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Shivers #12
The Secret of Fern Island
Tradesize paperback, like new! Light shelf wear, tanning pages. First class shipping + tracking, NO additional charge!
119 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
M.D. Spenser
59 books140 followersM.D. Spenser is a children's author, journalist and music critic. Born in the United States, he lives now in the UK.
"The Enchanted Attic," Book 1 of his popular SHIVERS series of novels for children, was republished as an e-book in August 2011. It is available at amazone.com, Barnes & Noble, Sony and iBookstory. Book 2, "A Ghastly Shade of Green," and Book 3, "Ghost Writer," followed shortly afterwards.
The rest of the 36-book series will be published as ebooks over time.
Also, an internet petition is circulating asking that the entire 36-book series be republished in paperback: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/md...
"The Enchanted Attic," Book 1 of his popular SHIVERS series of novels for children, was republished as an e-book in August 2011. It is available at amazone.com, Barnes & Noble, Sony and iBookstory. Book 2, "A Ghastly Shade of Green," and Book 3, "Ghost Writer," followed shortly afterwards.
The rest of the 36-book series will be published as ebooks over time.
Also, an internet petition is circulating asking that the entire 36-book series be republished in paperback: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/md...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 7, 2019
قصة رعب سخيفة للغاية حول مجموعة من الأطفال يطاردوا صبي بدافع الفضول في جزيرة مهجورة
لا تقدم أي جديد ولا انصح بقراءتها
لا تقدم أي جديد ولا انصح بقراءتها
May 19, 2019
Shivers is an obvious knockoff of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps juvenile horror novels, but there were many decent Goosebumps imitators in the 1990s. Could M.D. Spenser capture his own version of the magic? Eleven-year-olds Kenny and Stephanie live in the community of Cocoplum less than a dozen miles from Fern Island, a land mass surrounded by coastal ocean. Their parents have made it clear the island is off limits to them, but a young boy seen fishing alone off the shore of Fern Island piques Kenny's curiosity. Will Stephanie cross the bridge with him to meet the boy? The island gives Stephanie a weird feeling, but she can't think of a compelling reason not to return tomorrow when she's looking after her nine-year-old sister Becky and her friend Brooksie. Fern Island's past is mysterious, but maybe they're on the brink of discovering part of it.
Exploring Fern Island goes wrong from the start. Becky's bike almost falls through the creaky wooden slats of the bridge and into the ocean, and the boy fisherman runs when Kenny, Stephanie, and the others approach. They follow him to a dark old lighthouse, but there's no sign anyone has been inside in some time. Stephanie and Brooksie want to cut the expedition short and make a beeline home, but Kenny knows this is his best chance to meet the boy, and Becky is curious too. The lighthouse has a sinister past, and its horrors surface as the four kids get trapped on the structure's top level. Why won't the fire in the lantern go out, even though the lantern is ice cold? How is the antique record player in the corner playing music by itself, and why a tuneless, repetitive dirge? By the time Fern Island is done with them, Kenny will be as eager to run home as Stephanie...but will they survive the ghostly curse that lured them here?
The Secret of Fern Island isn't as cleverly plotted or suspenseful as most Goosebumps books. M.D. Spenser's writing is less detailed and deft than R.L. Stine's, but the book is functional as a scary children's novel as long as you don't expect too much. It provides low-key entertainment for those wanting something roughly equivalent to Goosebumps. I'd rate it one and a half stars, and would return to the Shivers series for more.
Exploring Fern Island goes wrong from the start. Becky's bike almost falls through the creaky wooden slats of the bridge and into the ocean, and the boy fisherman runs when Kenny, Stephanie, and the others approach. They follow him to a dark old lighthouse, but there's no sign anyone has been inside in some time. Stephanie and Brooksie want to cut the expedition short and make a beeline home, but Kenny knows this is his best chance to meet the boy, and Becky is curious too. The lighthouse has a sinister past, and its horrors surface as the four kids get trapped on the structure's top level. Why won't the fire in the lantern go out, even though the lantern is ice cold? How is the antique record player in the corner playing music by itself, and why a tuneless, repetitive dirge? By the time Fern Island is done with them, Kenny will be as eager to run home as Stephanie...but will they survive the ghostly curse that lured them here?
The Secret of Fern Island isn't as cleverly plotted or suspenseful as most Goosebumps books. M.D. Spenser's writing is less detailed and deft than R.L. Stine's, but the book is functional as a scary children's novel as long as you don't expect too much. It provides low-key entertainment for those wanting something roughly equivalent to Goosebumps. I'd rate it one and a half stars, and would return to the Shivers series for more.
January 5, 2026
Disappointed but it was still decent. Before I ramble, I wanna say that the cover art is fantastic!! I adore it to death. But my expectations were set on the very intriguing blurb. It sounded like it could be a really great read, and it turned out to be… okay. The writing is fine, the characters are okay but don’t have too much depth or exposition which sucked, the story was alright but the first half of the book was better than the second half which isn’t usual. A huge highlight of the book is the record player thingy. It’s pretty cool and decently unique. Another great thing is the backstory and slight explanation about Fern Island’s only resident found in a newspaper. I enjoyed the climax as well. There’s this eerie tone to this entry that landed really well, and it legit helped make this read. But some issues are things like lack of explanation, random shit just happens, the villain is underwhelming and derivative, and the ending sucked. I love the concept but the story had a kinda bland execution. Still good elements and (as of editing this review from the future) this one fairs up better in retrospective. 6.5/10.
October 15, 2024
Well...hearing this as an audiobook did scare me .
February 20, 2023
To be honest, I only read this because it was very short and I'm behind on my reading challenge. It kind of makes me feel like I'm cheating!
Shivers was one of the many Goosebumps knock-offs from the 90s. I read "The Beast Beneath The Boardwalk" last year and wasn't impressed at all. This was an improvement on that, at least able to drum up some atmosphere and intrigue and suspense, but otherwise sorely lacking in all other regards.
Kenny really wants to visit the basically condemned Fern Island, having noticed a young boy there who fishes all day long. He convinces his best friend, Stephanie, to come with him, and she has to bring along her little sister, Becky, and Becky's friend, Brooksie, as she is looking after them. Chasing the boy sees them trapped inside a lighthouse with bats, spooky noises, and a phonograph that won't turn off, making strange statements.
Goosebumps books work because they provide the quick chapters with cliffhanger endings, and crazy plot twists that are still part of a coherent story that gives an explanation for what's going on.
Here, we get nothing. Zilch.
There is no explanation here for anything. It isn't explained what's causing the loud banging in the lighthouse, why the lamp shouldn't be blown out, why the boy is haunting the island, what the messages on the phonograph mean or their relevance, or why everything is written and said backwards. The ending makes no sense.
I know this is a book for kids, but kids deserve better than no-effort junk like this.
Shivers was one of the many Goosebumps knock-offs from the 90s. I read "The Beast Beneath The Boardwalk" last year and wasn't impressed at all. This was an improvement on that, at least able to drum up some atmosphere and intrigue and suspense, but otherwise sorely lacking in all other regards.
Kenny really wants to visit the basically condemned Fern Island, having noticed a young boy there who fishes all day long. He convinces his best friend, Stephanie, to come with him, and she has to bring along her little sister, Becky, and Becky's friend, Brooksie, as she is looking after them. Chasing the boy sees them trapped inside a lighthouse with bats, spooky noises, and a phonograph that won't turn off, making strange statements.
Goosebumps books work because they provide the quick chapters with cliffhanger endings, and crazy plot twists that are still part of a coherent story that gives an explanation for what's going on.
Here, we get nothing. Zilch.
There is no explanation here for anything. It isn't explained what's causing the loud banging in the lighthouse, why the lamp shouldn't be blown out, why the boy is haunting the island, what the messages on the phonograph mean or their relevance, or why everything is written and said backwards. The ending makes no sense.
I know this is a book for kids, but kids deserve better than no-effort junk like this.
March 2, 2010
This is the best book ever!
I read this book a long while ago. I LOVED it! I haven't read it in awhile so I don't know if I still would like it as much, but it is one of the best Shivers books that I have read. I know the ending was pretty cool. That's about all for this book. So read it.
I read this book a long while ago. I LOVED it! I haven't read it in awhile so I don't know if I still would like it as much, but it is one of the best Shivers books that I have read. I know the ending was pretty cool. That's about all for this book. So read it.
February 20, 2019
The first book in the series that book 5 stars from me. I liked the events and story in this one, the characters were awesome, the place was spooky and the ending was okay. It did give me shivers when reading. An awesome book and I recommend it for anyone who love thrillers and excitement.
April 22, 2019
What a dumb ending. It makes no sense. Rest was pretty good.
March 7, 2020
I read this to my clients. It was a decent story, but the ending was a little strange. It had sort of a "Goosebumps" vibe to it.
October 19, 2022
Another great book by M.D. Spenser.
July 26, 2023
Bad book, nothing even happens for action, boring storytelling, was not pleasant to read through.
December 1, 2023
1.5, the atmosphere is reasonable in this one. The plot is lacking- approximately three things happen in 119 pages. The characters are dull and the overall mystery remains unexplained.
October 18, 2014
I just finished this book and it was, for the most part, pretty good. But it's definitely not a book I would want to reread or a book that I'll remember a couple years from now. It was simply OK, nothing more and nothing less. All that aside, it is worth a read.
Plot Synopsis: Stephanie and her best friend, Kenny, have always been told not to go to Fern Island, the island that lies at the end of a rickety bridge. But every day, Kenny and Stephanie see a mysterious young boy fishing on the island. Finally, curiosity gets the better of Kenny and he convinces Stephanie to go to the island to meet the boy, with Stephanie's sister Becky and Becky's friend Brooksie tagging along. But when they arrive at the island, they discover a lighthouse-and the reason they were warned not to come there. Will they be able to escape the island?
One thing I really liked about The Secret Of Fern Island was that the story was very fast-paced and lacked any filler. I also liked Stephanie's character. The way she was more concerned with the safety of Becky and Brooksie than her own was very nice. But for the most part, I really didn't like Kenny. For the entire book, Stephanie didn't want to go to the island, but Kenny pretty much forces her to go. AND he continues to insist on staying, despite his friend's pleads to go home. He just came off as selfish to me.
But despite those problems, this was a pretty good book and I recommend it for younger horror fans.
Pros: The tension, Stephanie's character development, and the lack of filler.
Cons: Kenny's character and the confusing ending (which I won't spoil)
Plot Synopsis: Stephanie and her best friend, Kenny, have always been told not to go to Fern Island, the island that lies at the end of a rickety bridge. But every day, Kenny and Stephanie see a mysterious young boy fishing on the island. Finally, curiosity gets the better of Kenny and he convinces Stephanie to go to the island to meet the boy, with Stephanie's sister Becky and Becky's friend Brooksie tagging along. But when they arrive at the island, they discover a lighthouse-and the reason they were warned not to come there. Will they be able to escape the island?
One thing I really liked about The Secret Of Fern Island was that the story was very fast-paced and lacked any filler. I also liked Stephanie's character. The way she was more concerned with the safety of Becky and Brooksie than her own was very nice. But for the most part, I really didn't like Kenny. For the entire book, Stephanie didn't want to go to the island, but Kenny pretty much forces her to go. AND he continues to insist on staying, despite his friend's pleads to go home. He just came off as selfish to me.
But despite those problems, this was a pretty good book and I recommend it for younger horror fans.
Pros: The tension, Stephanie's character development, and the lack of filler.
Cons: Kenny's character and the confusing ending (which I won't spoil)
August 5, 2016
The Shivers books were a part of my childhood. They were a cheaper version of Goosebumps which encouraged collecting a set of short children's horror stories.
Recently, these books have started being rereleased on Kindle but the covers have been changed, and much like Goosebumps, I much prefer the original covers.
I had about 5 of these books - they have since disappeared, presumably sitting in my parent's loft. I found a copy of this book at school. It was one which I owned and read many times but apart from a few memories - bikes and a bridge - I couldn't remember much about it.
It is great for suspense and I think as a child it worked well for me. Nowadays it did seem a bit ridiculous that the kids were so slow on the uptake and pace-wise it blustered a bit when they hung around the lighthouse.
The mystery was never really solved which is probably why the ending didn't stick in my mind. I don't mind leaving it up to the reader to decide but rely on that too much and it seems lazy.
It was a nice walk down memory lane -it played up on my personal fear of bridges and who knows, may have triggered it as a child? But it is not the best Shivers book. I look forward to re-reading 'The Awful Apple Orchard' as that one has really stuck in my mind all these years.
Overall, not the best but decent horror story for kids.
Recently, these books have started being rereleased on Kindle but the covers have been changed, and much like Goosebumps, I much prefer the original covers.
I had about 5 of these books - they have since disappeared, presumably sitting in my parent's loft. I found a copy of this book at school. It was one which I owned and read many times but apart from a few memories - bikes and a bridge - I couldn't remember much about it.
It is great for suspense and I think as a child it worked well for me. Nowadays it did seem a bit ridiculous that the kids were so slow on the uptake and pace-wise it blustered a bit when they hung around the lighthouse.
The mystery was never really solved which is probably why the ending didn't stick in my mind. I don't mind leaving it up to the reader to decide but rely on that too much and it seems lazy.
It was a nice walk down memory lane -it played up on my personal fear of bridges and who knows, may have triggered it as a child? But it is not the best Shivers book. I look forward to re-reading 'The Awful Apple Orchard' as that one has really stuck in my mind all these years.
Overall, not the best but decent horror story for kids.
September 12, 2015
As a child i loved the shivers books,although i think i only read about 3 of them,this one i loved it scared me but i loved it.Looking back now i can tell it is very well written and keeps the reading begging to know what happens next.All in all a great book.
July 12, 2015
nice one
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews