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Goosebumps SlappyWorld #9
Revenge of the Invisible Boy
Goosebumps available soon on Disney+! Magic Club is supposed to be fun for Frankie Miller and his friends. But that pest, Ari Goodwyn is always ruining everyone's tricks. After a really embarrassing fail, Frankie wants revenge. When the legendary magician, Mystical Marvin, comes to town to perform his daring stunts, Frankie sees an opportunity to get even with Ari. There's only one everything goes wrong. Can Frankie and his friends make things right? Or will the opportunity to disappear...forever.
132 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2019
104 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,740 books18.9k 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 46 reviews
October 2, 2019
This latest SlappyWorld entry arrives hotly anticipated. Keen Goosebumps fans recognize the title as a direct reference to the 2015 movie. The title is where the connection ends, however, so don't expect any hints or clues relating to the film. As disappointing as that is, Revenge of the Invisible Boy lives up to the general expectations of the series. Not the best, but not the worst.
Even though I knew going in there wouldn't be any movie references, I still hoped the Invisible Boy would prove to be a somewhat diabolical villain. He's not, though. Not even a little bit. The whole dilemma is sadly low on conflict and the ending--Stine's usual expertise--falls flat. Nevertheless, Stine once again proves himself unputdownable and I cannot say I wasn't entertained for 3 hours.
Overall, a weak SlappyWorld addition, but if you've already read everything else in the series, it's certainly not bad enough to skip.
Even though I knew going in there wouldn't be any movie references, I still hoped the Invisible Boy would prove to be a somewhat diabolical villain. He's not, though. Not even a little bit. The whole dilemma is sadly low on conflict and the ending--Stine's usual expertise--falls flat. Nevertheless, Stine once again proves himself unputdownable and I cannot say I wasn't entertained for 3 hours.
Overall, a weak SlappyWorld addition, but if you've already read everything else in the series, it's certainly not bad enough to skip.
November 7, 2023
One of the first Goosebumps books was Let's Get Invisible! in 1993, and twenty-six years later R.L. Stine returns to the subject with Revenge of the Invisible Boy. Frankie Miller, age twelve, is an aspiring magician. He and a few friends from school host a magic club that meets every week. Melody Richmond and Eduardo Martinez are likeminded young hobbyists who enjoy creating and discussing magic, but Ari Goodwyn, the fourth member of their club, is not. He's more interested in mocking the other club members and stirring up trouble. Frankie would love to exclude him from the club, but he's the only member with a nice basement to offer for their meetings, so his participation is grudgingly accepted. When Frankie's father obtains tickets for all the club members to see a live performance by Mystical Marvin, a world-famous magician, Frankie, Melody, and Eduardo are thrilled, but Ari spends most of the show making snide comments to Frankie about Mystical Marvin's act. Frankie is tired of Ari's shtick, but he's fascinated by Mystical Marvin's finale: going invisible in front of a packed auditorium. Desperate to learn how he did it, Frankie and Melody sneak backstage to ask the magician.
Audience members aren't permitted backstage, but Mystical Marvin takes pity on Frankie and Melody and agrees to explain the trick. He warns that they won't be able to duplicate it; the finale was a product of real sorcery, not illusion. Mystical Marvin shows his two young fans a bottle of sparkling yellow liquid, which he claims was passed on to him by a powerful sorcerer. Drinking it allows him to temporarily go invisible, but no one else knows the formula. When Mystical Marvin is out of the room, Frankie steals a small amount of the liquid. He figures it's a good way to get revenge on Ari: slip a few drops into something he drinks,then watch him turn briefly invisible. Ari won't be so smug after that. The problem is, now there's an invisible kid running around...and Mystical Marvin's elixir isn't wearing off. Only the famous magician himself could possibly counteract the effect of Frankie's misguided prank, but will he be able to set things right, or is at least one member of the magic club doomed to never be seen again?
Revenge of the Invisible Boy is somewhat entertaining, but the ending feels hurried and sloppy, as though the author couldn't think of a fitting way to punctuate the story. That's too bad, because R.L. Stine is superb at cleverly bringing a narrative full circle when he puts his mind to it. I rate Revenge of the Invisible Boy one and a half stars, but probably could have rounded up instead of down. The SlappyWorld series consistently falls short of the original sixty-two Goosebumps books, but if you just want to enjoy R.L. Stine's distinctive storytelling style, you'll appreciate the SlappyWorld series. It can be fun.
Audience members aren't permitted backstage, but Mystical Marvin takes pity on Frankie and Melody and agrees to explain the trick. He warns that they won't be able to duplicate it; the finale was a product of real sorcery, not illusion. Mystical Marvin shows his two young fans a bottle of sparkling yellow liquid, which he claims was passed on to him by a powerful sorcerer. Drinking it allows him to temporarily go invisible, but no one else knows the formula. When Mystical Marvin is out of the room, Frankie steals a small amount of the liquid. He figures it's a good way to get revenge on Ari: slip a few drops into something he drinks,then watch him turn briefly invisible. Ari won't be so smug after that. The problem is, now there's an invisible kid running around...and Mystical Marvin's elixir isn't wearing off. Only the famous magician himself could possibly counteract the effect of Frankie's misguided prank, but will he be able to set things right, or is at least one member of the magic club doomed to never be seen again?
Revenge of the Invisible Boy is somewhat entertaining, but the ending feels hurried and sloppy, as though the author couldn't think of a fitting way to punctuate the story. That's too bad, because R.L. Stine is superb at cleverly bringing a narrative full circle when he puts his mind to it. I rate Revenge of the Invisible Boy one and a half stars, but probably could have rounded up instead of down. The SlappyWorld series consistently falls short of the original sixty-two Goosebumps books, but if you just want to enjoy R.L. Stine's distinctive storytelling style, you'll appreciate the SlappyWorld series. It can be fun.
April 19, 2025
Rancid vibes, not good
December 22, 2021
This book starts by following in the footsteps of Bad Hare Day from OG62, where our protagonist is obsessed with magic and goes to see a magic show hosted by the famous Mystical Marvin. (I think that was his name)
What proceeds is our main character turning invisible due to a failed "prank", and then having fun pranking friends and other kids while invisible before the reality of his condition sets in. The suspense of this story revolves around the MC trying to return to normal after he is unable to find the famous magician and the invisibility doesn't seem to wear off.
What we get is a somewhat fun, but lacking in horror adventure-type GB book. There's never any tension, not much of a mystery to this one, and the resolution is quite simple, leading to an uneventful twist.
Not a bad book, but not great either. Probably tied with Escape From Shudder Mansion as my second favorite SlappyWorld book so far, the first being It's Alive It's Alive. Continuing my general thoughts on the more contemporary Goosebumps entries... I'm not enjoying them a ton (they're okay) and it's a toss up as to whether or not I'll continue reading the SlappyWorld series or ever get around to doing a ranking.
2 / 5
What proceeds is our main character turning invisible due to a failed "prank", and then having fun pranking friends and other kids while invisible before the reality of his condition sets in. The suspense of this story revolves around the MC trying to return to normal after he is unable to find the famous magician and the invisibility doesn't seem to wear off.
What we get is a somewhat fun, but lacking in horror adventure-type GB book. There's never any tension, not much of a mystery to this one, and the resolution is quite simple, leading to an uneventful twist.
Not a bad book, but not great either. Probably tied with Escape From Shudder Mansion as my second favorite SlappyWorld book so far, the first being It's Alive It's Alive. Continuing my general thoughts on the more contemporary Goosebumps entries... I'm not enjoying them a ton (they're okay) and it's a toss up as to whether or not I'll continue reading the SlappyWorld series or ever get around to doing a ranking.
2 / 5
January 25, 2021
Revenge of the Invisible Boy.
Frankie Miller loves performing magic tricks, but his friend Ari is always up to no good. When the famed magician- Mystical Marvin comes to town, Frankie knows just how to get back at Ari. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned. Frankie, must now find a way to undo the magic trick, before he disappears forever!
This was my first time reading one of the Slappyworld books. And after reading numerous Goosebumps books from various series, over the years, I must say that this one disappointed me. There is always a certain expectation that one has from a Goosebumps book, and this book surely misses the mark. The story wasn't spooky at all, the charecters felt underutilized, some segments in the story felt pointless and unnecessary. The story was just bland, and lacked a sense of proper direction. Even the twist ending felt silly, unlike the unsettling, chilling endings that Goosebumps is usually known for. Definitely one of my least favourite Goosebumps books, R.L Stine could have definitely done a better job with the story, as he has done numerous times in the past.
Frankie Miller loves performing magic tricks, but his friend Ari is always up to no good. When the famed magician- Mystical Marvin comes to town, Frankie knows just how to get back at Ari. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned. Frankie, must now find a way to undo the magic trick, before he disappears forever!
This was my first time reading one of the Slappyworld books. And after reading numerous Goosebumps books from various series, over the years, I must say that this one disappointed me. There is always a certain expectation that one has from a Goosebumps book, and this book surely misses the mark. The story wasn't spooky at all, the charecters felt underutilized, some segments in the story felt pointless and unnecessary. The story was just bland, and lacked a sense of proper direction. Even the twist ending felt silly, unlike the unsettling, chilling endings that Goosebumps is usually known for. Definitely one of my least favourite Goosebumps books, R.L Stine could have definitely done a better job with the story, as he has done numerous times in the past.
February 14, 2021
I really love Stine's books where it's hard to guess the ending sometimes. Some of them are predictable, and some end with such a random solution/close, but they make sense because the stories are so weird. I really enjoyed this one.
February 3, 2022
I loved the end you’ll know why if you read the book
September 11, 2023
Not bad but not great either. The title isn’t really a big part of the book and chapters 20-25 felt really weak. But the invisible aspects were handled pretty well. Just overall M-M-M-MID!
February 1, 2025
Another book we enjoyed reading together. My 10 year old gave this a 3.5 and my 7 year old gave it a 4.0. Their biggest complaint was that it wasn’t ‘scary’ like the other Goosebumps books that they’ve read, but they still enjoyed the story.
Read
February 4, 2025A real uno reverse at the end. Read during Tutoring.
April 21, 2025
So boring Izzy and mik fell asleep for a bit of it
October 6, 2019
It's like a combination of the Goosebumps books Let's Get Invisible and Bad Hare Day. I enjoyed the story. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 15, 2019
Maybe a 3.5 - ending was really weak. But it was a lite fun read
October 3, 2023
TLDR;
I thought this might have some nods to Let's Get Invisible! (1993) but there was not one. The book begins: “Have I mentioned that I hare Ari Goodwyn? . . . I hate Ari, and you’ll soon see why.” Ari is the most frustrating character I've ever read; I despised him. I spent a lot of time wondering why they keep him around, he's a terrible friend and cares nothing for magic. There was no great plot twist, it was pretty obvious how it had to happen. The ending was very disappointing—not scary or even unsettling. This is a flop for me because of an uncharacteristically weak ending from Stine.
The wholemagic formula review:
Frankie Miller is twelve and loves magic more than anything. He's in a magic club with his friends Melody Richmond, Eduardo Martinez, and (major frenemy) Ari Goodwyn. He is very serious about magic and is preforming his new trick in front of the school, until Ari ruins it. Ari ruins everything. Afterwards, Frankie “only [has] one thought in [his] mind: How will I pay Ari back?” A week later, Frankie’s dad gets him four tickets to see the legendary Mystical Marvin¬—Frankie and the club even get second row seats! Ari continues to be a pest and continues to frustrate Frankie. After the show, Melody and Frankie sneak into the dressing rooms and meet Mystical Marvin. Mystical Marvin isn’t a magician, he doesn’t do tricks. So instead of a trick, he shows them something better. Once they leave, Frankie tells Melody that he’s “figured out a way to pay Ari back.” This is when things start to go downhill. The group makes a positive out of the negative situation, enjoying themselves for a few hours until reality starts to set in. Being invisible isn’t fun anymore. When will it end? Can the group figure out how to fix it? Who can help them? Adults? Mystical Marvin? Why is Ari still so annoying?!
Can we talk about the adults in this book? Broth & More Broth? Anyone?
I did spend the entire book hating Ari, but not in a redeemable way. I don’t understand why the group lets him hang around, especially after confessing what and why he did what he did. I could see that every group needs a skeptic, but Ari borders on extreme. I understand Frankie’s feelings, I do sympathize with him. The ending however, really fell flat. R.L. Stine is usually known for rewarding us with an unsettling ending, but not in Revenge of the Invisible Boy. The plot twists weren’t even good. Ari made me feel intense anger and frustration, but the ending wasn’t enough closure for me.
This book was just okay, I would give it a 2.5/5
I am unsure if I will raise it to 3 stars on GR though as 3 is "liked it" and I wouldn't go that far.
This is Day #2 of my October Challenge.
Day: 2/31
Books: 2/31
I thought this might have some nods to Let's Get Invisible! (1993) but there was not one. The book begins: “Have I mentioned that I hare Ari Goodwyn? . . . I hate Ari, and you’ll soon see why.” Ari is the most frustrating character I've ever read; I despised him. I spent a lot of time wondering why they keep him around, he's a terrible friend and cares nothing for magic. There was no great plot twist, it was pretty obvious how it had to happen. The ending was very disappointing—not scary or even unsettling. This is a flop for me because of an uncharacteristically weak ending from Stine.
The whole
Frankie Miller is twelve and loves magic more than anything. He's in a magic club with his friends Melody Richmond, Eduardo Martinez, and (major frenemy) Ari Goodwyn. He is very serious about magic and is preforming his new trick in front of the school, until Ari ruins it. Ari ruins everything. Afterwards, Frankie “only [has] one thought in [his] mind: How will I pay Ari back?” A week later, Frankie’s dad gets him four tickets to see the legendary Mystical Marvin¬—Frankie and the club even get second row seats! Ari continues to be a pest and continues to frustrate Frankie. After the show, Melody and Frankie sneak into the dressing rooms and meet Mystical Marvin. Mystical Marvin isn’t a magician, he doesn’t do tricks. So instead of a trick, he shows them something better. Once they leave, Frankie tells Melody that he’s “figured out a way to pay Ari back.” This is when things start to go downhill. The group makes a positive out of the negative situation, enjoying themselves for a few hours until reality starts to set in. Being invisible isn’t fun anymore. When will it end? Can the group figure out how to fix it? Who can help them? Adults? Mystical Marvin? Why is Ari still so annoying?!
Can we talk about the adults in this book? Broth & More Broth? Anyone?
I did spend the entire book hating Ari, but not in a redeemable way. I don’t understand why the group lets him hang around, especially after confessing what and why he did what he did. I could see that every group needs a skeptic, but Ari borders on extreme. I understand Frankie’s feelings, I do sympathize with him. The ending however, really fell flat. R.L. Stine is usually known for rewarding us with an unsettling ending, but not in Revenge of the Invisible Boy. The plot twists weren’t even good. Ari made me feel intense anger and frustration, but the ending wasn’t enough closure for me.
This book was just okay, I would give it a 2.5/5
I am unsure if I will raise it to 3 stars on GR though as 3 is "liked it" and I wouldn't go that far.
This is Day #2 of my October Challenge.
Day: 2/31
Books: 2/31
November 1, 2023
Frankie Miller loves magic. He and his friends Melody, Eduardo and Ari have a club dedicated to their shared aspirations. But Ari is always ruining everyone's tricks especially Frankie's. And when Frankie's biggest performance goes sour because of Ari, he decides to make him pay.
Meanwhile, Marvin, one of the famous magician arrives in town and all of them go to see his show. Mesmerized by his outstanding magical performance, Frankie gets an idea to finally show Ari, how his stupid ways to destroy Frankie's magic tricks could cost him his image.
What started out a little, harmless prank, counter fired and turned into a nightmare. What will happen next and could the magician help them out and make everything back to normal?
I pre-ordered this book and was eagerly waiting for it to arrive. And now that I have finished reading, I can totally say that I FREAKING LOVED IT!!!! It was awesome. I loved all the characters, the story, everything was just amazing. And there were these famous in between commentary from our favorite 'so not the dummy'🤣 Slappy which I adored through out the story. His snarky, sarcastic jokes were as usual as charming as his radiating personality to make laugh and quiver in fear at the same time.
Definitely a must read if you are a true Goosebumps loving reader. I cannot wait to read more from Slappyworld.
Meanwhile, Marvin, one of the famous magician arrives in town and all of them go to see his show. Mesmerized by his outstanding magical performance, Frankie gets an idea to finally show Ari, how his stupid ways to destroy Frankie's magic tricks could cost him his image.
What started out a little, harmless prank, counter fired and turned into a nightmare. What will happen next and could the magician help them out and make everything back to normal?
I pre-ordered this book and was eagerly waiting for it to arrive. And now that I have finished reading, I can totally say that I FREAKING LOVED IT!!!! It was awesome. I loved all the characters, the story, everything was just amazing. And there were these famous in between commentary from our favorite 'so not the dummy'🤣 Slappy which I adored through out the story. His snarky, sarcastic jokes were as usual as charming as his radiating personality to make laugh and quiver in fear at the same time.
Definitely a must read if you are a true Goosebumps loving reader. I cannot wait to read more from Slappyworld.
November 6, 2019
Let me start out by saying, "No, Revenge of the Invisible Boy" isn't a sequel to either the '90s Goosebumps books, "Lets Get Invisible" or "My Best Friend Is Invisible". This is a brand-new story with a new protagonist, Frankie Miller. The plot has more of a science fiction vibe to it than it does horror, along with a little bit of humor tossed into the mix. If a person could become invisible, you would think he or she would become a bit crazy with the power and eventually turn into a villain. However, this is a kid's story, so all Frankie does while being invisible is play jokes on his classmates.
I hate to nitpick but the cover art has really nothing to do with the plot as Frankie's clothes also turns invisible. I'm guessing the artist made the cover based solely on the book's title.
Overall, despite a little nitpicking, Goosebumps SlappyWorld: Revenge of the Invisible Boy is an entertaining, fast-paced read. While older Goosebumps fans might be disappointed with this tale, I'm sure young readers will love it!
I hate to nitpick but the cover art has really nothing to do with the plot as Frankie's clothes also turns invisible. I'm guessing the artist made the cover based solely on the book's title.
Overall, despite a little nitpicking, Goosebumps SlappyWorld: Revenge of the Invisible Boy is an entertaining, fast-paced read. While older Goosebumps fans might be disappointed with this tale, I'm sure young readers will love it!
March 16, 2022
The title and the book blurb are so misleading. Fails to deliver on the promise of an invisible boy seeking revenge. Instead we get an invisible boy running around panicking about not finding an antidote for half the book. The first half meanwhile was a slooow buildup before the said boy actually becomes invisible. The most shenanigans this boy does is a few paragraphs of small tricks done to random classmates who were never mentioned before, not even to the main antagonist, and thus rendering the pranks meaningless to the reader.
Still manages a 2 star since the voice narrating the audio book and that of r.l. Stine the author did well enough to get me through to finishing the book.
Still manages a 2 star since the voice narrating the audio book and that of r.l. Stine the author did well enough to get me through to finishing the book.
January 20, 2020
This book is one of the most best book R.L Stine has ever created.
The blurb at the back of the book was very interesting (what was the revenge) .
This is my most favorite book. I love the plot as how Frankie wants to get revenge on Ari after his big fall in front of the WHOLE SCHOOL! Frankie wants to get revenge, and after seeing Mystical Marvin, he wants to plan to put it into his lemonade. BUT SOMETHING GOES VERY WRONG....
The blurb at the back of the book was very interesting (what was the revenge) .
This is my most favorite book. I love the plot as how Frankie wants to get revenge on Ari after his big fall in front of the WHOLE SCHOOL! Frankie wants to get revenge, and after seeing Mystical Marvin, he wants to plan to put it into his lemonade. BUT SOMETHING GOES VERY WRONG....
July 25, 2020
Picked up this book to see R. L. Stines’ writing style after watching his MasterClass. Very quick witted and sharp. Story telling over character development. The story moves quickly and so does the reading. Happy ending but he leaves you with something more too, just like he said in the class. Now I didn’t care for those Slappy commentaries/intermissions. Maybe it’s because I’m not a kid but still.
January 20, 2021
A fine story but (and I know this is a children’s book) the laws of this invisibility potion are confusing. So if he puts clothes on or makeup, they also turn invisible but if he’s riding a bike or eating food it doesn’t? Not a ‘if invisible person touch it disappears’ law then how would it distinguish what to turn invisible and what not to? Especially considering the main character has no control of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2021
Definitely not my favorite Goosebumps book. I felt like this one was missing the creepy factors. Frankie Miller becomes invisible. We spend the whole book following him around while he tries to figure out how to become invisible. I think I just prefer the Goosebumps books that have some sort of outside force that is the source of the horror because a creepy doll is something that can actually happen in real life....becoming invisible is something that can not really happen.
January 29, 2020
I think I would have liked this when I was younger but now I have the very grown up opinion that Frankie was an annoying prat who deserved some cosmic justice. Got this book at a speaking event with the author who in real life is actually very funny. Would recommend as light reading for ages 13 and under.
May 12, 2022
R.L. Stine is a very hit or miss author. He admits to writing title first, then the ending and working backwards. This book is one of those cases where this does not pay off well. As a disenchanted adult, I understand I'm not the target audience for this kind of book, but I've read other books in the series that I've enjoyed better.
June 1, 2023
Not as scary as some other goosebumps books. The main character has no other motives besides the one at the beginning. The main character is also in a way annoying and overall unlikable. I guess you can say it has some redeeming factors but it doesn't change everything else. If you want a strange book you might like it but if you are a R.L. Stine fan I wouldn't recommend.
October 15, 2025
I’ve read a few goosebumps books and they were good. This one was also pretty good. Wasn’t really that scary, but the thought of being invisible forever is absolutely terrifying. And the twist ending (if you can call it that) wasn’t that scary, now that there’s a solution. This isn’t my favourite book in the series, but it’s a good one.
January 6, 2021
In the series this has been the mildest one yet. Invisibility is fun for a short time. Fun enough for a short read. I still recommend it especially for those younger audiences. Stand alone.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
October 11, 2021
It is an amazing book. Your curiosity will make you turn to the next page again and again. Though most goosebumps slappyworld stories don't have a happy ending, this one did. I would definitely recommend you to read this.
October 12, 2019
a very good book from the beginning to the end very hard for me to stop reading this book
December 27, 2019
Best Goosebumps book by far. Starts out slow but the middle really picks up and it becomes an amzing ride to the end! I don't what Stine did, but I hope he keeps it up!
March 15, 2020
Amazing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews