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Goosebumps Most Wanted #2
Son of Slappy
The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and they're coming after you! Catch them undead or alive!
Hello dummy! The evil puppet you hate to love is back for a brand new scare.
Jackson Stander is every parent's dream. He doesn't get into trouble, he always does his homework, and he never, ever lies. His teachers all trust him completely. He even volunteers at the local Youth Center. But that was all before Jackson came across an evil ventriloquist dummy. Now he must deal with Slappy and the son of Slappy as they wreak havoc on his family and friends. Jackson will soon see that two Slappy's are not better than one!
Hello dummy! The evil puppet you hate to love is back for a brand new scare.
Jackson Stander is every parent's dream. He doesn't get into trouble, he always does his homework, and he never, ever lies. His teachers all trust him completely. He even volunteers at the local Youth Center. But that was all before Jackson came across an evil ventriloquist dummy. Now he must deal with Slappy and the son of Slappy as they wreak havoc on his family and friends. Jackson will soon see that two Slappy's are not better than one!
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
206 people are currently reading
1842 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 125 reviews
January 11, 2016
Pretty open ended ending. Sequel maybe? My son loved it as per usual. His favorite character is Slappy.
June 14, 2014
Well that was unexpected. Slappy was ten times bad in this book and I was appalled at how nasty Jackson became once he was under Slappy's control. That ending was great! I couldn't have asked for anything more devious.
December 8, 2020
That was actually rather creepy and dark. And it wasn't what I expected at all, it was so much creepier!
January 2, 2015
Before I read this book I had an incline that it would be similar to the previous Goosebumps novels including Slappy, were the book would be a huge build up to the end were he would have the final three chapters in the spotlight, a fight will occur after an attempt to rid him and then a twist would end the book. However, this book was slightly different because not only did we get to see a bit into Slappys background but also his 'powers' in this book and what his capabilities are.
The book starts of by introducing two characters, Jackson, who is a goodie-goodie and does his
best to do the 'right thing' in every situation because he honestly beleives that it's the right thing to do. Then there is his older sister who is the complete opposite, she is portrayed as a troublemaker and she is actually naughty enough to awaken Slappy depite knowing the consequences that may follow. As Slappy awakens he forces Jackson into becomming his son. When Jackson refuses to the do bad things he is told to do, Slappy unleashes his powers on him, possessing him, forcing Jackson into doing evil things such as painting his friends kitchen with chocolate cake mix and hiding the test answers from a teacher, blaming it on other possibilities.
The book then has a build up to a YC event which purpose is to help raise money to keep the nursery open which Jackson would volenteer to visit on Saturdays. His plan was to prefrom with Slappy, doing a comedy act on stage with him. Following through, Jackson had a plan to stop Slappy once and for all by reading out the words on the card again hoping that it will reverse the affect as before and send him to sleep. When he was on the satge and attempted this he had realised that the card was blank, front and back which meant that Slappy was still alive and he could still possess Jackson, and he did, whilst ON STAGE. After a few crude insults from Slappy to the audience he proceeded to call up a young volunteer. Slappy bit the volenteer and then possessed Jackson, stopping him from standing up to help. A teacher appears on stage to stop the incident but through possession, Jackson bit the teacher aswell.
Throughout the book Jackson has a reputation to try and keep whilst being watched carefully by his parents who begin to threaten him with doctors as they assume he's crazy. Jackson has to avoid social situations as Slappy will possess him every time, insulting people who are around him and making more mischief.
Later on in the book, Jackson is awoken one night ot find his sister talking in her room. Curious he creeps out of bed. Earwigging, he listens into a conversation between his sister and Slappy and he finds out that his trouble making sister was the one who replaces the card for a decoy, ruining Jacksons plans to stop Slappy once and for all. Jacksons sister knew that Slappy was alive all along but she plays it smart, denying the truth to her parents, making Jackson look crazy. After a short converstation between the two we find out that she is Slappys adopted daughter.
This book is highly recommended for Slappy fans and he is portrayed more evil/ villainous. As always the chapters are roughly three pages long and it leaves you hanging before a new chapter, peaking your curiosity and making you want to read more. That is what I love about the Goosebumps novesls, R.L Stine is not afraid to let the bad guys win and that is what makes his material special.
The book starts of by introducing two characters, Jackson, who is a goodie-goodie and does his
best to do the 'right thing' in every situation because he honestly beleives that it's the right thing to do. Then there is his older sister who is the complete opposite, she is portrayed as a troublemaker and she is actually naughty enough to awaken Slappy depite knowing the consequences that may follow. As Slappy awakens he forces Jackson into becomming his son. When Jackson refuses to the do bad things he is told to do, Slappy unleashes his powers on him, possessing him, forcing Jackson into doing evil things such as painting his friends kitchen with chocolate cake mix and hiding the test answers from a teacher, blaming it on other possibilities.
The book then has a build up to a YC event which purpose is to help raise money to keep the nursery open which Jackson would volenteer to visit on Saturdays. His plan was to prefrom with Slappy, doing a comedy act on stage with him. Following through, Jackson had a plan to stop Slappy once and for all by reading out the words on the card again hoping that it will reverse the affect as before and send him to sleep. When he was on the satge and attempted this he had realised that the card was blank, front and back which meant that Slappy was still alive and he could still possess Jackson, and he did, whilst ON STAGE. After a few crude insults from Slappy to the audience he proceeded to call up a young volunteer. Slappy bit the volenteer and then possessed Jackson, stopping him from standing up to help. A teacher appears on stage to stop the incident but through possession, Jackson bit the teacher aswell.
Throughout the book Jackson has a reputation to try and keep whilst being watched carefully by his parents who begin to threaten him with doctors as they assume he's crazy. Jackson has to avoid social situations as Slappy will possess him every time, insulting people who are around him and making more mischief.
Later on in the book, Jackson is awoken one night ot find his sister talking in her room. Curious he creeps out of bed. Earwigging, he listens into a conversation between his sister and Slappy and he finds out that his trouble making sister was the one who replaces the card for a decoy, ruining Jacksons plans to stop Slappy once and for all. Jacksons sister knew that Slappy was alive all along but she plays it smart, denying the truth to her parents, making Jackson look crazy. After a short converstation between the two we find out that she is Slappys adopted daughter.
This book is highly recommended for Slappy fans and he is portrayed more evil/ villainous. As always the chapters are roughly three pages long and it leaves you hanging before a new chapter, peaking your curiosity and making you want to read more. That is what I love about the Goosebumps novesls, R.L Stine is not afraid to let the bad guys win and that is what makes his material special.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2016
One of the best Stine books in a while. I was thoroughly surprised at the twists he implimented in here. He took his own well-written cliches involving Slappy and turned them on head. The Most Wanted sect of Goosebumps books are simply delightful.
November 3, 2021
Yet another Dummy/Slappy book... who are Stine's choice of victims this time, and does this book bring anything new to the table or is another reskinned Night of the Living Dummy?
Going into this, I admittedly had zero expectations - because of it being a modern title just as much as it is another Slappy book. Stine has done, how many of these, at this point? I've lost count. Anyway, I went into this not expecting too much and was almost immediately drawn into the story.
Our protagonist, Jackson, and his little sister, Rachel, are going to visit their reclusive, eccentric grandfather who hoards and collects strange and mysterious things - one of such collections is ventriloquist dummies (of course). Jackson and Rachel meet Slappy, and their grandfather tells them the legend of Slappy, and that this Slappy is just a copy, not the real one.
After the siblings arrive home after their visit, Jackson discovers Slappy was stuffed into his suitcase, and assumes his grandpa must have given it to him as a surprise. From there, the usual stuff with Slappy beings to manifest, but with a twist this time. Instead of Slappy outright playing the villain and being the primary threat... he somehow hypnotizes(?) Jackson and mind-controls him into doing terrible things. To make matters worse, Jackson is known as a "goodie-goodie" within the story and is your typical honest, good-grades, well-behaved kid, that is now mouthing off, making messes, and doing quite terrible things.
Where this book excels for me, is providing a fresh take on the whole Dummy subseries, as I've already mentioned, there have been countless Dummy/Slappy books already and I was a bit apprehensive about this one. But it manages to strike a different note in terms of horror that the other books in the franchise haven't done, and that is stripping away your identity and deconstructing your reputation. Jackson is a well-loved and kind character in the story and falls prey to Slappy's powers, thus committing various atrocities and making everyone question and doubt who Jackson really is - and to me personally, this idea is quite terrifying and is conveyed effectively. Jackson begins by simply insulting others, and then continues to spiral out of control as Slappy controls his mind and forces him to do worse and worse things.
Not only is this a fresh take on these books, but I was actually a bit drawn into the story and felt bad for Jackson to have to endure this. His parents eventually want to take him to the doctor and it is implied that he is mentally unstable and needs to see a psychologist. Serious stuff.
I really enjoyed the concept of this one, how unique it feels despite being yet another Slappy book, and how terrifying it is as all Jackson knows and loves turns against him and he's left with no one to help or understand his extreme plight. I also liked the grandfather's house and his descriptions of odd and unique collections - I would have actually liked to see more of that and thought that maybe Jackson would return to his house in search of a resolution. Unfortunately, that wasn't that case. And I also liked the ending, which was a bit bleak, but there was one reveal at the end that felt a bit out of place and I didn't much care for.
This book had a few minor flaws which held it back for me, preventing it from being potentially my favorite Most Wanted book. The destructive behavior of Jackson does get slightly repetitive, and it would have been nice to see some more internal reflection and remorse from his character. Some of that nicely handled emotion we got early on in the story kind of wanes in the latter half; but perhaps this could be due to Slappy's mind-controlling technique? Maybe Slappy is slowly transforming Jackson into a caricature of evil, much like Slappy already is? Nonetheless, I would have preferred a little more variance or to see Jackson trying to resolve his problem instead of constantly playing the victim up until the final act.
I also wished the ending had played out slightly different. Again, I liked the more bleak, sad type of ending we got here, as it fits the rest of the story, but there is one part of it that doesn't really add up and left me a bit disappointed.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how (mostly) solid this book is, and I can say with confidence that this is one of the best Most Wanted entries. Not quite my favorite but it's up there.
3 / 5.
Stay tuned for more Goosebumps Most Wanted reviews and I'll likely be ranking them all when I'm done.
Going into this, I admittedly had zero expectations - because of it being a modern title just as much as it is another Slappy book. Stine has done, how many of these, at this point? I've lost count. Anyway, I went into this not expecting too much and was almost immediately drawn into the story.
Our protagonist, Jackson, and his little sister, Rachel, are going to visit their reclusive, eccentric grandfather who hoards and collects strange and mysterious things - one of such collections is ventriloquist dummies (of course). Jackson and Rachel meet Slappy, and their grandfather tells them the legend of Slappy, and that this Slappy is just a copy, not the real one.
After the siblings arrive home after their visit, Jackson discovers Slappy was stuffed into his suitcase, and assumes his grandpa must have given it to him as a surprise. From there, the usual stuff with Slappy beings to manifest, but with a twist this time. Instead of Slappy outright playing the villain and being the primary threat... he somehow hypnotizes(?) Jackson and mind-controls him into doing terrible things. To make matters worse, Jackson is known as a "goodie-goodie" within the story and is your typical honest, good-grades, well-behaved kid, that is now mouthing off, making messes, and doing quite terrible things.
Where this book excels for me, is providing a fresh take on the whole Dummy subseries, as I've already mentioned, there have been countless Dummy/Slappy books already and I was a bit apprehensive about this one. But it manages to strike a different note in terms of horror that the other books in the franchise haven't done, and that is stripping away your identity and deconstructing your reputation. Jackson is a well-loved and kind character in the story and falls prey to Slappy's powers, thus committing various atrocities and making everyone question and doubt who Jackson really is - and to me personally, this idea is quite terrifying and is conveyed effectively. Jackson begins by simply insulting others, and then continues to spiral out of control as Slappy controls his mind and forces him to do worse and worse things.
Not only is this a fresh take on these books, but I was actually a bit drawn into the story and felt bad for Jackson to have to endure this. His parents eventually want to take him to the doctor and it is implied that he is mentally unstable and needs to see a psychologist. Serious stuff.
I really enjoyed the concept of this one, how unique it feels despite being yet another Slappy book, and how terrifying it is as all Jackson knows and loves turns against him and he's left with no one to help or understand his extreme plight. I also liked the grandfather's house and his descriptions of odd and unique collections - I would have actually liked to see more of that and thought that maybe Jackson would return to his house in search of a resolution. Unfortunately, that wasn't that case. And I also liked the ending, which was a bit bleak, but there was one reveal at the end that felt a bit out of place and I didn't much care for.
This book had a few minor flaws which held it back for me, preventing it from being potentially my favorite Most Wanted book. The destructive behavior of Jackson does get slightly repetitive, and it would have been nice to see some more internal reflection and remorse from his character. Some of that nicely handled emotion we got early on in the story kind of wanes in the latter half; but perhaps this could be due to Slappy's mind-controlling technique? Maybe Slappy is slowly transforming Jackson into a caricature of evil, much like Slappy already is? Nonetheless, I would have preferred a little more variance or to see Jackson trying to resolve his problem instead of constantly playing the victim up until the final act.
I also wished the ending had played out slightly different. Again, I liked the more bleak, sad type of ending we got here, as it fits the rest of the story, but there is one part of it that doesn't really add up and left me a bit disappointed.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how (mostly) solid this book is, and I can say with confidence that this is one of the best Most Wanted entries. Not quite my favorite but it's up there.
3 / 5.
Stay tuned for more Goosebumps Most Wanted reviews and I'll likely be ranking them all when I'm done.
November 18, 2025
Slappy lives! Not only that, but he seems to have gained new powers since his last book, Slappy New Year! Fun as it was getting R.L. Stine's evil ventriloquist dummy back for yet another go-round, Slappy New Year! strictly adhered to the basic script of most Slappy books preceding it, rehashing the glory days of Goosebumps yore rather than breaking new ground. Son of Slappy is more like Slappy's Nightmare from the Goosebumps 2000 series, turning our perception of the Slappy premise upside down so we don't know what to expect. Twelve-year-old Jackson Stander sure has no clue what's headed his way when he comes into possession of a dummy purported to be the notorious Slappy. Jackson and his younger sister, Rachel, find the dummy while staying several days with their grandfather. Grandpa Whitman's house is stuffed with rare old collectibles, including a room of famous puppets. The Slappy legend creeps Jackson out when he hears it, but Grandpa Whitman assures him there's no cause for alarm: this is only a replica dummy, dubbed Son of Slappy. Jackson would love to have Son of Slappy to learn ventriloquism with and maybe perform for the younger kids in the Youth Center he volunteers at regularly, but regretfully leaves it behind with Grandpa Whitman when he returns home with Rachel.
When Jackson unpacks his bags, the Son of Slappy puppet is there. Did Grandpa Whitman intend it as a gift? Jackson wants to keep the dummy, but the warnings of Grandpa Whitman's property caretaker, Edgar, that this is the real Slappy and he's as dangerous as ever, give him pause. Jackson always plays by the rules, unlike his sister, and has no desire to play with fire. Then one night the spirit of the sadistic ventriloquist dummy overtakes him, in a way not seen in any previous book about Slappy. The dummy has developed a way to bend others to his wicked will, and uses it to force Jackson into perpetrating mischief that would ordinarily horrify him. The motivation is all Slappy's, but it's Jackson's helpless body desecrating property and insulting his friends and family. The only hope of reversing his disastrous course is to figure out a way to neutralize Slappy before he takes over Jackson's life permanently...a goal which may turn out to be impossible.
I appreciate the innovations R.L. Stine brings to this book. Slappy isn't the direct culprit this time, it's Jackson, which adds dimension to his plight of trying to convince his parents that a wooden puppet is the true villain. Son of Slappy doesn't live up to the spine-tingling excellence of the original Night of the Living Dummy or Night of the Living Dummy II, but it's entertaining. Slappy undeniably is at his most powerful here, and if he retains his mind-control abilities into future episodes, I'll be curious to see whether anyone can counteract them. If there's a face of the Goosebumps franchise (other than R.L. Stine), it's Slappy, so it's always interesting to read a new book featuring him. Die-hard fans should absolutely give Son of Slappy a go.
When Jackson unpacks his bags, the Son of Slappy puppet is there. Did Grandpa Whitman intend it as a gift? Jackson wants to keep the dummy, but the warnings of Grandpa Whitman's property caretaker, Edgar, that this is the real Slappy and he's as dangerous as ever, give him pause. Jackson always plays by the rules, unlike his sister, and has no desire to play with fire. Then one night the spirit of the sadistic ventriloquist dummy overtakes him, in a way not seen in any previous book about Slappy. The dummy has developed a way to bend others to his wicked will, and uses it to force Jackson into perpetrating mischief that would ordinarily horrify him. The motivation is all Slappy's, but it's Jackson's helpless body desecrating property and insulting his friends and family. The only hope of reversing his disastrous course is to figure out a way to neutralize Slappy before he takes over Jackson's life permanently...a goal which may turn out to be impossible.
I appreciate the innovations R.L. Stine brings to this book. Slappy isn't the direct culprit this time, it's Jackson, which adds dimension to his plight of trying to convince his parents that a wooden puppet is the true villain. Son of Slappy doesn't live up to the spine-tingling excellence of the original Night of the Living Dummy or Night of the Living Dummy II, but it's entertaining. Slappy undeniably is at his most powerful here, and if he retains his mind-control abilities into future episodes, I'll be curious to see whether anyone can counteract them. If there's a face of the Goosebumps franchise (other than R.L. Stine), it's Slappy, so it's always interesting to read a new book featuring him. Die-hard fans should absolutely give Son of Slappy a go.
September 23, 2023
This is one of the funniest goosebumps books I have ever read😂😂😂. Some of slappy’s insults are horrifyingly amazing. This book is okay. Just has one plot whole: why does the chirping make Jackson become the son of slappy?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2013
I really do believe it's easier to be good than bad.
It's something I knew from the time I was a tiny kid.
And then something happened.
Something happened, and I turned bad. I turned very bad. No. Let's tell the truth. I, Jackson Stander, became evil.
And that's what this story is all about....
I remember reading the GOOSEBUMPS series when I was really young, and I really adored them at the time. The two that still stand out in my mind are the one about the haunted mask and the one where the father in the basement became a plant. Those were AWESOME! So, of course, I was excited when I had the opportunity to review a new GOOSEBUMPS read that promised to be a little more scary than those from my youth.
So, in this one, we meet Jackson, a ridiculously well-behaved young boy who tries always to do the right thing. He is a good son, a great student, and even a nice brother -- although his sister, Rachel, always resents that he gets more attention for being the "good" child.
One day, Rachel and Jackson are sent away to their Grandfather's house for a short vacation. As a collector, Grandfather has a little of everything strange and wonderful in his home, including a room full of ventriloquist dolls. He shows one to Jackson, saying that is a reproduction of a very evil doll named Slappy. Slappy could literally be brought to life by reading a special phrase, at which point Slappy would make his owner his slave -- and his tool for spreading evil in the world.
Despite the fact that he is assured that Slappy cannot be brought to life based on the mere fact that he is only a reproduction, Jackson is still curious and wants to say the phrase just once to see what happens. Little did he know what evil (and hilarity) would ensure once this particular chain of events got started....
Not only was SON OF SLAPPY scary (for a younger crowd, I mean), it was disturbing and even really funny at times. Like, the scene where Jackson threw chocolate all over the walls or the one where the puppet started biting people? Hilarious!
And OMG, that ending! I should have seen it coming -- what a brilliant twist! Be forewarned, though -- this one ends on a HUGE cliffhanger!
So, for those of you who grew up on the GOOSEBUMPS series, you won't want to miss this modern extension, for sure. And for younger kids (who are old enough to not have creepy nightmares about disturbing cackling dolls), this will definitely be a fun read! I will certainly read others in the series in the future! :)
It's something I knew from the time I was a tiny kid.
And then something happened.
Something happened, and I turned bad. I turned very bad. No. Let's tell the truth. I, Jackson Stander, became evil.
And that's what this story is all about....
I remember reading the GOOSEBUMPS series when I was really young, and I really adored them at the time. The two that still stand out in my mind are the one about the haunted mask and the one where the father in the basement became a plant. Those were AWESOME! So, of course, I was excited when I had the opportunity to review a new GOOSEBUMPS read that promised to be a little more scary than those from my youth.
So, in this one, we meet Jackson, a ridiculously well-behaved young boy who tries always to do the right thing. He is a good son, a great student, and even a nice brother -- although his sister, Rachel, always resents that he gets more attention for being the "good" child.
One day, Rachel and Jackson are sent away to their Grandfather's house for a short vacation. As a collector, Grandfather has a little of everything strange and wonderful in his home, including a room full of ventriloquist dolls. He shows one to Jackson, saying that is a reproduction of a very evil doll named Slappy. Slappy could literally be brought to life by reading a special phrase, at which point Slappy would make his owner his slave -- and his tool for spreading evil in the world.
Despite the fact that he is assured that Slappy cannot be brought to life based on the mere fact that he is only a reproduction, Jackson is still curious and wants to say the phrase just once to see what happens. Little did he know what evil (and hilarity) would ensure once this particular chain of events got started....
Not only was SON OF SLAPPY scary (for a younger crowd, I mean), it was disturbing and even really funny at times. Like, the scene where Jackson threw chocolate all over the walls or the one where the puppet started biting people? Hilarious!
And OMG, that ending! I should have seen it coming -- what a brilliant twist! Be forewarned, though -- this one ends on a HUGE cliffhanger!
So, for those of you who grew up on the GOOSEBUMPS series, you won't want to miss this modern extension, for sure. And for younger kids (who are old enough to not have creepy nightmares about disturbing cackling dolls), this will definitely be a fun read! I will certainly read others in the series in the future! :)
April 1, 2018
It tickles me when Stine subverts his previous pet-tropes and patterns. No exception here. The protagonist is a "goody-goody" of most contemptible sort -- to onlookers with less social grace; or, frequently, more assertion. Jackson invites scorn knowingly with his claim that to do good is "easier" than to do bad, establishing him as a porcelain doll on counter's edge. In the early Goosebumps universe these characters served invariably as villains, foils to our imperfect, therefore relatable, everyday heroes -- scan Be Careful What You Wish For! and You Can't Scare Me! for two prime examples. Part of the sick pleasure came with the grinding twist near tales' exit, as the heroes we cheer are so rudely, gleefully shut down, this time irredeemably. Such gave Stine a mean-spiritedness unlike other childrens' stories save old-country fairy tale, a cruelty at which the kid me delighted back in the day. Here, that inevitable "twist" produces almost a wholesome smile. After all, Jackson is the kind of character Stine always primed the reader to root against, and why not? Someone who has everything, doesn't do anything wrong, is not suffering; and it's only right for a reader to demand the character's due penance for the sake of entertainment. Better that the secondary antagonist, his sister, who throws in with Slappy, is exactly the model of the typical Goosebumps protagonist -- troublemaker, angry at her brother's angelicism, who wants desperately to see him lowered a notch. Were the book from her perspective, her alliance with Slappy would, in final twist, prove Faustian, and she would take the closing fall instead of Jackson. Lucky for her Stine decided to mix it up -- or at least didn't write a page more!
(Tangential -- I wonder if Slappy's appearance or voice have changed any throughout the many series. Stine isn't exactly a stickler when it comes to his own canon. Moreover, have his powers changed at all? He has complete control over Jackson here and I wonder what the actual actions are which break his spell. Just the magic words again?)
(Tangential -- I wonder if Slappy's appearance or voice have changed any throughout the many series. Stine isn't exactly a stickler when it comes to his own canon. Moreover, have his powers changed at all? He has complete control over Jackson here and I wonder what the actual actions are which break his spell. Just the magic words again?)
April 24, 2019
I read this with my 9 year old and out of all the Goosebump books we've read together this one left both of us on the craziest cliffhanger! My son is dying to know what happens next in this story. Goosebump books are always a pleasure to read since my son gets into them so much. It's great to see him WANT to read more because he has to know what's going to happen in the next chapter.....and then the next.
October 25, 2018
"Evil is it's own reward."
I really enjoyed this one.
I really enjoyed this one.
October 9, 2021
In the end of the book he should of been free . And the sister is a jerk for doing the spell 😱🤯🪄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2015
I think that Son Of Slappy is a good book because it has lots of horror you can feel.There was a kid named Jackson Stander and his sister Rachel are about to make an amazing discovery.But first let me tell u the story from the beginning Jackson was at school then his mom told him and his sister to come she has some important news.Then they both came and thier mom told them this,"im getting rid of you both for spring break you are going to stay with your grandpa.Then they were at thier grandpa's house and then when they went to the house their grand
pa showed them the dummy colletion he had and Jackson wanted one.Then spring break passed by and when Jackson had opened his suitcase he found he had slappy the evil dummy.Then at the end of the story he realized that his sister was the one who made slappy come to life.
pa showed them the dummy colletion he had and Jackson wanted one.Then spring break passed by and when Jackson had opened his suitcase he found he had slappy the evil dummy.Then at the end of the story he realized that his sister was the one who made slappy come to life.
December 16, 2018
This book is about a kid who is every parents dream he is the perfect son but his sister would always try to find a way to get him in trouble and they go visit there uncle then when they come back a dummy which looks like a double of evil slappy is know in the kids house mysteriously will the son of slappy cause trouble I also recommend this book for ages 9 and up its a pretty amazing book I hope you guys enjoy reading the book and I hope you guysw love the book once you finish reading the book thank you.
March 28, 2014
he was evel and i liked it alot but he is scary that is why the book is called goose bumps
March 18, 2023
3 stars I guess.
I wasn't really intrigued with the story, I was like distracted while reading this but once the story finally gets to the point halfway through, I was invested than before.
So it's an another Slappy book and the story kinda feels not but there are some elements where it feels like it's lifted from the original Night of the Living Dummy books but Slappy is not around this time, while he is there, the main premise of this was the turned tables, Slappy is the one controlling the strings of the main character, Jackson who now acts like the Dummy and I like that aspect. instead of the basic skeleton of the dummy books where Slappy makes a mess and blames the protagonist on it.
One thing that is always said not done in the original Dummy books is Slappy always threatens the characters to be his slave and those never happened I think, until this book came along, where Slappy now is in control of this our main character and he's like a perfect character to begin with, unlike any other Goosebumps books. he also has a sister Rachel who is the trouble girl and she is the one being blamed by the parents unlike any other Goosebumps stories, but as Jackson, the perfect boy downfalls by being under the strings of Slappy, the parents' action to their son is reasonable. still. Slappy is just as cruel until Jackson is reduced to nothing. well I am glad that this book focused on the recurring threats of Slappy that has never even shown to he done until this one.
One things that doesn't make this book great as much as the original, in particular, Night of the Living Dummy 2 (which I think the definitive book that stars Slappy), is the vibe and atmosphere of this book. I feel like the writing and the pacing is rushed, like instead of showing the protagonist about his good deeds, it was shown to us on some monologues. some scenes of it is shown throughout the book but I feel it's rushed.
Even the way how the characrters come across Slappy where they visit their grandfather who collects weird things. It's obvious to go there to get ahold of Slappy and get exposition that the Dummy is a sculpture and not alive like the original. also the ending I think has no build up and it just happened out of nowhere. While the twist I think is a wow. everything again is rushed, like that's it? even though this book is longer
There's also some glaring logic holes particulary with the ending, where the reason why, Rachel, the little sister herself makes Slappy come to life is to make his brother's life terrible. but how does she know the consequences of what gonna happen of doing that? Has she read the original Night of the Living Dummy books? it just bothers me.
Other than that, it's a good book. it's better than the 1st Night of the Living Dummy book and it's close to the best Slappy book which is Night of the Living Dummy 2.
I wasn't really intrigued with the story, I was like distracted while reading this but once the story finally gets to the point halfway through, I was invested than before.
So it's an another Slappy book and the story kinda feels not but there are some elements where it feels like it's lifted from the original Night of the Living Dummy books but Slappy is not around this time, while he is there, the main premise of this was the turned tables, Slappy is the one controlling the strings of the main character, Jackson who now acts like the Dummy and I like that aspect. instead of the basic skeleton of the dummy books where Slappy makes a mess and blames the protagonist on it.
One thing that is always said not done in the original Dummy books is Slappy always threatens the characters to be his slave and those never happened I think, until this book came along, where Slappy now is in control of this our main character and he's like a perfect character to begin with, unlike any other Goosebumps books. he also has a sister Rachel who is the trouble girl and she is the one being blamed by the parents unlike any other Goosebumps stories, but as Jackson, the perfect boy downfalls by being under the strings of Slappy, the parents' action to their son is reasonable. still. Slappy is just as cruel until Jackson is reduced to nothing. well I am glad that this book focused on the recurring threats of Slappy that has never even shown to he done until this one.
One things that doesn't make this book great as much as the original, in particular, Night of the Living Dummy 2 (which I think the definitive book that stars Slappy), is the vibe and atmosphere of this book. I feel like the writing and the pacing is rushed, like instead of showing the protagonist about his good deeds, it was shown to us on some monologues. some scenes of it is shown throughout the book but I feel it's rushed.
Even the way how the characrters come across Slappy where they visit their grandfather who collects weird things. It's obvious to go there to get ahold of Slappy and get exposition that the Dummy is a sculpture and not alive like the original. also the ending I think has no build up and it just happened out of nowhere. While the twist I think is a wow. everything again is rushed, like that's it? even though this book is longer
There's also some glaring logic holes particulary with the ending, where the reason why, Rachel, the little sister herself makes Slappy come to life is to make his brother's life terrible. but how does she know the consequences of what gonna happen of doing that? Has she read the original Night of the Living Dummy books? it just bothers me.
Other than that, it's a good book. it's better than the 1st Night of the Living Dummy book and it's close to the best Slappy book which is Night of the Living Dummy 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2025
Jackson, a boy known for his good behavior, and his sister Rachel, known to be a liar and troublemaker, are sent to visit their grandfather for a week. While he has numerous collections, his latest is ventriloquist dummies, one of which is the infamous Slappy. Only Grampa Whitman says he's only a replica, and he's dubbed him Son of Slappy. When Jackson returns home, he's surprised to find the doll in his back. Thinking his grandpa gave it to his as a gift, he starts working on a routine. But soon it becomes apparent, this is the real Slappy and he plans to make Jackson his own son.
Not a bad story, though not sure it's as good as some of the other Slappy ones.
Not a bad story, though not sure it's as good as some of the other Slappy ones.
June 27, 2021
While not the best of the living Dummy books .it's far from the worst I had fun with it . I recommend if you love slappy!
July 19, 2025
Great plot twist at the end. Didnt see that coming. Couldnt get into the psychological aspect but liked it when i settled. Great books! Def 5 stars
4.80⭐️
4.80⭐️
December 26, 2015
Slappy is my all-time favorite character in the Goosebumps series. Anything he is significantly in, I seek it out. This is such a complex character and every book tends to add on something new about the character. That being said, now to review this one.
I've not read a Goosebumps book since "Slappy's Nightmare," which was a little strange but still very delightful. However, I have to say "Son of Slappy" is currently (as of this post) my least favorite of the Slappy books. This book felt somewhat strange and out of place from the very beginning. I'm not sure what it was, but it just didn't feel...right. Slappy just felt very different and out of character. He was barely even in the story, said very little, was actually rather annoying, acquired a new adverb (tinny. Stine, what's up with that?), and his motivation was out of left field. I mean, at least in "Bride of the Living Dummy" he had a misconstrued motive. I'm not even sure what Slappy was hoping to achieve in this one. It felt like it just wasn't part of the canon. We learned rather little about his character. It just wasn't...SLAPPY. He just didn't make sense and it seems so weird for him to practically be an entirely different character altogether. I just didn't get it and this was, as of the time of this post, the weakest storyline of the Slappy books.
HOWEVER, all of that being said, it's not a terrible book. I would say that "Son of Slappy" is a good read for someone who has never read the other Slappy books. It feels like a stand-alone story and not part of an ongoing venture of one character. If anything, Slappy (after reading NotLD 1-3, Bride of the Living Dummy, and Slappy's Nightmare) is just not the same character and it's the first in the Slappy books I've read where very little is added on to his complex character aside from a new voice. Granted, we can argue the differences in Slappy's character is the up-in-the-air notion that this is not the same Slappy, but a copy (after all, the words are supposed to bring pretty much ANY dummy to life, if we are to believe the previous books).
To be honest, even the main character felt strange. Jackson is not a terrible character. If anything, he's actually really nicely written and you can't help but really feel sorry for him once Slappy comes along. Rachel is actually a very annoying character, though I think that was somewhat the point. It just felt like there was less story and this book was a collection of whining characters and a Slappy that was just like "I'm too old for this crap." Okay, seriously, if Slappy had actually said that in the book, that would have made this whole thing totally awesome. Just that one line would have made this book awesome.
But, please, let me clarify that the book, on its own, is a good book. It just kinda has its own little thing going on that just feels really different from other Goosebumps books, and especially the Slappy books. It's just very...different. If it was a stand-alone book, it would have probably gotten a higher rating from me. As it stands though, since it is part of an ongoing character arc of sorts (Slappy books, to this point, seemed to build off of each other to make Slappy a more and more real character, while this one felt like it made him a lot LESS of a real character. And his insults were just...really really lame. Granted, he was always kinda cheesy on his insults, but, this was just...groaners galore), it just didn't feel as strong as the others and Slappy was just not as good of a character.
Is there anything (from a major Slappy fan) that really stands out as good? Yes. The ending. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. The ending was actually rather satisfying. It still had the open-endedness that Stine is known for in his Goosebumps books, and while that can work or not work in each book, depending on the preference of the reader, the ending of this one did offer me a little something I needed. I just needed SOMETHING to redeem Slappy for me, and that was the ending. I won't give it away, but when I read it, I just felt a little bit of ease, as I felt like I had gotten a little bit of something I had been wanting out of the character for years. It's not HUGE on its own, but to me, it stuck out and made me rather happy, even if it was just so little. It was just the RIGHT thing to do with Slappy in this book and it is very much appreciated. It made him feel a little more real in a story where he just felt otherwise.
So, long story short: It's an okay book. Good read on its own. As another book in the SERIES of Slappy books, this is the weakest one.
I've not read a Goosebumps book since "Slappy's Nightmare," which was a little strange but still very delightful. However, I have to say "Son of Slappy" is currently (as of this post) my least favorite of the Slappy books. This book felt somewhat strange and out of place from the very beginning. I'm not sure what it was, but it just didn't feel...right. Slappy just felt very different and out of character. He was barely even in the story, said very little, was actually rather annoying, acquired a new adverb (tinny. Stine, what's up with that?), and his motivation was out of left field. I mean, at least in "Bride of the Living Dummy" he had a misconstrued motive. I'm not even sure what Slappy was hoping to achieve in this one. It felt like it just wasn't part of the canon. We learned rather little about his character. It just wasn't...SLAPPY. He just didn't make sense and it seems so weird for him to practically be an entirely different character altogether. I just didn't get it and this was, as of the time of this post, the weakest storyline of the Slappy books.
HOWEVER, all of that being said, it's not a terrible book. I would say that "Son of Slappy" is a good read for someone who has never read the other Slappy books. It feels like a stand-alone story and not part of an ongoing venture of one character. If anything, Slappy (after reading NotLD 1-3, Bride of the Living Dummy, and Slappy's Nightmare) is just not the same character and it's the first in the Slappy books I've read where very little is added on to his complex character aside from a new voice. Granted, we can argue the differences in Slappy's character is the up-in-the-air notion that this is not the same Slappy, but a copy (after all, the words are supposed to bring pretty much ANY dummy to life, if we are to believe the previous books).
To be honest, even the main character felt strange. Jackson is not a terrible character. If anything, he's actually really nicely written and you can't help but really feel sorry for him once Slappy comes along. Rachel is actually a very annoying character, though I think that was somewhat the point. It just felt like there was less story and this book was a collection of whining characters and a Slappy that was just like "I'm too old for this crap." Okay, seriously, if Slappy had actually said that in the book, that would have made this whole thing totally awesome. Just that one line would have made this book awesome.
But, please, let me clarify that the book, on its own, is a good book. It just kinda has its own little thing going on that just feels really different from other Goosebumps books, and especially the Slappy books. It's just very...different. If it was a stand-alone book, it would have probably gotten a higher rating from me. As it stands though, since it is part of an ongoing character arc of sorts (Slappy books, to this point, seemed to build off of each other to make Slappy a more and more real character, while this one felt like it made him a lot LESS of a real character. And his insults were just...really really lame. Granted, he was always kinda cheesy on his insults, but, this was just...groaners galore), it just didn't feel as strong as the others and Slappy was just not as good of a character.
Is there anything (from a major Slappy fan) that really stands out as good? Yes. The ending. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. The ending was actually rather satisfying. It still had the open-endedness that Stine is known for in his Goosebumps books, and while that can work or not work in each book, depending on the preference of the reader, the ending of this one did offer me a little something I needed. I just needed SOMETHING to redeem Slappy for me, and that was the ending. I won't give it away, but when I read it, I just felt a little bit of ease, as I felt like I had gotten a little bit of something I had been wanting out of the character for years. It's not HUGE on its own, but to me, it stuck out and made me rather happy, even if it was just so little. It was just the RIGHT thing to do with Slappy in this book and it is very much appreciated. It made him feel a little more real in a story where he just felt otherwise.
So, long story short: It's an okay book. Good read on its own. As another book in the SERIES of Slappy books, this is the weakest one.
February 17, 2022
I think, after only 2 books, it is time for a break in the Goosebumps action. The best children's media for parents are media that appeal to the parent and the child. This one... does not.
May 6, 2022
The kid goes to his grandpas home and gets a dummy called slappy which conteols him and mackes him do tarebal things and loses trust from his famly and frendes he discovered that his sister brote the dummy to life and they now he was lisening to there conversashon and they said they now how to deal with eavesdroppers.
September 8, 2022
In my opinion, this book was absolutely amazing. As you read through, you get more thrills each page. It’s full of SURPRISES that’ll make you wonder what will happen next. It’s basically about this young well-behaved boy named Jackson, who visited his grandpa and got to take a “ventriloquist doll” home and was supposedly “evil” if you read these weird sets of words that’ll summon the doll. Jackson didn’t believe this was the REAL “evil doll” since his grandpa said it was just a copy, until his sister came in and read the words and then suddenly …… Jackson started getting weird creeps from the doll and sooner or later, the doll would start possessing him once in a while which made him look like a bad kid to others. He tried explaining to everyone that it’s the doll that’s controlling him, but he knew everyone would think he’s making things up. But then near the end… he eavesdropped on his little sister and noticed that her and the doll were talking about him and saying that she read those weird sets of words on purpose to make him look like the “bad kid” now since he was always the good kid. This basically sums up the entire story, I hope this will make you decide to read it, it was an absolute good story in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2019
In this Slappy themed story, Jackson is not only a slave to the evil dummy that comes alive, but becomes Slappy's so-called son. He is forced to do the horrible shenanigans and evil stunts that Slappy usually does... And it's bad!
I'm other news... I actually really like Grandpa Whitman's character... I'd love to read another story about him and his crazy "collections".
I'm other news... I actually really like Grandpa Whitman's character... I'd love to read another story about him and his crazy "collections".
July 25, 2017
La verdad, siempre que empiezo un libro Goosebumps me dan una flojera, pero lo sigo leyendo porque los finales siempre son los mejores, puede estar muy aburrido el libro pero las ultimas 30 paginas van a ser lo mejor, las ultimas 2 paginas son la mejor parte del libro.
December 22, 2017
All I can say is, I hate the way it ends. Other than that 💯
September 13, 2020
The book was really good. It actually creeped me out and it also made me upset. Lol. Really though.
I HATE RACHEL. She’s a FUCKING CUNT.
Slappy, I LOVE TO HATE AND HATE TO LOVE HIM. Half of me wanted to beat the living shit out of him for being the sadistic control freak he is. He’s gone way too far in controlling poor Jackson. It’s not like the previous books. The other half of me is in love with him. 😅
SPOILER:
It was because of RACHEL that Slappy was awoken. Well, the ending may show that the bad guys win... BUT I believe they didn’t TRULY win.
Cause since Slappy is with NEW kids in different books, he must’ve been thrown away or something like in the Night of the Living Dummy books and a new family gets him.
He must’ve actually get defeated. Just a theory to me. If he wasn’t truly defeated, then wouldn’t we see Rachel and Jackson again??
HA! I love villains. Just hate when they win. Then again, sometimes it’s okay for them to win. Being more realistic.
I feel bad for Jackson and all those that have been victimized. It’s kinda depressing. Just like what happened to Ricky Beamer from Calling All Creeps.
And Dr. Maniac Will See You Now.
Feel bad for the MC, Richard Dreezer. You’ll see why.
I HATE RACHEL. She’s a FUCKING CUNT.
Slappy, I LOVE TO HATE AND HATE TO LOVE HIM. Half of me wanted to beat the living shit out of him for being the sadistic control freak he is. He’s gone way too far in controlling poor Jackson. It’s not like the previous books. The other half of me is in love with him. 😅
SPOILER:
It was because of RACHEL that Slappy was awoken. Well, the ending may show that the bad guys win... BUT I believe they didn’t TRULY win.
Cause since Slappy is with NEW kids in different books, he must’ve been thrown away or something like in the Night of the Living Dummy books and a new family gets him.
He must’ve actually get defeated. Just a theory to me. If he wasn’t truly defeated, then wouldn’t we see Rachel and Jackson again??
HA! I love villains. Just hate when they win. Then again, sometimes it’s okay for them to win. Being more realistic.
I feel bad for Jackson and all those that have been victimized. It’s kinda depressing. Just like what happened to Ricky Beamer from Calling All Creeps.
And Dr. Maniac Will See You Now.
Feel bad for the MC, Richard Dreezer. You’ll see why.
May 30, 2025
The Son of Slappy is darkly subversive, and absolutely creepy story sibling rivalry takes centre stage in this thrilling ventriloquist drama, we are immediately introduced to 12 year old Jackson whose the perfect child, who volunteers at a youth centre who never lies and who is a straight A student you get it a good student in all dimensions, and his younger sister Rachel who feels neglected by her brother's moral standing and does everything in her power to tarnish his reputation, a trip to visit their weird grandpa brings out an evil which Jackson is not able to face without his sanity being tested, Slappy comes home and things are turned upside down, and we are left to sympathise with Jackson as he tries to wrestle with a force stronger than his good qualities, the book closes off with a plot twist that leaves reader's mouth agape.
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