking moments. I also needed the plot to be moving at a faster pace, it was a lot slower than I’m used to. I really enjoyed the twist at the end, it had the aura of The Twilight Zone.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the ninth instalment of the hugely successful Goosebumps series aimed at pre-teens. This was a series that I became obsessed with as a child, and I wanted to revisit it to see if it still held up nearly twenty years later. I’ve started with Welcome to Camp Nightmare, number 9 in the instalment (I’m a bit of a rule-breaker ha-ha). This was my first outing into horror as a child and it’s been something that has been upheld ever since. I’m pleased to say that I still found this one enjoyable with plenty to keep the reader entertained.
Billy has been shipped off to Camp Nightmoon for the summer. It’s almost a right of passage for American kids. Getting there in itself seems to be a bit of an adventure. He is introduced to characters that become engrained in his heart. He develops friendships with them, he cares about what happens to them and they look out for one another. He also meets two girls that are heading to the girls only camp across the water. Things seem off from the very start – why on earth have the campers been dumped in the middle of nowhere, how will they arrive at the actual camp?
Whilst waiting on the arrival of somebody they are hunted and circled by creatures? They seem hungry and determined to have their next snack. The children are fearful for their lives, until the camp director turns up, named Uncle Al, who shoots the creatures dead. Uncle Al acts very strangely but so is the things that begin to happen around the camp. Mike gets bitten by a snake and disappears one night, another boy disappears after sneaking out to spy on the forbidden bunk, but that’s where Sabre lurks…
Welcome to Camp Nightmare was still an enjoyable read but I don’t think it’s my favourite one. There’s plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep a young reader entertained but as an adult, I really need more shocking moments. I also needed the plot to be moving at a faster pace, it was a lot slower than I’m used to. I really enjoyed the twist at the end, it had the aura of The Twilight Zone.
August 12, 2025
Terza lettura 2025: Carino dai! Mi aspettavo fosse più horror invece è più psicologico, ambientato in un campeggio estivo per ragazzini. Il protagonista dodicenne capisce che al campeggio accadono cose strane, in più i suoi compagni di stanza di tanto in tanto spariscono e succedono incidenti inquietanti, così la tensione per il pericolo imminente cresce sempre di più. Fino ad un finale... Sorprendente! :D confermo il voto di 4 stelline che avevo dato quasi dieci anni fa in occasione della seconda lettura, perché per l'ennesima volta questa storia mi ha stupita!
Rilettura 2014: Non me lo aspettavo ma questo in questo libretto vi è una storia davvero misteriosa e ricca di suspense, e ben scritta tra l'altro, in stile perfetto per un libro per ragazzi, ma al tempo stesso molto vivida e realistica. Durante la lettura mi sono ritrovata a pensare più volte che un film horror con questa trama sarebbe stato fantastico, perché la paura che trasmette è del tutto psicologica e ben lontana dai quegli horror splatter senza capo né coda che oltre allo schifo che provocano non piacciono mai a nessuno. Purtroppo il finale è un po' affrettato e tirato via, vuole stupire a tutti i costi ed appare surreale, ma in ogni caso è stata una buonissima lettura, superiore alle previsioni.
Rilettura 2014: Non me lo aspettavo ma questo in questo libretto vi è una storia davvero misteriosa e ricca di suspense, e ben scritta tra l'altro, in stile perfetto per un libro per ragazzi, ma al tempo stesso molto vivida e realistica. Durante la lettura mi sono ritrovata a pensare più volte che un film horror con questa trama sarebbe stato fantastico, perché la paura che trasmette è del tutto psicologica e ben lontana dai quegli horror splatter senza capo né coda che oltre allo schifo che provocano non piacciono mai a nessuno. Purtroppo il finale è un po' affrettato e tirato via, vuole stupire a tutti i costi ed appare surreale, ma in ogni caso è stata una buonissima lettura, superiore alle previsioni.
December 31, 2021
I spent a month re-reading all 62 original Goosebumps books to see if they still hold up today, you can check out my 3.5 hour vlog here: https://youtu.be/2C73xc1FS5o
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
October 30, 2016
So, this book had some merits as far as a decent Goosebumps book goes. Once more, an eye-roll for the ending and the unforgivable nature of things like the Forbidden Bunk never being explored.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is effective in eliciting the fear of a kid being thrust into the utter unknown of summer camp. One by one it makes every fear a kid in a first time sleep away camp might have real. No nurse. No way to contact home. Kids getting hurt and going missing with no explanation or care, counselors hurting kids... the list goes on and on. It's effective in that sense, and actually a bit disturbing in some of the cruelty. The baseball to the head actually made me wince reading it.
The ending knocked a star off for me. It was both obvious and just... ridiculous. But I'm not the target audience.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is effective in eliciting the fear of a kid being thrust into the utter unknown of summer camp. One by one it makes every fear a kid in a first time sleep away camp might have real. No nurse. No way to contact home. Kids getting hurt and going missing with no explanation or care, counselors hurting kids... the list goes on and on. It's effective in that sense, and actually a bit disturbing in some of the cruelty. The baseball to the head actually made me wince reading it.
The ending knocked a star off for me. It was both obvious and just... ridiculous. But I'm not the target audience.
January 7, 2025
I’m doing a full series reread. Wow! This is what nightmares are made of. I remember this book from my childhood as being one of the most terrifying that I had read.
Most kids are excited to go to summer camps but this is a camp from Hell. From the moment the kids are dropped off, everyone is immediately suspicious. Something just feels… off. Once the boys and girls are separated into separate camps, things really start to become strange. The camp counselors are acting as if they don’t care what happens to these kids. For example, one boy gets bit by a snake and they just tell him to shrug it off basically. Then the disappearances start happening. From here on, things get very creepy and the kids are absolutely terrified and want to go home.
The twist y’all?! One of the better Goosebumps books in the series. Very nicely done.
Most kids are excited to go to summer camps but this is a camp from Hell. From the moment the kids are dropped off, everyone is immediately suspicious. Something just feels… off. Once the boys and girls are separated into separate camps, things really start to become strange. The camp counselors are acting as if they don’t care what happens to these kids. For example, one boy gets bit by a snake and they just tell him to shrug it off basically. Then the disappearances start happening. From here on, things get very creepy and the kids are absolutely terrified and want to go home.
The twist y’all?! One of the better Goosebumps books in the series. Very nicely done.
June 29, 2023
This had such great build up and I was thoroughly enjoying the story, up until the very end. This was fun to read during the warm summer days, but the ending ruined it for me. There was so many different routes that the story could have taken and I was excited to see which way it would go, but it was honestly a let down and only lasted for 2 pages. The rest of the story was very enjoyable up until that point, though.
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