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Goosebumps House of Shivers #7
What We Do At Night
Goosebumps now on Disney+!The next installment in the hilariously scary Goosebumps series, House of Shivers, is here!
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2026
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,732 books19.4k 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...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 5, 2026
What We Do at Night…is basically spelled out entirely on the cover. I have felt little to no hype for this particular Goosebumps book ever since it’s blurb and cover were revealed, and that’s because there’s just not a lot to chew on. The blurb had a vague premise, and the cover spoiled a major plot point. And I’m disappointed to say, this was subpar. There’s a couple good things going for it: I enjoyed the first half quite a bit; there’s themes of fitting in with the protagonist Noah moving to a new state, and the build up to the inevitable crow reveal which happens halfway through was decent with the character undergoing these odd trials. It’s good stuff and there’s even a twist added in with a separate character that I hadn’t seen coming. There’s also some tense moments with the villains in the back half of the book which were pleasant. But the book takes a dive downwards in quality after the halfway mark, favoring endless “You gotta believe me” slop, which got old fast and went on for most of the back half, and some sections entirely drawn out with logically incompetent moments most involving the parents. And to address that further: the ending of the book… I’m indifferent as a reveal on and it at least ties “fitting in” together albeit very brief at the very very end. But the ending’s context in hindsight makes the parents disbelief seem even more unintelligent. Like what the main tells them shouldn’t be that far out when faced with his “secret,” a broken window which feels forgotten in the story, and much more. Also, I feel the foreshadowing to the main’s big secret was just… not good. It’s not subtle at all and it’s just plain out said he’s not normal, so when it comes it’s just like, “okay?” Could’ve been handled better. Overall, 4.5/10. Almost bad as the book really didn’t pan out well in the latter half, but at least had a pretty good start and some moment sprinkled throughout.
August 11, 2026
2.5⭐ rounded up.
Some decent writing, atmosphere, and a fairly good first half.
But the second half is weak; there's too much of the "You Gotta Believe Me" trope, a bland and unsympathetic lead, lack of real conflict, and lame twist ending that also interferes with the logic of earlier character decisions and plot points.
It was just okay. I'd put it above Goblin Monday and Say My Name but below the rest of the series.
Some decent writing, atmosphere, and a fairly good first half.
But the second half is weak; there's too much of the "You Gotta Believe Me" trope, a bland and unsympathetic lead, lack of real conflict, and lame twist ending that also interferes with the logic of earlier character decisions and plot points.
It was just okay. I'd put it above Goblin Monday and Say My Name but below the rest of the series.
September 4, 2026
The first 60% of this felt very similar to a short story I recently read where our protagonist is put through a series of tests by their peers each gradually worse or more dangerous than the last. This however was a lot more tame in its execution. While the first half of this was a solid coherent story and has moments of foreshadowing (albeit only for minor plot points) it ends up being quite boring and toothless and leaves off with an extremely frustrating and lackluster twist that itself Is never foreshadowed (2.5 stars rounded down).
August 2, 2026
It’s pretty predictable and there’s a number of plot holes but it’s still fun. Not my favorite in this run
August 15, 2026
It’s time again for a new House of Shivers. The last one, the Bigfoot book, was a good enough return to form so let’s see if this new one works out. I was curious as to the direction of it so let’s do it.
Noah Baumgardner has moved from Vermont to Georgia in the middle of April. He has trouble making friends but he makes a couple decent normal friends. But one night, he meets a group of 4 kids called the Night Birds. They are mysterious and come out every night to do…something. Noah is curious as to tries to join them but he may not like what they get up to…
House of Shivers has been mostly good minus Say My Name but this one does take us back to SlappyWorld quality. I mean that in the sense of it being just fine. There’s enough to like so it comes together as being enjoyable enough but it doesn’t rise above that.
There’s a unique enough setup with these kids that Noah wants to join. There’s other kids horror books kinda like it but it’s interesting enough for Goosebumps. There’s some decent intensity to some moments and it flows alright for the most part. There’s hints to some themes, like how his friend does a better job at these tests that the Night Birds have.
Although that naturally doesn’t quite go nowhere. The book does get repetitive in the latter, with too much “you gotta believe me stuff”. It’s mostly with the female friend but the parents get in on it too. Just didn’t feel needed, of course they won’t buy the whole “turning into crows” part.
The climax and ending are fair but rushed. It just sort of stops and doesn’t go into much more detail. The Night Crows are alright threats but we barely learn much about them or what their deal is beyond…they become crows and do stuff. I don’t need an epic motive or lore dump but give me something.
The twist is a typical type for these and it’s at least set up. Way too much as we’re told up front that Noah has a secret. Yet it still feels a bit random and leaves me with questions. Effort was put in yet it still feels off to me. The book does breeze by which is good but honestly if this was only 60 pages I’d believe you lol.
It feels like a short story stretched out. As it is, there’s a good setup here and some decent tension but by the end it just feels like another one. A fair read that is decent enough but won’t stick with you. House of Shivers hasn’t been filled with slam dunks but this is weaker than the average which is a shame. A flat Decent for me.
At least we had Bigfoot this year. I’m hoping next year we’ll improve. Next book is a dummy one so…fingers crossed? That does it for this. Got a Fear Street trilogy coming soon and after that, who knows. See ya then.
CURRENT HOUSE OF SHIVERS RANKING:
AVERAGE:
Say My Name! Say My Name!
DECENT:
What We Do at Night
GOOD:
Scariest. Book. Ever.
Goblin Monday
One Night at Camp Bigfoot
The Last Sleepover
Night of the Living Mummy
Noah Baumgardner has moved from Vermont to Georgia in the middle of April. He has trouble making friends but he makes a couple decent normal friends. But one night, he meets a group of 4 kids called the Night Birds. They are mysterious and come out every night to do…something. Noah is curious as to tries to join them but he may not like what they get up to…
House of Shivers has been mostly good minus Say My Name but this one does take us back to SlappyWorld quality. I mean that in the sense of it being just fine. There’s enough to like so it comes together as being enjoyable enough but it doesn’t rise above that.
There’s a unique enough setup with these kids that Noah wants to join. There’s other kids horror books kinda like it but it’s interesting enough for Goosebumps. There’s some decent intensity to some moments and it flows alright for the most part. There’s hints to some themes, like how his friend does a better job at these tests that the Night Birds have.
Although that naturally doesn’t quite go nowhere. The book does get repetitive in the latter, with too much “you gotta believe me stuff”. It’s mostly with the female friend but the parents get in on it too. Just didn’t feel needed, of course they won’t buy the whole “turning into crows” part.
The climax and ending are fair but rushed. It just sort of stops and doesn’t go into much more detail. The Night Crows are alright threats but we barely learn much about them or what their deal is beyond…they become crows and do stuff. I don’t need an epic motive or lore dump but give me something.
The twist is a typical type for these and it’s at least set up. Way too much as we’re told up front that Noah has a secret. Yet it still feels a bit random and leaves me with questions. Effort was put in yet it still feels off to me. The book does breeze by which is good but honestly if this was only 60 pages I’d believe you lol.
It feels like a short story stretched out. As it is, there’s a good setup here and some decent tension but by the end it just feels like another one. A fair read that is decent enough but won’t stick with you. House of Shivers hasn’t been filled with slam dunks but this is weaker than the average which is a shame. A flat Decent for me.
At least we had Bigfoot this year. I’m hoping next year we’ll improve. Next book is a dummy one so…fingers crossed? That does it for this. Got a Fear Street trilogy coming soon and after that, who knows. See ya then.
CURRENT HOUSE OF SHIVERS RANKING:
AVERAGE:
Say My Name! Say My Name!
DECENT:
What We Do at Night
GOOD:
Scariest. Book. Ever.
Goblin Monday
One Night at Camp Bigfoot
The Last Sleepover
Night of the Living Mummy
August 25, 2026
I just finished What We Do at Night, and I really enjoyed it overall. The story is simple: Noah moves to a new town in Georgia and struggles to make friends. He eventually meets a group of kids who put him through three strange and increasingly disturbing tests.
The big twist is that four of the kids are actually able to turn into crows at night—the Nightbirds. Unfortunately, I already knew this twist going in, which definitely took away some of the impact. I think I would’ve enjoyed the book more if I’d gone in blind.
The second twist, involving Sid also being a crow, worked better for me. But the biggest twist at the end was one I genuinely didn’t see coming: Noah can also transform into an animal, specifically a cat. I liked the surprise, but I also felt like it came out of nowhere. It seemed a little too convenient that Noah suddenly had the exact ability needed to defeat the crows.
I also wish the book had given us a few more hints that Noah’s cat transformation could have helped him earlier. There is a line where Noah mentions that he promised his parents he would keep this ability hidden, but I wish there had been a little more foreshadowing. Maybe he could have thought about transforming earlier or hinted that he knew he had a way to defend himself. That would’ve made the ending feel more earned rather than like a convenient solution that appeared at the last minute.
The final reveal that Maisie can also turn into a cat was surprising, but again, it felt somewhat underdeveloped.
My biggest complaint, though, is that the book wasn’t very scary. I know it’s a children’s book, but I still wanted more tension and suspense. The crows never really felt frightening to me.
Still, I enjoyed the mystery, especially the three tests and the unexpected ending. Without that final twist, I probably would’ve enjoyed the book much less.
I enjoyed the Angry Bird references btw. Angry Crows was a funny line.
3/5 stars
The big twist is that four of the kids are actually able to turn into crows at night—the Nightbirds. Unfortunately, I already knew this twist going in, which definitely took away some of the impact. I think I would’ve enjoyed the book more if I’d gone in blind.
The second twist, involving Sid also being a crow, worked better for me. But the biggest twist at the end was one I genuinely didn’t see coming: Noah can also transform into an animal, specifically a cat. I liked the surprise, but I also felt like it came out of nowhere. It seemed a little too convenient that Noah suddenly had the exact ability needed to defeat the crows.
I also wish the book had given us a few more hints that Noah’s cat transformation could have helped him earlier. There is a line where Noah mentions that he promised his parents he would keep this ability hidden, but I wish there had been a little more foreshadowing. Maybe he could have thought about transforming earlier or hinted that he knew he had a way to defend himself. That would’ve made the ending feel more earned rather than like a convenient solution that appeared at the last minute.
The final reveal that Maisie can also turn into a cat was surprising, but again, it felt somewhat underdeveloped.
My biggest complaint, though, is that the book wasn’t very scary. I know it’s a children’s book, but I still wanted more tension and suspense. The crows never really felt frightening to me.
Still, I enjoyed the mystery, especially the three tests and the unexpected ending. Without that final twist, I probably would’ve enjoyed the book much less.
I enjoyed the Angry Bird references btw. Angry Crows was a funny line.
3/5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
I just got a copy early from somewhere, so not really an ARC (just plug)
Book gets a 6.5/10 Decent. The book has positives going for it such as the Lost Boys vibes teased throughout the book with commentary on fitting in, it has a funny side character with Sid, the villains have some good action scenes against our protagonist relatively considering their nature and were a good cast.
However weaknesses are
1) The book has repetitive You Gotta Believe Me tropes which are eye rolling worthy at points considering how overdone it is. The pacing in tandem is slower with moments of stuff going with the villains that keep you invested, however they get derailed by the MC making dumb decisions.
2) There is zero body horror in this book at all for a book teasing by the cover and hyping up Werecrows. Whatever you would expect from said concept it terms of visual horror, it doesn’t offer any regard. Just violent crows with again good scenes were they are there
3) There is a plot twist in this book which I can’t get into for spoilers sake but it’s like blatantly teased there is some secret in the book, literally a secret mentioned. And the reveal just feels random, and it makes the logic in the book even stupider for certain things which happened, especially one thing right at the end of the book which is chucking the book worthy eye roll
Overall, book has good moments to it and factors but is missing a number of things + some dumb writing choices towards end. Updated ranking top down:
*Night Of The Living Mummy*
*The Last Sleepover*
*One Night At Camp Bigfoot*
*Scariest Book Ever*
*What We Do At Night*
*Goblin Monday*
*Say My Name X2*
Book gets a 6.5/10 Decent. The book has positives going for it such as the Lost Boys vibes teased throughout the book with commentary on fitting in, it has a funny side character with Sid, the villains have some good action scenes against our protagonist relatively considering their nature and were a good cast.
However weaknesses are
1) The book has repetitive You Gotta Believe Me tropes which are eye rolling worthy at points considering how overdone it is. The pacing in tandem is slower with moments of stuff going with the villains that keep you invested, however they get derailed by the MC making dumb decisions.
2) There is zero body horror in this book at all for a book teasing by the cover and hyping up Werecrows. Whatever you would expect from said concept it terms of visual horror, it doesn’t offer any regard. Just violent crows with again good scenes were they are there
3) There is a plot twist in this book which I can’t get into for spoilers sake but it’s like blatantly teased there is some secret in the book, literally a secret mentioned. And the reveal just feels random, and it makes the logic in the book even stupider for certain things which happened, especially one thing right at the end of the book which is chucking the book worthy eye roll
Overall, book has good moments to it and factors but is missing a number of things + some dumb writing choices towards end. Updated ranking top down:
*Night Of The Living Mummy*
*The Last Sleepover*
*One Night At Camp Bigfoot*
*Scariest Book Ever*
*What We Do At Night*
*Goblin Monday*
*Say My Name X2*
August 18, 2026
A refreshingly mature Goosebumps adventure where kids hang out past midnight, engage in hazing-like activity and transform into monsters. Sweltering summer heat plays an interesting role as well, perhaps making this the first Goosebumps book to inadvertently address living with climate change.
I love Stine and always pick up his latest books, but I can't say I've been this glued to the page in a long time. Recent Goosebumps entries have played it safe and prioritize comedy. This one isn't funny, even if the "monsters" are silly.
There aren't any real scares, and yet the plot operates on a symbolic level which is quite chilling. The book explores middle grade captivation with and fear of the outside world. Kids today live under a microscope with helicopter parents and GPS tracking. I'm sure many will find the story of a kid who goes outside at 3am heart-pounding and intoxicating.
Now that I'm older and rarely go out past midnight myself, the story gave me a thrill too!
I love Stine and always pick up his latest books, but I can't say I've been this glued to the page in a long time. Recent Goosebumps entries have played it safe and prioritize comedy. This one isn't funny, even if the "monsters" are silly.
There aren't any real scares, and yet the plot operates on a symbolic level which is quite chilling. The book explores middle grade captivation with and fear of the outside world. Kids today live under a microscope with helicopter parents and GPS tracking. I'm sure many will find the story of a kid who goes outside at 3am heart-pounding and intoxicating.
Now that I'm older and rarely go out past midnight myself, the story gave me a thrill too!
August 10, 2026
I was genuinely surprised by the some subtle shift in dialect on Stine's part that made this feel closer to modern. What ends up being a story that feels like "Goosebump's Lost Boys" falls a little short with repetition and predictability.
August 13, 2026
R. L. Stine does it again! I’m 42 and was so excited to order a signed copy of What We Do At Night during a talkshoplive back in June. My 1st Goosebumps read in probably 30 years. The ending surprised me and excited me as I’m a cat person.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2026
3 star. Good book.
I’m sick. so no review.
I’m sick. so no review.
August 22, 2026
3.5 stars. It wasn't hard to guess where this one was going from the cover and a few hints in the story, but it was still entertaining enough.
September 14, 2026
just like classic goosebumps
Who was just like classic goosebumps? I love the twist at the end and I can’t wait to read how to train your dummy. Please please make more RL Stein.
Who was just like classic goosebumps? I love the twist at the end and I can’t wait to read how to train your dummy. Please please make more RL Stein.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews