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Zombie Town
This used to be such a nice, quiet town. But that was before all the zombies. When twelve-year-old Mike and his friend, Karen, go to see a horror movie called Zombie Town , the last thing they expect is for the title characters to come down off the screen and chase them through the theater. And it’s not popcorn these hungry creatures want to chomp on―it’s human brains! Now Mike and Karen frantically try to flee through the panicked streets of their hometown before shuffling bands of zombies turn every last citizen into a ravenous flesh-eater. But if Mike thinks he’ll be safe once he reaches his house and warns Mom and Dad, he’d better think again. When the zombies say it’s lunchtime, no home is safe! Zombie Town is R.L. Stine’s delightfully spooky take on the horror genre that’s infecting the world, bite by bite.
80 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2012
211 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k 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 108 reviews
August 31, 2019
Stine's books are always short and fast-paced, but this one is very, very short. Like, 30 minutes to finish. Still a great ride, however, that keeps you in suspense for the whole half-hour.
The story revolves around two friends, one who loves horror movies and one who is terrified by them. The braver friend drags the other to the new zombie flick, but they both end up experiencing something much more real than a movie.
Overall, I loved it. It's classic Stine, with simple yet fun characters and plenty of thrills. A great entry book for young readers who might be intimidated by a daunting 100 page Goosebumps. Easy to read together as a family in one sitting. The audio version is nicely done as well. Would be great time-killer during a road trip.
The story revolves around two friends, one who loves horror movies and one who is terrified by them. The braver friend drags the other to the new zombie flick, but they both end up experiencing something much more real than a movie.
Overall, I loved it. It's classic Stine, with simple yet fun characters and plenty of thrills. A great entry book for young readers who might be intimidated by a daunting 100 page Goosebumps. Easy to read together as a family in one sitting. The audio version is nicely done as well. Would be great time-killer during a road trip.
October 6, 2023
Once upon a time when R.L. Stine was in between projects, he did six standalone books and this was one of them. The story follows Mike and Karen who try to see a zombie movie at the theater, but, since this is an R.L. Stine book, spooky zombie stuff happens. This is an incredibly short read (and apparently all five of the other standalone books are as well) and played out like some of R.L.'s Goosebumps stuff. The main character was pretty annoying, being scared of absolutely everything and not even wanting to see the freakin' zombie movie. If you're familiar with R.L.'s other stuff, the ending will not be a surprise to you at all. This was not very good and offered nothing new at all. Though not the worst, there's nothing scary, nothing surprising, and nothing to write home about.
December 12, 2017
3 STARS!!!
According to GR I read this in December 2013 but totally forgot about it haha So when I saw it at the library I snatched it up because it was 60 pages and I didn't feel like diving into a giant book right now. It was a pretty fun read, true to R.L. Stine's style though with the copyright being under Parachute Press which is notorious for hiring ghost writers, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a shelved Goosebumps book idea and they just hired someone to finish it for Stine. There was a twist as with most R.L. Stine goodies so that was a lot of fun too. - Richard
According to GR I read this in December 2013 but totally forgot about it haha So when I saw it at the library I snatched it up because it was 60 pages and I didn't feel like diving into a giant book right now. It was a pretty fun read, true to R.L. Stine's style though with the copyright being under Parachute Press which is notorious for hiring ghost writers, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a shelved Goosebumps book idea and they just hired someone to finish it for Stine. There was a twist as with most R.L. Stine goodies so that was a lot of fun too. - Richard
![Luffy VS Zombie [HD]](https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1650265187ra/32822627.gif)
July 19, 2023
I enjoy reading RL Stine as his books give me the nostalgia of being a kid and having no worries at all In this book our two main characters had a lot to be worried about! You go see a movie and you don’t think everyone becomes zombies right ?
I enjoy the fast paced honestly no one writes like RL if you’re looking for a quick read full of zombies this is the book for you. Read at your own discretion.
I enjoy the fast paced honestly no one writes like RL if you’re looking for a quick read full of zombies this is the book for you. Read at your own discretion.
November 12, 2023
برای یک ساعت سرگرم شدن خیلی کتاب خوبیه!
October 30, 2015
I initially started listening to this audiobook with my 5 year old but I guess it was just too scary for her. So I was left finishing it on my own. I'm a little old for it but the audiobook was fun.
August 7, 2023
This has to be my favorite R.L. Stine book ever.
August 30, 2022
So my plan for today's slot was to read a Fear Street, possibly, but then news brook out that we will be getting a new Stine movie based on this book. For those that don't know, in 2000, Stine put out 6 stand alone kids books that were reprinted in 2012. A few of these have turned out to be older books under new names, with one being a repurposed Goosebumps outline. This isn't one of them, so maybe it was new.
I've been wanting to finish out these 6 novellas, and it's weird I've been putting them off since they are short. And I mean that. Adventures of Shrinkman and Creatures from Beyond are the only full length ones, the rest are less than 100 pages with this being just 58. It's been speculated a few may have been ideas for Triple Header book 3 which didn't happen and this makes me think that theory is true.
I think I'll do a post looking at these novellas so I'll save a lot of thoughts for there if I have any extra. Now I think I'll save reading those others for when I do that post. Anyway, this was pretty fun. It's very much like a short story in terms of depth so it gets started right away and there's not much deeper going on here.
The kids fill the basic roles and there's not much for logic, with the twist existing to easily handwave stuff. The logic is my main problem as otherwise, it works as long as you think of it as a short story. As one, this is pretty good. The setup has kids being a zombie movie and basically zombies show up in real life and it becomes a kiddie zombie apocalypse thing. It takes itself seriously as one of those and it gets decently dark, with freaky descriptions of the zombies and one scene with the rest of the family being pretty effective.
The twist is fine, it borders on lazy but it allows the story to get darker than usual at least and I enjoy this meta aspect. One line feels like Stine projecting. It could be logically better, and if you expect an actual full book you will be let down but overall it's fun. Very quick and easy to get through, not being padded or anything like that.
Now how are they gonna turn this into a movie? As a segment in an anthology movie it could work but as a full movie it'll have to be borderline In Name Only with the stuff they gotta add to make it work. I think it can, just at least keep the base idea so that it justify having the title. We'll see, I'm interested in it.
That's about it, we'll see how that blog post goes when I do. As for my casual reading, Thursday I got stuff so next will be Sunday with September's Pike read, after that I have no clue, we'll see. Maybe that fear Street i put off lol. See ya then.
STINE-ISMS: Sour, animal death. That's it.
I've been wanting to finish out these 6 novellas, and it's weird I've been putting them off since they are short. And I mean that. Adventures of Shrinkman and Creatures from Beyond are the only full length ones, the rest are less than 100 pages with this being just 58. It's been speculated a few may have been ideas for Triple Header book 3 which didn't happen and this makes me think that theory is true.
I think I'll do a post looking at these novellas so I'll save a lot of thoughts for there if I have any extra. Now I think I'll save reading those others for when I do that post. Anyway, this was pretty fun. It's very much like a short story in terms of depth so it gets started right away and there's not much deeper going on here.
The kids fill the basic roles and there's not much for logic, with the twist existing to easily handwave stuff. The logic is my main problem as otherwise, it works as long as you think of it as a short story. As one, this is pretty good. The setup has kids being a zombie movie and basically zombies show up in real life and it becomes a kiddie zombie apocalypse thing. It takes itself seriously as one of those and it gets decently dark, with freaky descriptions of the zombies and one scene with the rest of the family being pretty effective.
The twist is fine, it borders on lazy but it allows the story to get darker than usual at least and I enjoy this meta aspect. One line feels like Stine projecting. It could be logically better, and if you expect an actual full book you will be let down but overall it's fun. Very quick and easy to get through, not being padded or anything like that.
Now how are they gonna turn this into a movie? As a segment in an anthology movie it could work but as a full movie it'll have to be borderline In Name Only with the stuff they gotta add to make it work. I think it can, just at least keep the base idea so that it justify having the title. We'll see, I'm interested in it.
That's about it, we'll see how that blog post goes when I do. As for my casual reading, Thursday I got stuff so next will be Sunday with September's Pike read, after that I have no clue, we'll see. Maybe that fear Street i put off lol. See ya then.
STINE-ISMS: Sour, animal death. That's it.
July 12, 2022
Zombies loose in a movie theatre = perfect YA horror novella. Love R L Stine.
July 18, 2022
A fun romp of zombie mania
I am really getting back into goosebumps and this was just fun. Its not got much depth...yadda yadda. However it is a thrill ride. Take it at face value. Its a quick adrenaline shot of rotten flesh. Also, very gory...surprisingly gory. I really enjoyed it.
I am really getting back into goosebumps and this was just fun. Its not got much depth...yadda yadda. However it is a thrill ride. Take it at face value. Its a quick adrenaline shot of rotten flesh. Also, very gory...surprisingly gory. I really enjoyed it.
October 19, 2021
Para un par de amigos un sábado maravilloso se ve estropeado por la lluvia por lo que Karen decide ir al cine a ver la nueva película de zombies pero Mike esta que muere de miedo, cuqndo llegan se dan cuenta que la sala no hay nadie más y pronto la película cobrara vida y los miedos de Mike se harán realidad.
No había llegado a leer nada de este autor y he de decir que me encanta como te transporta a la historia, la emoción y el suspenso por saber que sucederá al final.
No había llegado a leer nada de este autor y he de decir que me encanta como te transporta a la historia, la emoción y el suspenso por saber que sucederá al final.
November 20, 2018
It was on sale listing one day, and I checked Amazon and found this was included in the Kindle Unlimited “Read and Listen Free”!
I did not expect this to be really enjoyable with all the sound effect. My son could not listen to this one!! lol
I did not expect this to be really enjoyable with all the sound effect. My son could not listen to this one!! lol
September 16, 2018
Creepy
A really creepy new story from the king of horror. I loved reading this one and the suspense was terrific. Love his work.
A really creepy new story from the king of horror. I loved reading this one and the suspense was terrific. Love his work.
October 18, 2024
Good… but also a bit too gross.
Well, it’s my first rl stine book and l’m looking forward to reading more,
3.8 ⭐️
Well, it’s my first rl stine book and l’m looking forward to reading more,
3.8 ⭐️
November 26, 2024
For a children’s book I loved it. It was a quick read that kept
me engaged and I loved how it was written!
me engaged and I loved how it was written!
February 23, 2023
La verdad me gusto bastante, aunque ya me imaginaba el final, pero igualmente disfrute mucho el escucharlo. Además, amo a los zombis y aquí están super bien representados. Son criaturas asquerosas come carne <3
November 19, 2023
This was a short, but fun, read. It got to the point really quick and had a good amount of suspense that I enjoyed.
July 13, 2013
ZOMBIE TOWN is a fun story that typical of RL Stine's books. There's some excitement and then near the end there's a twist, followed by yet another twist. Not excellent by Adult standards but great kid fair.
I looked for any sort of reading information and didn't find any Lexile or Accelerated numbers. But the book is 74 pages long and if I were to chance a guess I'd say it was at the 4th grade reading level.
The story is about two friends who go to the movies. Although he isn't all that enthusiastic, Karen talks Mike into seeing a Zombie horror flick. They only get to watch a bit before the film breaks, and then things take a real bad turn. Because you see, 'real life' begins to look way too much like the movie and the kids find they are locked in the theater with drooling, stinking zombies.
How will they escape? Will they escape?
Stine's talent is that he writes very well for this audience. He knows exactly how far to go to give his books some excitement without going over the top. In this book Zombies stink and their eyes and hair fall out, but there isn't any violence --if you know what I mean.
I think the age range for this book is very wide. Some 3rd Graders are going to eat this up. Some Tweens and even a few 13 and 14 year olds are going to like it as well. But it's all going to depend on their sophistication and imaginations. My boy (a newly minted 11) thought it was creepy. I don't think he would have read it even a year go. But that's just him. I think most Tweens wouldn't have a problem with it.
Good scary stuff. If you have a child that likes horror stories (or who you think might like them) this is a great series to introduce them to. Stine has lots of books to keep them turning pages.
Pam T~
I looked for any sort of reading information and didn't find any Lexile or Accelerated numbers. But the book is 74 pages long and if I were to chance a guess I'd say it was at the 4th grade reading level.
The story is about two friends who go to the movies. Although he isn't all that enthusiastic, Karen talks Mike into seeing a Zombie horror flick. They only get to watch a bit before the film breaks, and then things take a real bad turn. Because you see, 'real life' begins to look way too much like the movie and the kids find they are locked in the theater with drooling, stinking zombies.
How will they escape? Will they escape?
Stine's talent is that he writes very well for this audience. He knows exactly how far to go to give his books some excitement without going over the top. In this book Zombies stink and their eyes and hair fall out, but there isn't any violence --if you know what I mean.
I think the age range for this book is very wide. Some 3rd Graders are going to eat this up. Some Tweens and even a few 13 and 14 year olds are going to like it as well. But it's all going to depend on their sophistication and imaginations. My boy (a newly minted 11) thought it was creepy. I don't think he would have read it even a year go. But that's just him. I think most Tweens wouldn't have a problem with it.
Good scary stuff. If you have a child that likes horror stories (or who you think might like them) this is a great series to introduce them to. Stine has lots of books to keep them turning pages.
Pam T~
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
August 9, 2016
Nothing really interested me in Kindle Lender's Library so, I chose this. I used to read R.L. Stine when I was a kid. I decided to pick this up for a quick, little fun read. The story really had a Goosebumps feel.
October 5, 2021
Published in e-book,audiobook and paperback, 'Zombie Town' is one of quite a number of R.L Stine's books which are available via Kindle Unlimited, and which make perfect reading for the spooky season!
Headsup RL Stine fans, this is one of a vast series of short novels which make perfect palate cleansers between longer books. As usual, there is a narrator, a boy who is scared or everything, being taken to a Halloween film festival at the local cinema. Karen, Mike's friend, is determined to get him to chill out and enjoy Halloween, but things start to make both kids a bit twitchy when they notice they are the only people in the screening of the latest Zombie film.
What is worse than being alone, in a darkened cinema, watching a horror film?
Realising that you aren't alone, you are in the company of the shambling undead...
There are some genuinely creepy moments, and a fair splashing of gore that will satisfy kids and adults alike, a great bait and switch end that really brings home why RL Stine is , after decades at the top, still one of the best for delivering the thrills and chills.
It is 75 pages of classic teen/tween horror and what more could you want this spooky season?
Headsup RL Stine fans, this is one of a vast series of short novels which make perfect palate cleansers between longer books. As usual, there is a narrator, a boy who is scared or everything, being taken to a Halloween film festival at the local cinema. Karen, Mike's friend, is determined to get him to chill out and enjoy Halloween, but things start to make both kids a bit twitchy when they notice they are the only people in the screening of the latest Zombie film.
What is worse than being alone, in a darkened cinema, watching a horror film?
Realising that you aren't alone, you are in the company of the shambling undead...
There are some genuinely creepy moments, and a fair splashing of gore that will satisfy kids and adults alike, a great bait and switch end that really brings home why RL Stine is , after decades at the top, still one of the best for delivering the thrills and chills.
It is 75 pages of classic teen/tween horror and what more could you want this spooky season?
May 14, 2024
How the fuck did this get a film? It’s much quicker than the other novellas in pages length and page count, and so is the pacing. Pacing is my biggest issue with the book—there’s little exposition and things just kinda come one after another, and it’s just rushing from beginning to end. It should’ve been less rushy and took its time, but it is supposed to be faster since this would’ve likely been a Triple Header Story. Still, I can’t forgive this horrible pacing. There is a notable lack of a real plot and it’s just 64 pages of Zombies horror and nothing else really, which bugs me and makes this not really even a story. The characters were also really lackluster but that’s no biggie. Now I do like the concept of the book a lot, and the Zombie horror is nice. The Zombie Town in-book film was a cool element and you can draw conclusions to how the Zombies might’ve showed up in their world. At last, the ending was okay. 6/10 I honestly wouldn’t recommend this one.
August 30, 2025
I picked this up hoping for all the creepy Goosebumps nostalgia and sadly… it just didn’t deliver. Honestly, the only reason I read this was because I needed a Z book for my read-the-alphabet challenge, but considering how much I adored Stine’s books as a kid, I was really hoping to love this one ☹️
The concept itself felt super cliché. The main characters were kind of unbearable… Mike was the stereotypical scaredy cat 🙄 and Karen was honestly aptly named and not the best of friends. She basically bullied him into watching this creepy zombie movie and then all hell was “supposed” to break loose. Except… did it? The whole thing felt oddly flat, and even the so-called “plot twist” ending was pretty underwhelming 🥱
Maybe I’m just too old for these now, but I really wanted this to hit that nostalgic spot. Instead, it ended up being forgettable and left me wishing for the Goosebumps magic I used to love 🧟♀️💔
The concept itself felt super cliché. The main characters were kind of unbearable… Mike was the stereotypical scaredy cat 🙄 and Karen was honestly aptly named and not the best of friends. She basically bullied him into watching this creepy zombie movie and then all hell was “supposed” to break loose. Except… did it? The whole thing felt oddly flat, and even the so-called “plot twist” ending was pretty underwhelming 🥱
Maybe I’m just too old for these now, but I really wanted this to hit that nostalgic spot. Instead, it ended up being forgettable and left me wishing for the Goosebumps magic I used to love 🧟♀️💔
September 9, 2023
Mike and Karen went to go see the movie Zombie Town only to see that the whole town has been turned into zombies. Will they survive? Read on and find out for yourself.
Recently saw the film adaptation of this novella only to realize that what was in the movie didn't happen in this book and having finally read it, I think the book is much better and the movie was disappointing so if you want to check this book out and skip the movie, then that's your best bet. It was a pretty good R.L. Stine short story novella though. Be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books and eBooks are sold.
Recently saw the film adaptation of this novella only to realize that what was in the movie didn't happen in this book and having finally read it, I think the book is much better and the movie was disappointing so if you want to check this book out and skip the movie, then that's your best bet. It was a pretty good R.L. Stine short story novella though. Be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books and eBooks are sold.
April 26, 2024
Classic RL Stine format. There is nothing extremely memorable about this standalone short story, but I think it’s a cute little spooky read that will engage younger readers or works as a great quick family read-aloud. It is an adequate zombie starter story for children who may find a larger or scarier book to be a bit overwhelming.
I do always appreciate RL Stine’s simple style and relatable characters, verbiage, and atmosphere. This is why so many young readers were attracted to his stories when I was growing up, and I can only hope my little girl experiences the same joy reading his books throughout her life.
I do always appreciate RL Stine’s simple style and relatable characters, verbiage, and atmosphere. This is why so many young readers were attracted to his stories when I was growing up, and I can only hope my little girl experiences the same joy reading his books throughout her life.
May 6, 2025
2.5 stars
I was excited to check this one out for Zombiethon. The idea of the plot is fun. And I decided to listen to the audio book which has nice production with sound effects and music. But the story while it had good moments was just lacking something. By the end I just felt meh about the whole story. Maybe it is wasn't a short story and had a bit more to build I might have liked it more but who knows.
I was excited to check this one out for Zombiethon. The idea of the plot is fun. And I decided to listen to the audio book which has nice production with sound effects and music. But the story while it had good moments was just lacking something. By the end I just felt meh about the whole story. Maybe it is wasn't a short story and had a bit more to build I might have liked it more but who knows.
June 15, 2019
normally I wouldn't rate or review a children's book, anymore, but this was such a fun book, the ending was a little stale he uses, it a lot, in other books, and its fine, but other then that it was really good for how small it was, he is grate a writing short books. if you like r.l. stine you would like this book.
October 29, 2023
I've never read anything by RL Stine before and seeing as its almost Halloween, I've been trying to read some 'scaryish' books. I figured this was a short book-I'd try it. Yeah, its definitely a kids book! I guess I know I won't be reading anymore of these. For kids, it would be good, adults.......not so much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews