Morto ma non sepolto

Goosebumps 2000 #11

by R.L. Stine, Cristina Scalabrini (Translator)

NO... NESSUN SEGNO DELLA TESTA: SVANITA.

Eppure ero sicuro di averla vista! Quegli occhi scuri e gelidi si erano stampati nella mia mente.
— I fantasmi del cimitero — mormorai. — Pensavo... che fosse soltanto una diceria. Insomma, una di quelle storie lugubri che circolano da anni nel paese... E invece...
Audra mi posò una mano su una spalla. — Cerca di stare calmo, Spencer...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery

142 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Robert 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...

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls is the 31st-book in the Classic Goosebumps reprint series. I read this one in a couple hours after receiving it for Christmas.

I am happy to report it's definitely one of the fun ones. It's not perfect, but as Goosebumps go, it's pretty darn good. A great way to pass a relaxing afternoon.



In this story we meet Spencer and he's a little awkward, not necessarily one of the popular boys. He gets picked on a bit, made worse when he is forced to read an essay he had written aloud to the class and his teacher has nothing but praise for him.

How dare she!? But when the teacher notices the kids turning on Spencer, she doubles down. Spencer's story involved the local graveyard and the teacher comes up with the idea to take a field trip there the very next day.

In absolute Goosebumps logic, that's exactly what they do, pre-planning and permission slips be damned!!



Her idea is for the kids to do some grave rubbings and she'll ultimately turn it into a local history lesson, if nothing else.

As the kids are exploring the graveyard, Spencer accidentally knocks over an eerie-looking tombstone. After that, all heck hits the fan for poor Spencer.



This story involves graveyard ghouls inhabiting bodies and wrecking havoc on the town. Spencer does have one good friend, Audra, and she's fairly involved in the action as well.

I fully expected this to be one of the stories where Stine strings you along, all to discover at the end that it was a dream, or prank. I'm not saying that that didn't happen, but I did give it 4-stars, so...



There were a couple details that progressed the plot that I wasn't necessarily crazy about; mostly involving animals. Overall though, that didn't affect my enjoyment too much.

I did think that the ending was super fun. It left a sinister little smirk on my face. OMG, Stine, you tricky bugger.

I would recommend this one to Goosebumps fans. It definitely has that classic formula that made me nostalgic for the horror stories of younger years. I'll never stop reading these books. It's just part of who I am. Well done by Stine!

[Matteo Fumagalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

RILETTURA, DA ADULTO, DEI PICCOLI BRIVIDI N.9

Diffidate di insegnanti scellerati che vi portano al cimitero a leggere gli epitaffi...potreste ritrovarvi con il corpo rubato dallo spirito di un malvagio quindicenne piromane!
Storiella ben congegnata questa, con continui scambi di corpi (il protagonista si incarnerà in topi, gatti e persino in suo fratello, la sua migliore amica prediligerà un labrador), tensione crescente (non dev'essere rilassante vedere il proprio corpo armeggiare impazzito un'ascia contro mamma e papà) e una felice chiusura, con il classico, ironico, bad ending pasticcione tipico di Stine.
Simpatico.

[Gracie McCubbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

so you’re telling me the power of dance kills ghouls? dope

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, what happened to the cat? And the dog? And the rat?

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all 25 Goosebumps Series 2000 books for a 2-hour YouTube video, where I reviewed and ranked them all, which you can check out here: https://youtu.be/VsNwNpeqgLo

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chouette lecture, je me suis amusée !
J'ai aimé la façon de traiter les peurs et les doutes enfantins comme la mort, la vie après la mort, la peur de grandir, de se transformer, comment devenir et rester soi-même. C'est fait intelligemment et j'ai vraiment aimé ce livre!

[Amy Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was really goofy but a fun time! also possession.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it really 5 stars? Probably not but I read it while listening to my girlhood nostalgia sleepover playlist so *chef's kiss* for bringing me back to childhood

[Anthony Blankenship · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my inspirations for writing. As a kid, I never thought writing could be simple. With every word I wrote and every sentence, I tried to add detail after detail. After reading Goosebumps and other similar books, I realized that the story telling is more important than anything. Attack Of The Graveyard Ghouls was a fun and well told story. Following the main character as he transformed from rodent to different people was an adventure for the reader. I loved how silly, yet fun, the ending was. Another story well done.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls,” was certainly more of a creepy read for R. L. Stine, and it suits really well as a pre-Halloween read, but I did feel as I were left with some unanswered questions and that it read a bit similar to “Why I’m Afraid of Bees”. This book involved a graveyard, ghouls, haunts, and possession, all happening at night, when the sun goes down and the fog and old legends come out. I rate “Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls,” 3.5 stars.

[Tarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the scarier volumes of Goosebumps. It has ghouls that come to life in the graveyard at night... Some vivid descriptions of the gory undead... And ghouls taking possession of people's body to do maniacal things... Whew! There's a lot of creepy things going on. This one's not for readers of faint heart.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Goosebumps Series 2000 book I grabbed for my Goosebumps July and it was honestly just the luck of the draw, although I am a big fan of this cover art.

From the cover though, I was definitely thinking zombies, and it’s more like actually ghosts. The description is definitely pretty gruesome though, which is always nice to see when Stine pushes that middle grade envelope a bit. This one starts out cool with the main character reading his school paper which is about the lore of the town’s cemetery. This opens the story up for the ghouls to be real, and for him to get infected, when his teacher likes his story so much she makes them take a trip to the cemetery for class.

Fun and definitely silly with some dancing elements involved. Personally a 3/5*.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

LMAO the ending cracked me up. Spencer's character was funny, intriguing and overall fun. I liked the ghouls and the taking over the body scenario. It was a good read overall.

[Carmine R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scambio di corpi.

Ottima prova di Stine, questa volta alle prese con cimiteri, spettri dalla dubbia morale, animali contenitori e tanto, tantissimo, desiderio di infondere paura nel povero lettore.
Indovinato il finale sia nella risoluzione, che nel classico plot twist.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an amazing goosebumps book about ghosts and the living. R.L. Stine has really hit the jackpot of great ideas!

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the part when Audra turned into Spencer and Spencer turned into Audra in the end of the book!!!

[Aniket Choudhury · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Goosebumps.

[Kristian Dobson · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a rancid turd. Sometimes you should never revisit your childhood.

I remember my parents buying me this book when I was around 8-9 at a World Book Day event at school. I remember wanting it, not because it was Goosebumps (I didn't really know or care about the franchise), but because it had grotesque zombies on the front cover. When I was that age I was obsessed with zombies: the first two Resident Evil games where out at the time, and Romeo's Living Dead trilogy was the shit! So of course I wanted this.

I barely remember anything about it other than that. The only other memory I have is I quite often drew the front cover art in school and at home. Like I said, I loved zombies.

So reading this now. It's sad to say it's utter tripe. Now, I know it's a kids book. But that doesn't mean it gets a pass from being bad. There are plenty of children's book that I read now and will gladly do so again. The Hobbit and Coraline by Neil Gaiman comes instantly to mind. The problem with this book is there is nothing interesting, nothing other than cliches and childish tropes.

The story is basic beyond belief. And that's fine. But it's not engaging at all. The main character is a boring. The plot is filled with pointless end chapter cliffhangers that either get retconed, or glossed over just for the sake of shock. And I get it, it's a kids book blah-blah, but do you really want your kids to learn such tedium? If Tolkien and Gaiman can educate kids with clever plotting and intriguing worlds, then why can't R.L Stine? It's almost as if he doesn't care. Maybe he doesn't. Or at least not by the time he wrote this one. I've never read another Goosebumps story. Not as a child, or not now so maybe I'm wrong to judge his career based on one work, but this is a trite, patronising affair. If I ever have kids they will be guided away from these works. Or I hope so. Children's books don't have to be formulaic, and full of holes and it-was-all-a-dream styled mentality. Children deserve better.

The one thing reading this again has brought me is another memory. I remember the plot vaguely from when I was a child. But what I do remember was disappointment back then, but for completely different reasons that I've stated here. I've said that I chose this book because of the zombies crawling on the front cover. Well, this book isn't really about zombies at all. It's more a ghost story about spirits taking over peoples bodies. decaying, walking corpses are briefly mentioned. When I read this as a child I remember being rather annoyed that cover was a lie. I wanted a book about zombies eating flesh and terrorizing cities. Not this mundane farce.

So, although for different reasons, it turns out a book I bought based on my childhood that I thought I loved, it turns out I hated it then too. Man, I wish I would have remembered that before I bought and read it again! Oh well.

1/5

[UK Goosebumps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was not expecting this type of story based off a cover like this and a title. A little misleading but hey, the story idea wasn’t to bad. A kid getting taken over by long dead angry ghosts essentially. I liked the kind of body transformation stuff into different animals as it was kind of a like a take on a shrink story but with more added to it. The rest of the book dragged a little but it’s was still fun and included stuff so i didn’t get bored. Our main character is pretty clever and hard working so it was good not to just see him give up and I was rooting for him. The real let down of this book was the last 10 pages. It is literally the most silly way to end the book and the reason for our character defeating the ghouls just makes no sense as apparently dancing kill them because it’s a sign of life😂. There could have been many better ways of ending this book. The last twist is ok but they never explain what happens to our characters after as technically they did just destroy their entire neighbourhood. 3/5.

[Alysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Verdict: Pure Goosebumps Perfection!

​If you are looking for peak R.L. Stine, Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls absolutely delivers. It takes all the best elements of the Series 2000 run—darker vibes, higher stakes, and unrelenting pacing—and turns them up to eleven. This is a creepy, body-snatching masterpiece that stands out as one of his absolute best.

​Why It’s Awesome

​Genuinely Creepy Concept: The idea of ghouls rising from a historic graveyard to steal the bodies of the living is brilliant. The body-swapping dynamic adds a layer of intense paranoia that Stine executes perfectly. You're constantly on edge wondering who is actually still themselves.

​Immersive Atmosphere: Spencer’s Valley feels alive with dread. From the foggy cemetery to the eerie local lore, Stine sets a moody, sinister tone right from page one and never lets up.

​Unstoppable Pacing: There is zero filler in this book. The action starts immediately when Spencer accidentally knocks over a headstone, and it's a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat ride all the way to the final page.

​A Killer Twist: The ending delivers one of those classic, punch-in-the-gut Stine twists that leaves you staring at the book in absolute shock. It’s the perfect, spooky exclamation point on a fantastic story.

​Final Thoughts

​"An absolute must-read for horror fans. Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls is R.L. Stine at his absolute finest—spooky, fast-paced, and wildly entertaining."


​This one is an easy 3 stars. It’s an unforgettable trip into the cemetery that reminds you exactly why Stine is the master of kid-friendly horror!

[Sammy Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

[Callumhopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book with twists and turns surprise and shocks round every corner it even scared me at times!!

[Evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super nostalgisch 🤭

[House of Goosebumps · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.75/10

Amazing plot and atmosphere. The ending is sort of corny and anti climatic but still a good book.

[Poseidon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 first half is really good after that idk

[Leslie Matey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my son and he was definitely following along throughout the book. He laughed at the ending, which we did not expect.

[Sydney Coley · Rating 4 out of 5]

chasing the nostalgia of my local library’s summer reading challenge circa 2005.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it but hate it ended on a cliffhanger... ugghhh

[Tiffany Spencer]

Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls 14
It starts off with Spencer describing Highgrave. Spencer lives in a town overshadowed by Highgrave Hill. There’s an old graveyard on top of the hill. Spencer can see the graveyard from his bedroom. At night, the gravestones seem to flat (which causes Spencer nightmares).

He tells them about the “graveyard ghouls”. It's said that the dead can’t rest because the graveyard is too high. Because the dead are restless, they become ghouls who pace and moan and shuffle through the fog. The teacher praises Spencer for how descriptive his writing is. Audra is encouraging. Frank and Buddy tease him.. Spencer wishes he were cool like Frank and Buddy.

Mrs. Webster asks Frank to read his paper, but he admits he hasn’t finished and doesn’t know what his essay is about. So, she asks Spencer to continue reading. Spencer starts to read, but is cut off by the bell. Mrs. Webster says she’s inspired by Spencer’s essay. Tommorw they’ll go to the graveyard to summon the ghouls.

That night, Spencer sees a bright light flickering over the hill. Then fog rises and covers the hill. Spencer hears a long moan and noises coming from the graveyard. The moan sounds sad and human and animal at the same time. The next day, the class takes a trip to the graveyard. It’s a cold, gray, morning. Spencer can’t find his backpack, so he borrows his little brothers purple toddler backpack. This gets him teased by Frank and Buddy.

Spencer tries to act cool because he thinks Audra is one of the prettiest girls at the school. Spencer accidently falls unto a gravestone in fear of a spider. Audra helps him up, and he tries to play it off. Mrs. Webster gives them the assignment of doing gravestone rubbings. Frank starts fooling around and acting like he’s a graveyard ghoul. Spencer and Audra read some of the graves. One says William Swife who died on the hanging tree in 1852.

Spencer finds a double tombstone for Oswald Manse (15) and Martin Mansee (13). A crow is carved into the stone. Spencer thinks Audra will like it and goes to find her. He trips on the stone and knocks it over. Something cries out.Audra points out something out a warning at the bottom of the stone that says “Disturb our rest at your own PERIL!” Mrs. Webster calls everyone back. Spencer tries to life the fallen tombstone but can’t. As he turns to leave, a reaches up from underneath the ground and grabs his ankle. Spencer shakes it loose and runs to join the class. When he looks back, he doesn’t see anything and wonders if his foot just got tangled in a vine or weel. Or was it a graveyard ghoul?

That night, Jason demands to know where his backpack is. Spencer realizes he’s left it in the graveyard. Jason says if he doesn’t go get it he’ll tell. Spencer knows he can’t go alone. So, he calls Audra and asks her to go with him. When they get there, Audra tells him Frank called her to do homework together, but she told him she was going to the graveyard with Spencer. Luckily there’s no flickering lights this night. Something jumps out at them, but it’s just a bunny. By now, it’s pitch black. Spencer trips over a hole. He spots the backpack leaning against a tree and grabs it.

Audra starts to breathe hard. Then there’s the sound of leaves rustling. Someone steps out from behind a tree. It’s just Audra. But if she’s by the tree, who was breathing hard behind Spencer? Spencer turns, but there’s no one there. The backpack slips. When he picks it down Audras gone. Then he sees her again. She’s examing a baby’s grave that has a lullabye on it. He heads over to her and finds his cap (that got knocked off during the trip). But inside the cap is a head.

When Audra looks, it’s gone. Then they hear a voice saying, GIVE ME BACK MY HEAD! Then Frank, Buddy, and two other guys step out of the shadows. Spencer tries to leave, but Frank blocks his path. They tease him about belieiving thre are ghouls. Frank grabs Spencer (making him drop his flashlight). He gets loose and grabs Audra hand, but Frank grabs him again and shoves him up against a tree. Then a gravestone. Franks friends tie him up. Audra runs off to get help. Frank and his friends tie Spencer to a gravestone and race off.

Frank calls out to them. He then feels bats flying against his face. They vanish back into the trees. Spencer tries to tell himself he won’t be there all night. Audra went to get help, but it's taking her too long. He tries to loosen the rope, but it remains taut. It looks as it a tombstone has shifted. Then he hears a moan. Another tombstone shifts. Another moan. Spencer tries to free himself. A green mist rises and starts to chock Spencer. Then he hears a voice say, “I need your body.”

Spencer starts to feel weak as the voice continues to request his body. Something pushes down on his head. The pressure moves through his entire body. He can’t think. He can’t breathe. Then his body starts to float. He sees himself starting down at his body tied to the tombstone.

Then he watches as a ghoul takes over his body. Spencer tells him he can’t have his body and tries to float back to himself, but the mist is holding him down. Then he hears Audra’s voice and sees his parents coming to rescue him. He tries to yell to them not to untie him -it's not him- but they don’t hear him. They start to leave. Spencer tries to pick up the flashpack and get their attention but he’s air so his hand passes right through it. Spencer tries to follow them, but finds he can’t leave the graveyard. Then he’s dragged down into an open grave.

Something tells him to stop fighting and give in. They beckon for him to sleep forver. He starts to think, yes, that sounds like a plan. But he fights the tiredness, and with a burst of strength he emerges from the tomb. Ghosts rise from the graves and tell Spencer he’s one of them now, and welcome him. He turns down the offer, but they tell him his body is gone. They then start to dance in and out of the moonlight. Spencer starts to feel himself being pulled back to the grave, Spencer resists and repeasts he wants his body back.

They say he’ll never get it back because Oswald Manse has it. He disturbed his tombstone. They say he’s too mean. They tell him there is a way to get his body back, but he has to figure it out on his own. They start to dance again, and Spencer again starts to feel himself being pulled down. Then a strong wind rescues him. He then sees dozens of rats moving through the gravestones searching for food.

Spencer watches as they attack and eat a bunny. Then he knows what he has to do. He posses a rat and invades its body. He heads for home, but gets distracted by hunger. He finds a trash can but has to fight off several other rats. They almost kill him, but he escapes on a cable cord to his home. When he gets there, he gets a danger signal, and then he hears the footsteps of Duke (there black cat). It’s then he remembers he’s not himself and Duke pounces and knocks him to the ground.

He’s about to devour him, but Spencer jumps on his head and posses the cat. He drops the rat by the kichen door and enters the house through the cat door. He then tries to wake up his mom and dad. He tries to explain to them that there’s an evil gowl in the house, but it comes out cat cries.

He tries to write it, but he gets put out by his dad. He gets back in through the window and leaps onto his bed. The pillows and sheets have been ripped. The matterss has a hole. His clothes are destroyed. He finds him in the kitchen stuffing his face. He finally spots Specer and says he’s so hungry. He hasn’t eaten in 200 years. He tells Spencer he knows who he is, but he’s wasting his time. He tells her to go back to the graveyard. Spencer says to give him his body. He says he doesn’t want it. It’s scrawny. After he eats, he’s going to find another body and destroy Spencers. He tightens his hand on Specer’s neck.

He carries him to the basement and traps him in a cardboard carton. Spencer tries to claw his way out, but realizes it’s not going to work. He’s too small. He feels something on his fur. It’s a spider. He’s about to kill it, but decides to possess it instead. He’s now able to cawl out the crack in the box and go up to his brothres room. He then takes over Jason’s body. Then he hears a scream. His mom and dad have found the mess in the kitchen. They ask if she’s seen Spencer (thinking it’s Jason) but he tries to explain he is Spencer. They send him to his room. They say someone must have broken into the house.

Outside there’s a lot of damage to property and cars. There’s even a fire. There are sirens and the the police pull up. Spencer sees himself grab a fireman’s ax and swing it at him. He swings it at a mailbox and then a garage door. Police surround him and tell him to drop the ax. He swings the ax at an officer's head. The officer tells him to drop the ax or they’ll shoot. Specer pleads with them not to shoot his body, but they say they have no choice.

The officers shoo him away. The ghoul vanishes. Then spencer sees him again demolishing Frank’s parents tool shed. Then he sets it on fire. Frank comes out and yells that he’s going to kill him. The ghoul decides he wants Frank's body. Frank grabs “Spencer”. Spencer tries to get Frank to call the fire deparment or police. The ghoul says he’s going to take over Franks body (to Spencer) and throw his in the fire.

The ghoul starts to burn himself. Spencer jerks him back. Frank tackles the ghoul. Spencer pulls him off the ghoul. Frank leaves to call the cops. The ghoul jumps into some bushes and vanishes. It’s then Spencer thinks of Audra. Maybe with two people, someone will listen to them. So, he goes to Audra’s house and wakes her up.

He tries to explain he’s Spencer in Jason’s body and that the ghouls stole his body, but when he looks into her eyes, there are just black holes (no irises). He realizes Audra is in the cemetary and the ghoul has taken her body. But this ghoul is Martin. He picks him up and hurls him across the room, and knocks him unconscious. When Audra's mom comes to check on her, he comes to and jumps out the window. He heads for the graveyard. Ghouls are hovering over his and Aurda’s body.

Ghouls surround them and start to dance. He finds Audra under a tree, but trips over another tombstone and turns it over. There are words on it. DEFEAT DEATH ONLY BY LIVING. A black dog enters the cemetery. Spencer tells Audra how to posses it. It takes her a minute, but she finally slips into the dog's body. Outside, there’s chaos. Sirens and police. Franks house is destroyed. They see Audra and Specer barge into Spencer’s house with axs. They start to terrorize Spencer’s family. Spencer and Audra barge in and tell the ghouls to go back to their graves.

When Spencer and Audra run from the ghouls, Jason demands his body back and says he’s going to take it back. As he does, Spencer and Jason start to do a wild dance. The ghouls drop to the dance and moan. Spencer realizes the dance is making them weak. The words come to Spencer: defeat death only by living. What makes you more alive than dancing? So Spencer dances and dances. (Something he hates to do). The ghouls collapse. But his and Aurda’s bodis are laying face down on the ground.

Spencer floats out of Jason’s body, and Jason’s body is returned. Spencer returns to his body. But its Audras body Spencer’s slipped into and Audra’s body is gone.

Rating: 6 The end was… When I rea it the first time I thought I’d read it too fast. I read it again and it didn’t make it any better. How did Spencer get into Audra’s body and he dove into his own and where’d her body end up? Then they defeat the ghouls be dancing? This definitely could have ended better than it did.

[Cosmic · Rating 3 out of 5]

the ending was very silly but it was a fun read like all other RL Stine books
oh and they didn’t even cover the aftermath of spencer’s body destroying the town
i would like a full length book about the trial of spencer and audra where they end up sentenced to 20 years in a mental asylum