Goosebumps - My Best Friend Is Invisible by R.L. Stine is book 57 in Goosebumps Original series order. This book has minimal scares and is more humorous. There is an ongoing debate about whether the boy is invisible or a ghost. The horror is what if someone you did not know was invisible, and wanted to be your best friend. The invisible boy does not take no for an answer. Some of the humor does work, there's a funny prank at school where everyone acts like they have an invisible friend. Another humorous scene is when his little brother kicks the older brother and blames it on the invisible friend. The final twist was great and it lays the groundwork for the twist at the end very early. The Invisible Man by H.G. the book changes it to The Invisible Boy to make a twist at the end work. The Invisible Man is the clear inspiration for this story. There's a haunted house subplot that I added some much needed scares to this story but it came a little late. My Best Friend Is Invisible is not a bad Goosebumps, but not a good one either. It will fall into the middle of my list of Best to Worst Goosebumps. My Best Friend Is Invisible was published on July 1, 1997.
Plot Summary: Sammy can't get away with anything in his family while his little brother Simon gets away with everything. Sammy has to do extra chores for something that his brother did. When he gets to his room it is messy, at first he blames his brother, but his cat starts acting weird and the window is open. Sammy wakes and trips over something on the floor, but when he looks he can't find anything. He goes to school but doesn't do his homework since he has to clean up the mess in his room. He gets called to the board in math class to show his work. He doesn't know the answer to the question but he feels a hand on the chalk that writes. He wants to get the answer right but gets freaked out. His reaction gets him sent to the guidance counselor who is worried about him. When he gets home he gets a slice of pizza which is ripped out of his hand, and starts getting eaten. The invisible boy introduces himself. The boy only lets Sammy know of his presence, despite telling his family and his best friend. The invisible boy only wants to be best friends but doesn't care if Sammy doesn't want him as a best friend.
What I Liked: I liked the ghost vs. invisible argument. The subplot with the ghost in the haunted house was fun and a little bit scary. I did see what was true and what was fiction at the haunted house but it was still fun. The final twist was great. One of my biggest pet peeves is a final twist that does not make sense, and this one works. The writing at the beginning had fun wordplay that paid off in the end. The prank at the school with a classroom of kids all acting like they have invisible friends.
What I Disliked: The scares take way too long to happen. The invisible boy is very annoying. The plot had a lot of filler and needed to be more focused. The invisible boy takes way too long to speak.
Recommendation: My Best Friend Is Invisible is a fun Goosebumps. The story is light on horror but fills it with humor. I liked some parts a lot, but most of the plot felt too much like other Goosebumps books. I will barely recommend My Best Friend Is Invisible.
Rating: My Best Friend Is Invisible I rated 3.3 out of 5.
Ranking: The full ranking of the 57 Goosebumps books that I have read in order from my favorite to least favorite: 1) A Night in Terror Tower, 2) Stay Out of the Basement, 3) The Headless Ghost, 4) Ghost Beach, 5) Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, 6) The Haunted Mask, 7) Ghost Camp, 8) The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, 9) One Day At Horrorland, 10) Night of the Living Dummy, 11) Welcome to Camp Nightmare, 12) A Shocker on Shock Street, 13) The Phantom of the Auditorium, 14) Beware, the Snowman, 15) It Came From Beneath the Sink, 16) Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, 17) The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, 18) Don't Go to Sleep!, 19) Say Cheese and Die, 20) Let's Get Invisible, 21) The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, 22) Welcome to Dead House, 23) Monster Blood II, 24) The Beast From the East, 25) The Girl who Cried Monster, 26)Deep Trouble, 27) The Ghost Next Door, 28) Say Cheese and Die - Again! 29) Night of the Living Dummy 2, 30) Chicken, Chicken, 31) My Hairiest Adventure, 32) Be Careful What You Wish For..., 33) Return of the Mummy, 34) Why I'm Afraid of Bees, 35) The Haunted Mask II, 36) The Curse of Camp Cold Lake, 37) How I Got My Shrunken Head, 38) How to Kill a Monster, 39) My Best Friend Is Invisible, 40) Attack of the Mutant, 41) Go Eat Worms!, 42) Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, 43) The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, 44) Bad Hare Day, 45) Cuckoo Clock of Doom, 46) Vampire Breath, 47) The Blob That Ate Everyone, 48) How I Learned to Fly, 49) Monster Blood, 50) Night of the Living Dummy III, 51) The Barking Ghost, 52) Egg Monsters from Mars, 53) The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, 54) You Can't Scare Me!, 55) Legend of the Lost Legend, 56) Calling All Creeps! and 57) Monster Blood III.