Diary of a Dummy

Goosebumps SlappyWorld #10

by R.L. Stine

Reading someone's diary is bad but Slappy is already evil, so how could anyone resist finding out all of this dummy's terrifying secrets?
What do Billy and Maggie McGee do when they find an abandoned ventriloquist dummy in an empty lot? They take him home, of course! As the pair tries to figure out why someone would throw out a perfectly good dummy, they accidentally bring Slappy to life. A night of horror ensues until the siblings put Slappy back into his case. But when they find Slappy's diary and clues that could lead to gold, they'll have to find Slappy's second diary while evading the evil dummy and other terrors.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Supernatural

130 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2020

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

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best 'Slappy' book since Night of the Living Dummy 2. Thrusts right into the action without any of the overused formula that has long fatigued the many dummy books. There's no kids playing jokes on each other, no unbelieving parents. So refreshing and unexpected!

The imagery is darker than usual too, with creepy bugs, heaps of trash, and a genuinely scary haunted house. It's dark, but also quite funny. This is slapstick Slappy through and through, with winks and nods to adult Goosebumps readers. Case in point, the delightful 'Child's Play' reference. For Goosebumps historians, this is also the first time Slappy seeks "servants" over his previous—less politically correct—desire for child "slaves."

The SlappyWorld series has been hit or miss (mostly miss), so this surprisingly perfect entry is worth celebrating. Highly recommend listening along to the audio version as well. Joe Fria, who typically only voices Slappy, narrates the entire thing and does a dynamite performance.

Can't wait for the next book! Stine said #11 ("They Call Me the Night Howler!") is his best work in 20 years. I wasn't inclined to believe him, but after this one maybe there actually is a Goosebumps renaissance on the horizon.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slappy's backstory has undergone significant, repeated retconning since his debut in 1993's Night of the Living Dummy, and Diary of a Dummy furthers the trend. Sixth-grader Billy McGee has had it rough in recent years. After his mother died, he and his family moved to Middlebury, where his father took a job as the garbage man. Billy and his fourth-grade sister Maggie don't often visit the dump, but one day they discover a suitcase there with a ventriloquist dummy inside. Billy begs his father to let him keep Slappy, but wishes he hadn't when the dummy comes alive and nearly destroys their house. A swift reaction and lots of luck allow them to trap the miscreant in his suitcase and drive him back to the dump, but Billy doesn't realize until they return home that Slappy dropped a book in the house. It appears to be the dummy's diary.

Billy's father is adamant that his kids never go back to the dump, but Billy and Maggie conspire to do just that after reading the diary on their own. In it, Slappy seems preoccupied with "The Gold", but doesn't say where the treasure is stashed. The financially strapped McGees could use an influx of cash, but Billy and Maggie don't want to get their father's hopes up until they find The Gold. Slappy's writings mention a second diary, which may give the location of The Gold, and the search for it brings Billy, Maggie, and her mousy friend Laci Munroe to an abandoned mansion called the Coldman House. Laci warns that it's a scary, dangerous place, but if Billy and Maggie's ticket to financial freedom is inside, how can they stay away?

The Coldman House is dark, moldering, and vermin-infested, but it's worse than that. Supernatural threats assail Billy, Maggie, and Laci after they enter, preventing them from running away. Is The Gold here, or was Slappy's diary a nasty ruse? When the surprising truth is revealed, escape becomes top priority, but Slappy wields stronger magic than in any previous book, and he's obsessed with forcing Billy, Maggie, and Laci to be his servants. Can they turn the black magic of the Coldman House against him, or has the living dummy claimed another trio of victims?

I don't love that Slappy's backstory has changed in major ways over the years (incidentally, why isn't his twin brother Snappy mentioned in Diary of a Dummy?). I'm also not a fan of Slappy's growing arsenal of powers, far more potent than anything in the earliest books. Still, Diary of a Dummy doesn't run completely off the rails, and avoids being a joyless retread of previous Slappy adventures. Some real creativity is shown, even if "Slappy fatigue" is a factor after almost thirty years of books featuring him. I'd rate Diary of a Dummy one and a half stars; it lacks the clever twists and artistic verve of 1990s Goosebumps, but the franchise remains fun. There's plenty yet to come in the SlappyWorld series.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun single sitting read which provides an enjoyable dose of nostalgia for fans of the original books from the 1990’s. Night of the Living Dummy was one of my favourite Goosebumps books and this lived up to the memory. Slappy is savvy and sadistic and surprisingly well rounded for a character who had limited page time despite the sub series title. A decent entry into the series; all killer, no filler in this one.

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different Slappy story that doesn’t defy any expectations. I appreciate how the book wastes no time jumping in the Slappy action, paving the way for the real meat of the story, and there’s some genuinely scenes in this book. The main characters wanting to help they’re dad (widowed and in a rough patch) by finding the “gold” is neat, and it adds a layer of depth you don’t usually get from a kids book. The pacing was consistent, the climax and its reveals were overall good, and I enjoyed Slappy here. Now for negatives, the ending. Alike to the Ghost of Slappy, the ending sucks for one reason: it ruins the story. The main characters want to find riches, and whilst they find something else instead (a cool twist), the ending just takes a dump on that development. A stinky one, too. The haunted house shenanigans feels a little too random and I wish that it could’ve had some level of foreshadowing to the reveal or was done a bit quicker. I get what it was doing but it felt really out of place even after finishing the book. There’s not much going for the story either, as my positives are just that the book is good, nothing banger esc. Overall, 7.5/10. It’s good. Slap tickle.

[Hew La France · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid story with some wonderful twists. My ONLY issue with it is that Stine missed an opportunity to reference previous owners of Slappy in the diary entries. Heck, at one entry, Slappy mentions a Jillian Jones. There's no reason that couldn't have been Jillian Zinman from Bride of the Living Dummy.
That aside, an excellent modern Goosebumps book. Reccomend it to any fans of the franchise.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diary of a Dummy is the first new Goosebumps book I've read in years and it's definitely subject to diminishing returns. Brother Billy and sister Maggie uncover Slappy the Dummy when their father, a garbageman, takes them to the dump on a fun family ooting. Slappy comes to life almost immediately and, in a surprising change of pace, doesn't hide his aliveness from their dad who proceeds to beat the crap out of the cackling, foulmouthed dummy. The family returns Slappy to the dump, only for Billy to uncover Slappy's secret diary. Aside from relating past tales of ill-humored mischief ("just because my head is made of wood, doesn't mean I don't have dreams," Slappy philosophizes), the Diary mentions that Slappy is seeking "The Gold" to improve his lot in life. Not reasonably, the kids assume from this that Slappy has a secret treasure and dig him up again...only to find that Slappy escapes, and that "The Gold" is his nickname for another sentient doll who tries to enslave the two children, unless Slappy can intervene. There have been about a billion Slappy books by this point, long since diluting the creepiness of its puppet protagonist, and Diary of a Dummy earns a few points for avoiding some of the obvious cliches; there aren't, for instance, 60 pages of escalating dummy antics that the parents blame on the kids, since Slappy vomits cockroaches all over Dad in his first scene. That said, the plot hinges on the protagonists being extremely stupid, even for children, and we get yet another retcon of Slappy's backstory (now he has a sister? What happened to Mr. Wood? When did he get the power to control people's bodies? Did this happen one of the five hundred Slappy World book's I've missed?) that confounds rather than chills. I did find the ending a bit unexpected and clever, but then Slappy never does receive much comeuppance for his misdeeds, because if he did R.L. Stine couldn't cough out Slappy Back 2 Da Hood or whatever the next installment is called.

[Zoey De Leon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 / 5

There is no denying that books starring Slappy are getting people tired and bored reading them over and over again from the past six years and I am still gonna stand that Night of the Living Dummy 2 is the only stand out and definitive Slappy book out there.

So since Son of Slappy, Book 10 of Slappyworld does introduce a fresh idea where these characters are in this kind of journey finding some book, which kinda reminds me of the newest Goosebumps book published as of today (House of Shivers: Scariest. Book. Ever.)
But. I wanna do stress out that just because this approach is new and different to the previous Slappy books, doesn't mean this one would suck or be your stereotypical Dummy story, and the case with this one like the previous Slappy books, this is just throughly painfully average. what didn't sit well with me is probably Slappy is barely in it. but when he shows up, especially the highlight of how this book ends is kinda brutal and I really do like that moment in the story, it reminded me of the last good Slappy book which is Son of Slappy.

I wouldn't deny I got some few fun in this book, I did read this very fast and quick, so I'd say I am kinda intrigued but I bet that I will forget all about this story when the few following days come.

[Perrilyn Pringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what, I'm glad Slappy finally got what hes wished for, for so long. Powers of mind control to give him slaves to boss around.

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a Child’s Play reference and it gave me life.

[Alton haskins]

H hang him

[Clover · Rating 3 out of 5]

TLDR;
Billy and Maggie McGee had to move to Middlebury after their mom died and their dad lost his job. Billy and Maggie find Slappy at the local dump where their dad works. They take him home and instantly regret the decision. After capturing him and burying him back in the dump, they find his diary that hints at something that could save Billy’s family. With the help of Maggie’s friend Laci, can the trio follow the clues and figure out what Slappy is hiding? The beginning and the end are two vastly different books, I am not sure how I feel about the ending still, but I did enjoy the atmosphere Stine created for us. Being a new kid in school and not fitting in was depicted well. Slappy got to show off a lot in this book, I enjoyed it.

Dear Diary:
Billy and Maggie McGee “started . . . at Middlebury Middle School last week.” Billy and Maggie were pulled out of the middle of their sixth and fourth grades respectively after their “Mom died and [their] dad lost his job” and their house. “Someone told my dad about a fixer-upper house here in Middlebury. A ’fixer-upper’ means a falling-down wreck. [But] we really had no choice. We moved.” It’s a pretty depressing start for a Goosebumps book. Billy seems pretty happy though, “[n]o one seems to care that [he doesn’t] exactly fit in.” That is, until his new friends find out his dad is Dumpster Dave when he picks them up from school. “My dad took a job hauling trash to the Middlebury town dump. The job was one of the reasons we moved here.” Someone has to do it and when your dad says: “Our roof is like Swiss cheese . . . so many holes”, and has no money to repair it, any job will do. But when your friends all wear “designer jeans and NBA sneakers . . . [with] cool haircuts”, appearances matter.
Billy and Maggie jump into the truck and they head to the dump. They’re excited to walk around. This is where they find Slappy, which might be a nod to Night of the Living Dummy (1993, Original Goosebumps #7) where twins, Kris and Lindy find Slappy in a dumpster. Despite their dad’s concerns, he allows them to bring Slappy home. “Of course, [they] were making the biggest mistake of their lives.” Slappy comes to life and spews disgusting green goo all over the house and adds a cockroach infestation to their household problems. They get eventually get Slappy back into his case and bury him in the dump. Billy and Maggie then find Slappy’s diary at home and start reading it. They realise how evil Slappy really is as he details all the things he’s done and how he feels about it. Billy finds mentions of something that could save his family, but he needs to find Slappy.
Eventually, Billy and Maggie recruit the help of Maggie’s friend Laci. She’s lived in Middlebury for a long time and knows some rumours that could help them. Billy refuses to give up until he’s found the thing that Slappy keeps talking about. Can Billy save his family? The ending is packed full of action.

I liked this book. I thought it was authentic in how you’re interesting until you’re not. People are friendly to the new kid, but have zero loyalty to them. His “friends” start picking on him over his dad’s job, so shallow but very typical of children. It was interesting to see Slappy’s powers more at work. I liked a lot of his descriptions and exposition in this book: “Of course, it began to rain. Whenever you pay a visit to a haunted house, there has to be pouring rain and flickering flashing of lightning in the sky.” And: “These days, he’s in a bad moon most of the time. Mainly because he’s always worried about paying the bills. And also because when it rains, our rickety old house is like living in a waterfall.” It really adds dimensions to the stress on their dad and the anxiety and frustration of Billy having to live like this now. My favourite dialogue was from a bus driver: “I bring a lot of people to that house. But I never bring them back. [. . . .] Good luck.” I wish we saw her more!

Considering how the book ends, I felt like a lot of the beginning was filler. It felt like he mashed two stories together. I didn’t like the ending, but I don’t think it was a cop out ending either. It was still a fine book and I thought how he portrayed being a new kid was true.

3.5/5 because I loved setting for the ending, but I didn't love how it didn't feel cohesive with the beginning of the story.

This is Day #7 of my October Goosebumps Challenge.
Day: 7/31
Books: 7/31

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ask a Goosebumps fan, "What's your favorite villain?" Most likely they will say, "Slappy."

The original Night of the Living Dummy trilogy was scary, especially through the eyes of young readers. Slappy became so popular that Mr. Stine brought the character back again and again. It has gotten where the character is no longer scary. Slappy is more or less a spoof of his former self, similar to the horror-icon Freddy Krueger throughout the Elm Street film series during the 1980s. For Slappy, the main issue has been the repetitive storylines, usually involving a 12-year-old who's gifted or finds a ventriloquist dummy. He/she brings Slappy to life, and then the dummy runs amok, tells cruel jokes, and plays a few evil pranks on innocent victims.

Diary of a Dummy begins with the familiar formula, but then there are several plot twists involving a weird diary, an old house, and a female ventriloquist dummy. And, no, she's not Mary Ellen from Goosebumps Series 2000: Bride of the Living Dummy.

Overall, Goosebumps SlappyWorld: Diary of a Dummy is a refreshing entry in the ongoing series. There are fewer silly jokes and more thrills. The descriptions are slightly darker with creepy imagery. It's definitely one of the best installments of the SlappyWorld series, so far.

[Evin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews are subjective. A five star for a children's book is entirely different than a five star for an adult. Goosebumps get their own rating system entirely. I have and always will love Slappy the best out of all R.L. Steins creations and, I know that isn't uncommon. He had a whole blockbuster movie just about him after all. Growing up with these books, you know that 1-3 all have their own set of tropes to follow. While Bride of the Living Dummy and Slappy's nightmare twisted this a little more, Return of the Living Dummy found itself back in the same roots for better or worse. This one is such a breath of fresh air.

To be fair, I haven't read any of the new goosebumps past Escape Panic Park I think it's called. I know he's featured in alot of these new ones so I don't know how those have went, but this one just blew the previous ones out of the water. All prior conventions were smashed so beautifully. The twists and turns of this book genuinely kept me guessing. Modern accepted realities such as a single parent and poor household were lovely to see. I feel our MC so hard. I'd dig up Slappy for some gold no problem. The ending was really spicy too.

--Posted on Mobile

[Jamie Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting one. We get to read what Slappy had done to other kids. Oh those poor kids. I wouldn't even try and read those words out load.

Well we star out with a kid named Billy and he finds Slappy and he reads the words right away. This time his dad see the craziness of Slappy and what he can do. They get rid of him, but the boys in Billy's school are making fun of him.

So he gets his sister to help him along with her friend. And we also get to meet Slappy's sister in this book. And she seems more crazy and scarier then Slappy. He wanted to go to her house she was staying because she has powers that Slappy doesn't have.

[Joseph D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 10 in the SlappyWorld spin-off. This one features Slappy and some new tricks. Also a new member of the cast that seems to contradict the story to date. Seems odd to suddenly veer off. I hope the author comes back and irons this out. If he does not this book seems in contradiction to the storyline. Read it and you decide if you like the direction this one took. ​Lower rating due to the contradiction.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Ninevah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Finished this book at 1 something in the morning. And I really don't have much to say about this book because every goosebumps book that I've read are all my favorite. I've loved this series ever since I was a kid and still to this day. Every ending surprises me, every ending makes me want to scream and that's what I like about R.L Stine's Goosebumps Books in general. All time favorite and I couldn't put it down.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book my favourite slappy book since the last one. Has interspersed diary entries from slappy”s point of view as you would expect from the title. And I particularly like the ending which is a happy one for the dummy which is about time. So I would say this was a pleasant romp I just wish the female dummy slappy”s sister was described in a bit better detail so to paint a clearer picture.

[Arielle Esmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am throughly enjoying rereading R.L. Stines books! It definitely makes me love reading. It makes me remember how much I loved them years ago. I can’t wait to continue the adventure! Also loved the fact a characters names is Ariel! Same as mine, but spelt differently.

[Noah Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. My favorite Slappyworld book.

[L.G. Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any story involving Slappy is a winner from my point of view. I'll never tire of new Slappy scary tales and RL Stine seems to keep coming up with more ideas for him - love it!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun book. Nothing original but I'd recommend.

[Sean Clancy]

I don't usually get scared or jumpy when reading but this book kinda had me looking around the room every time I heard a noise, for those of you who know what I mean you know what I mean

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was pretty stupid.

Also, shouldn't Slappy's evil twin have been included in this diary?

[David Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another dark ending! Slappy defeats the girl doll and makes the kids his slave's by putting them under a spell.

[Jasleen Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a goosebumps book after a really long time and it was a really fun with unexpected turns.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Brandi Gariss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like reading the book I think it's good because I haven't finished it yet but At school it was so😎😶

[Melissa Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not one of my favorites

[Josh Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a Slappy Tale! So fun. His relationship with Goldie is very fun. Love this series!

[Singapore_progods123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it