The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine

The Mysterious Matter of I. M Fine #1

by Diane Stanley

Strange things have been happening at Franny's new school. First it was the Jelly Worm Fad. Then came the exploding headaches that kept students home for days. When the latest creepy phenomenon lands her sister in the hospital, Franny and her new friend, Beamer, try to get to the bottom of it. Following a hunch, Franny discovers the one link that all these kids share—they're rabid fans of I. M. Fine, author of the mega-popular Chillers series. But I. M. Fine is nowhere to be found ... or is he ) Admirers of Diane Stanley's celebrated nonfiction picture-book biographies and her critically acclaimed novel, A Time Apart, are in for a treat as she shows her playful side in this quirky, fast-paced, and humorous mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Juvenile, Childrens, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Diane Stanley is an American children's author and illustrator, a former medical illustrator, and a former art director for the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Born in 1943 in Abilene, Texas, she was educated at Trinity University (in San Antonio, TX) and at Johns Hopkins University. She is perhaps best known for her many picture-book biographies, some of which were co-authored by her husband, Peter Vennema. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my childhood favorites that I read several times growing up. Reading it now, it (mostly) holds up. The pace is fast, the characters are charming, and the writing is very conversational. However there are aspects of the plot, mostly toward the end, that made me question what the objective of this book really is. Is it taking all the crazy criticisms of the 1990s Goosebumps book series ("These books will turn our kids into serial killers! These books will make our kids too afraid to function!! These books are brain washing our children!!! Kids should be reading REAL books like David effing Copperfield!!!!") and parodying these accusations to show just how unreasonable they are? Or does the author Diane Stanley agree with these crackpot views about Goosebumps being the downfall of humanity?

If she was trying to prove the latter, obviously she was wrong. We're still here, aren't we? I read the books and I turned out okay... I think. On the other hand, if Stanley thought these conspiracies were crazy (which they are) and wanted to show a world in which these accusations are possible, than she succeeded because this book is very funny. It's also a cute read, so if you loved Goosebumps as a kid then you might like this.

[Kelsi - Slime and Slashers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun middle grade read. Simple but definitely an entertaining time! I loved the premise!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with fun characters, and it’s much better if you view it as a standalone—the timelines, ages, and even character traits don’t line up at all with the Allbright Academy sequel.

[Miranda-Hermione · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book was read to me and my classmates by the school librarian back in middle school. It was well below my reading level even then, and wasn't the sort of book I would ordinarily have picked up on my own anyway. I'm quite glad, therefore, that she took the time to read it to us, because otherwise I would have missed a delightful book.

The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine (and its sequel, The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy) is my favorite kind of children's book: whimsical, full of kids getting out and Doing Big Things, and impossible to fit into a single genre. It's mostly written as a mystery, but with a hearty dash of slightly campy supernatural elements, and a side dish of outcast-kids-become-best-friends story.

Franny, our narrator and heroine, is sick of moving around all the time, of having no friends, and especially of being forced to be "the new girl" at a new school every September. But when all of her schoolmates suddenly come down with a rabid craze for a particular brand of jelly worms, Franny teams up with her book-report-partner, Beamer, to investigate. Could the new fad have something to do with the latest book in I. M. Fine's Chillers series (modeled not-too-loosely on R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books)? Could it be that something even more serious is afoot?

[♥ Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5. I remember reading this book for class. I could really connect with the main character. Her favorite color was yellow, too. :)

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franny's family moves a lot, so she's constantly the new kid at school. Her sister has a gift for zeroing in on the latest fads at their new schools and using those to seamlessly fit in, but Franny just has her love of reading.

Franny's newest school doesn't initially seem to be any different from her previous ones, but then she starts to notice odd things happening to a lot of the students. For instance, all of a sudden everyone is into jelly worms. A while after that, kids start spontaneously acting like snakes. Then there's an epidemic of intense headaches. It's bizarre and difficult to believe, but the only connection Franny can find between these incidents is that they're always similar to something in the newest Chillers book releases by I.M. Fine. With the help of her new friend, Beamer, she attempts to figure out what's going on and put a stop to it before someone gets seriously hurt.

This was okay. The writing was very light and conversational - nice, easy reading. As I've noticed occasionally happens in Middle Grade books, the author slipped in lots of mentions of other books (David Copperfield, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, etc.), probably in the hope of encouraging young readers to try them. And I'm guessing I.M. Fine's Chillers were at least somewhat based on R.L. Stein's Goosebumps books. The one mention that made me snort a bit: Stephen King's Misery. Granted, the focus was more on the movie than on the book, and I know I read King at a way younger age than Adult Me would be comfortable with, but still.

It was an interesting enough story, although a bit dated: I don't think of 2001 as being a long time ago, but the mentions of VCRs and pay phones and utter lack of cellphones reminded me that, yes, it was a while ago, especially from a young reader's perspective. I also found myself frequently questioning how these two kids were able to go so many places on their own. Beamer's grandparents thought they were spending the day at the pool, so I doubt they'd have had much cash, and yet they were able to take multiple bus trips and buy themselves a couple meals.

Franny and Beamer were lucky that everything they needed in order to solve the mystery was only a short bus trip away, especially considering the direction their investigation took. I thought the ending was a bit of a letdown, but I'm also not this book's intended audience. It did wrap everything up in a satisfying way, and despite the "kids' horror" cover art, it never got too intense or particularly scary.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was quite intriguing and thrilling until chapter 23. Then, out of the blue, came an easy solution for the mystery with a unconvincing coincidence.

SYNOPSIS: "Strange things have been happening at Franny's new school. First it was the Jelly Worm Fad. Then came the exploding headaches that kept students home for days. When the latest creepy phenomenon lands her sister in the hospital, Franny and her new friend, Beamer, try to get to the bottom of it.

Following a hunch, Franny discovers the one link that all these kids share—they're rabid fans of I. M. Fine, author of the mega-popular Chillers series. But I. M. Fine is nowhere to be found ... or is he)"

[Pulp_Fiction_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very much lampooning R.L Stine and the 'Goosebumps' series. From the obvious play on his name with I.M. Fine to references such as, the author releases a book in their Chillers book series monthly and sells a million copies every month (which is exactly what happened at Goosebumps peak in the mid to late 90's). Outside of that there's actually an interesting little mystery aspect woven through the story and while overall it lacked any real horror element and failed to blow me away it was still a solid, fun read and I would definitely recommend it to fans of goosebumps, shivers and other similar series.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was browsing through the books at my local library when this book cover caught my eye. The title intrigued me, and after checking it out, I couldn't put it down. It was a fun mix of light horror and mystery that left me guessing until the end. The twist ending was certainly surprising, but not in a good way, in my opinion. It felt a little lackluster. Nonetheless, I did like this book and will be checking out some of the author's other books in the future.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5. This is a fun children's mystery about an author who was controlling people through her books. Franny, age 12, discovers this, and soon her friend Beamer is helping her solve the mystery. It was short and cute.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and odd events have been happening at Franny's new school, and when she discovers the reasons behind it all, Franny and her friend Beamer set out to stop the madness caused by a series of books called the Chiller's written by the mysterious author I.M. Fine.

[Hiba]

In this book, The two children went to find the mysterious author and find out once and for all if the books really are causing all the trouble, because the same thing happens to those children who read this book.

[Bethany Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a student. The story line moves along fast enough to keep readers interested, and it would be a great book for struggling readers.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torn between 3 and 4 starts. My girls liked it a lot (9 and 11 years old). I think it started out strong but plateaued about half way through.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun mystery for fans of the Goosebumps series!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay that was creepy

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://spongey444.wordpress.com/2022...

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade mystery

[Linus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finish it really fun too read

[Kelly Chik]

The book The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine by Diane Stanley is a real page-turner. It is a speculative fiction book, which describes the mystery of a creepy phenomenon. It depicts a story about a young girl named Franny who notices something weird going on around town. She claims that a series of books named ‘Chillers’ by an author called I.M. Fine is causing the unusual activity that is taking place. She goes on a journey with the help of one of her friends named Beamer to try and find this mysterious author, and find out what is the relation between the strange activity and these books. I would recommend this book to any curious-minded and creative thinker, in view of its numerous cliffhangers and thrills. This book displays a lot of imagery and is very vivid in its details. It is suitable for any age under 14. I would give this book a rating of 3.8 out of 5. It is a great book to take your mind off of something, and it will really hook you the minute you start.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh no! I.M. Fine, the writer of a horror series for children, seems to be controlling the minds of children through his books! Each time a new volume of Chillers comes out, its readers are compelled to do stranger and more dangerous things! AND ONLY FRANNY AND HER NEW FRIEND SCOTT CAN STOP IT!!!!! AGH!!!!!!

I thought this book was pretty charming--a fun, easy read--and I liked the friendship between the two main characters. Especially recommended for fans of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book because the book was a good example of a fun filled adventure. Cranny and Beamer are on the hunt for the dirt on a mysterious author that's books might be causing fads ans sickness. With tons of trills here and there will Franny ever be able to stop it? Will I.M Fine have her fun and stop
This is a wonderful book but what I did not like was the ending. This book was getting really good then, the end. It was a goody goody ending everybody was happy nothing wrong done.
Over all this book was okay. Anyone who enjoys an adventure check out this book.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got around to re-reading my all time favorite book from when I was a child (maybe 10 or so?). I honestly didn’t remember much of anything from this book since it had been so long but I still thought this was a very interesting premise for a children’s mystery book. For a 10 year old I could see why this was so exciting. I wish this book (and its “sequel”) were more popular, they deserve way more hype.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. I read all the way from Chapter 17 to the end. I probably would have read the whole thing in one or two sittings if I did not have work to do. It kept my interest and had good vocabulary for children. I believe it will be good to teach reading comprehension through analyzing vocabulary through context clues. Also, it was a fun adventure, science-fiction. I am sure people would classify it as fiction, but the power of persuasion works in mysterious ways.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franny and Beamer, the main characters, are very frightened about the mysterious chillers series. If you like mysteries or fantasies this book is for you. I love when they go to Pennsylvania to find the author of these books, I.M. Fine, who lives there. My least favorite part was the sweet goody ending but it is still a really good book. This book is very suspenseful and exciting at the same time. This book is totally good for you. READ IT!

[Jessi]

I read this for my YA lit study. It was a quick read, and not terrible, although I thought the ending was rather cliche. It would probably be a great, entertaining read for a fourth or fifth grader who enjoys mystery stories.

I was amused by the transparent use of "I.M Fine" and the "Chillers" series. It was nice to have a throwback to Goosebumps. XD

[Konner · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's these mysterious books that when people read them mysterious things happen to them. The two main characters hunt to try and find the author of these books, I.M. Fine. Will they find the author or not?

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly exciting book that will get you thinking. A mystery that doesn't explain itself in pure sight. It's a great book and I loved it. Couldn't keep my nose out of it and I finished it within 2 or 3 hours.

[Sheralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While at first glance it just seems like another mystery for children, it is actually a book about the power of fads. It takes trends to the furthest possibility to expose the weakness of not thinking first. I highly recommend for elementary school children!

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summer Reading Club 5th grade. An author much like R.L. Stine is writing scary books that affect badly the people, mostly children, that read her. Frannie and her friend Beamer take it upon themselves to find this reclusive writer to confront her.