Stinetinglers

Stinetinglers #1

by R.L. Stine

From New York Times bestselling author R.L. Stine, the master of horror for young readers, comes ten new stories that are sure to leave you shivering.A boy who hates bugs starts to see them everywhere. A basketball player’s skin starts to almost drip off his hands—but no one else can see it. Three friends find a hole in the ground that just gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger... And each story is introduced by Stine himself, providing a personal touch sure to delight fans.Laced with Stine’s signature humor and a hefty dose of nightmarish fun, Stinetinglers is perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Stine’s own Goosebumps books. These chilling tales prove that Stine’s epic legacy in the horror genre is justly earned. Dive in, and you might be sleeping with the lights on tonight!

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Childrens, Audiobook, Halloween, Paranormal

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2022

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]

Stinetinglers: All New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales is exactly that. An all new collection of spooky tales from the master of Horror for Young Readers, R.L. Stine.

I'm sure you know him and if you are like me, you may love him. You may have loads of nostalgia for those classic Goosebumps stories.



I was so stoked when I heard the news that he had a new collection releasing, just in time for Autumn, featuring 10-new spooky tales.

I listened to the audiobook for this and had an absolute blast with it. It's fairly short, coming in at just over 5-hours, and it kept me completely engaged from start-to-finish.



The narration was so expressive and captivating. I thought numerous times how much fun this one would be to listen to on a family road trip.

I also really enjoyed how, as an introduction to each story, R.L. Stine wrote a bit about his inspiration and motivations for writing each story. This aspect reminded me of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King.

Personally, I feel like having that extra insight from the author on a short-story collection makes it even more memorable and in a way, personal.



Overall, I had a blast with this collection. I flew through it and honestly enjoyed every story. It's a great example of Stine's style and fulfilled all my nostalgia needs.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Stinetinglers is fun for the whole family this Spooky Season!

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 Stinetinglers ★★★★☆
#2 Stinetinglers 2 ★★★☆☆

Like many other horror lovers around my age, I grew up on R.L. Stine's books — I couldn't get enough of Goosebumps and I still love those books to this day. When I heard that Stine was coming out with this new short story collection, I was so excited to be approved for an advance copy and I couldn't pick it up soon enough.

I was actually going through a pretty rough time when I read this (we had just said goodbye to a very beloved pet), and nothing was holding my interest or offering me escapism until picking this up, but it was such a wonderful mood lifter and reprieve. ♥ It's not lost on me that, every time I'm struggling with a hard time or my mental health, I can go back to Stine's kids' books, new or old, and find something to distract me and make me smile.

If you like Goosebumps or other, similar slightly cheesy, silly, but still ultimately dark and creepy stories, I highly recommend picking up Stinetinglers! I think it's going to be a big hit with kids and adults alike, and I can't wait to share it with my son when he's a little older.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, death, monsters, ghosts, bullying

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[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten fabulous short stories from child scarer extraordinaire, R.L. Stine. Each story offers a bizarre, chilling premise, much in the tradition of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Prepare to be unsettled by monster robots, car ghosts, doppelgängers, holes in the ground that won't stop growing, and the stoppage of time. Every story is a hit but "How to Change Your Life" and "The Boy Who Heard Screams" were the most profound for me. I have a feeling I'll be haunted by those for a long, long time!

The typical Goosebumps novel is already short, around 20,000 words, but even they can sometimes feel bloated. Stine's artistry is really best suited for the short form. These concentrated doses of spooky illustrate just how effective his talents can be. I don't think it's ridiculous to compare him to Shirley Jackson. Stripped down to its essential parts, "The Lottery" follows the same structure of an R.L. Stine short story.

As an added bonus, Stine introduces each story by briefly explaining how he got the idea. It's fascinating insight for readers and fans, but also a great way to teach kids the process of creative writing. Very cool!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Another thing to say about the audiobook, you get to hear Stine's own voice for the introductions and each story is expertly performed by a skilled reader. The narration of "Bugs" was a particular highlight, as the reader chose a Southern accent for the characters. There's no indication the characters speak in a dialect in the original text, but I loved how the performance added that layer of personality to the words. Another teachable moment how interpretation can have such an important impact on the impression of literature.

All in all, highly recommended for Stine fans and those who might be discovering him for the first time. Enjoy!

[La loca de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los que conocen a este gran autor y hayan crecido con su mítica colección de Pesadillas lo pasarán en grande volviendo a revivir esos momentos con estas diez historias que harán que los más nostálgicos y amantes de ese terror con el que crecimos gracias a autores como Stine, para pasarnos luego a autores como Stephen King cuando fuéramos más mayorcitos y aguantáramos historias más perturbadoras, disfrutemos de nuevo como los niños que nunca hemos dejado de ser.

Los que conocen su estilo ya saben que une a la perfección situaciones de miedo y humor, y aunque algunos finales me hayan parecido mejorables y llenos de incógnitas (como nos ocurrió con "El hoyo en el jardín"), son relatos cortos que te harán reencontrarte con ese niño interior que notarán más presente que nunca según vayan avanzando en su lectura.

Estos son los títulos de cada relato:

⌚ "Bienvenido a la zona intermedia."

👨👩"Nuestros pequeños monstruos."

🖑 "Piel."

👻 "El fantasma del coche."

🗣 "El chico que oía gritos."

🕷 "Bichos."

📚 "Cómo cambiar tu vida."

👹 "El lado malo."

🌱 "El hoyo en el jardín."

🤖 "El constructor de monstruos."

Nuestros favoritos han sido El fantasma del coche, El chico que oía gritos, El lado malo y El constructor de monstruos 🔝

Me parece una lectura ideal para aquellos más jóvenes que deseen adentrarse en este oscuro mundo plagado de seres y criaturas de Pesadillas 😉, y no solo monstruos veremos aquí, Stine jugará con bucles temporales y con nuestra mente hasta la última línea del relato dando unos finales muy típicos en él, que te dejan con la boca abierta y cara de tonto 😆 pero además, deja que tu mente vuele y reflexione pensando en las enseñanzas implícitas de cada historia; los peligros de estar mintiendo continuamente, el lado oculto de las personas que afloran cuando menos te lo esperas, el hecho de valorar tu vida sea cual sea y no desear tener otra distinta ya que ello no implica necesariamente que vaya a ser mejor, o el gran poder que ejerce en nosotros la sugestión, por poner algunos ejemplos.

No me puedo ir sin hacer mención a la maravillosa edición, y no solo por la portada que es muy llamativa y colorida, imposible que no capte tu atención. Sino también porque antes de cada relato el propio autor nos detallará en una página sobre fondo negro, en que se basó o cual fue su inspiración para el relato en cuestión, con alguna anécdota personal incluida, lo cual hace la lectura más enriquecedora, saber qué se le pasó por la cabeza para crear cada historia es un regalo para cualquier lector.
El comienzo de cada relato viene encabezado por una detallada ilustración en blanco y negro que sirve para hacernos una idea del tema central en torno a la cual girará la trama.
Lo dicho, una delicia 👌

Si quieren volver a esa gran época de los 90' de la mano de Stine y recordar esas viejas historias de terror que dan para contar alrededor de una hoguera, no lo duden. En mi caso lo he leído con la mayor de solo 8 años y la experiencia ha sido más satisfactoria que si lo hubiera hecho sola por esas pequeñas charlas que teníamos tras acabar cada uno de los relatos 💜

¡A por el! 💀📖

https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜📖

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Collection of 10 scary short stories, that are sure to leave you shivering. I liked all 10 stories, really liked the boy who hated bugs. This book is made for children or all ages.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read YA or anything aged below adult anymore unless, however, it's written by Mr. Stine. I simply can't help myself. It's a powerful nostalgia I thirst for. I grew up on Goosebumps and own nearly every single book of the original 62. I was excited for this one especially because it's a collection of shorts. Each one was fun, exciting, and brought me right back to those nights in my twin bed under my covers with a flashlight. My favorite story has to be a tie between 'Skin' and 'Bugs'. I absolutely loved the author notes before every story too. I'll definitely be sharing this with my own kids.

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Qué decirles? Stine tiene un estilo al que se aferra desde hace mil años, y sigue así, no ha cambiado ni un poco. Me encanta tener la seguridad de saber exactamente con qué cosas me voy a encontrar a la hora de leerlo. Cada tanto (y sobre todo en época de Halloween) siento la necesidad imperiosa de recurrir a sus libros por un poco de nostalgia.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up devouring R.L. Stine books and when I saw this short story book was coming out I knew I needed the boost of nostalgia and I was so right. This book is right in line with the Goosebumps books I read as a kid except they are short stories. I listened to the audiobook of this one and absolutely loved R. L, Stine’s intros for each story. A super minor thing, I loved both narrators but was disappointed more of the stories weren’t staring female characters so the narrators didn’t feel balanced to me. The stories were super creative and full of creepy horror that will be fun for children and adults alike. I think the last story was my favorite about a boy who loves to make monsters and gets a mysterious present that will twist his favorite hobby in scary new ways.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed the Scares of R.L. Stine for decades. His newest collection of ten stories starring middle-graders, SPINETINGLERS, is no exception. Each story is good, and I'm not ashamed to say some turned me inside out. And I read in the daytime!

Audio August 26:
I was pleased with the Audio version also: the narrators are great at summoning mood (Including the frights!) and making each tale vivid.

[Austin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would say my favorite stories in this collection were;
Our Little Monsters
The Boy Who Heard Screams
and The Bad Side.
I'm using "favorites" a bit loosely, though. I can't say there were any stories in here I felt too strongly about one way or another.

I think maybe someone who hasn't been as exposed to Stine's stories would enjoy this a bit more, but as a seasoned fan myself, there's nothing here that feels inspired or original. It's just pretty OK.

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection over-all! It has 10 stories. I didn't care for 2 of them personally (but I didn't hate them or anything) and I really enjoyed the other 8! 3.65 average rounded up to 4
Welcome to the in-between 3.5
Our Little Monsters 2
Skin 3
The Ghost in the car 4
The boy who heard screams 5
Bugs 3.5
How to change your life 4
The bad side 4.5
The hole in the ground 5
The monster maker 2
These are obviously just my opinions, nothing more.
These stories are perfect for kids I think and they are certainly fun to read as an adult to. If you enjoy Goosebumps (or Goosebumps like books) definitely check this collection out. A few of them gave my spine a tingle!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So,fun fact.I thought for the longest time that the Stinetinglers series was actually called Spinetinglers.I forgot how I discovered this fact but I'm glad I caught on to it sooner rather than later,anyway,here is the review!

The In-Betweens-This story starts off with two kids playing hockey at a nearby frozen lake during december.One of the kids is always late and his friend is having a birthday party the day before Christmas Eve.He keeps telling the main protagonist not to be late and he says he hopes he gets a smart watch for Christmas.That night when he gets home he plunders through his guest bedroom to see of he can find his Christmas presents hidden away.He has been doing this since he was seven years old.He finds the present he's looking for,a smart watch.He ends up hearing what he thinks is footsteps and ends up breaking the watch and when the watch breaks it ends up being 6:10.He goes down stairs to eat but dinner isn't ready ,because it's still 6:10.He takes naps and it's still 6:10.He even calls his friend to discover the same.He ends up leaving the house and wondering around town and going into the playground where he finds a little bit of his answers.This story was pretty good.Im so happy we got another Christmas story from Stine.The playground scene was actually kinda creepy.I just wish we learned more about what was going on.We know the watch caused all of this,but it was a regular smart watch.I kinda wish maybe the dad got it from someone sketchy or something.I give this one a four out of five stars.

Our Little Monsters- This story is about a girl that babysits her two twin siblings and she refers to them as monsters because they are always into something,like throwing food and stuff.She decides to branch out and babysit for money so she puts flyers out.Nobody calls her,but her and a friend are walking one day and they see this family move into an abandoned house called Butcher house,with alot of mystery surrounding it.She quickly  introduces herself and gets the job babysitting the kids,who are also referred to as monsters.The kids are super weird with weird names and they make really weird remarks like when the main protagonist asks what's for dinner and the kids say she is.Im not going to reveal much about this one because if you've read certain Goosebumps books most notably one from the original series and one from the most wanted series you've read this one.I give it a three out of five stars because it was super predictable.But if you aren't super familiar with stine's work, I'd understand if you loved this one.

Skin- This one is about this kid that loves playing basketball and wants to be this super athlete.His dad always tells him he can be whoever he wants to be as a boost of self esteem.One day while playing though.This kid misses an easy shot and loses the game for his team he looks at his hand and notices the skin is drooping off his hand.He ends up dropping a glass at his parents' owned diner because of the same problem.He also ends up tripping at another basketball game,and sees that his feet are doing the same skin problem.His little brother points out that his skin is drooping off his face also.There is also this forbidden closet that he's not allowed to go inside.This story was pretty gross and really unpredictable.Even though I thought I knew how this was going to end.Props to Stine for fooling me.I just wish we actually got more of an explanation.I give thus one a four out of five stars.

The Ghost In The Car - This story is about these siblings that have to deal with their older cousin who lies alot and bullies them.He gives them rides to school ,so the kids mom never sees him doing any of this.One day the bully character picks them up and tells the kids somebody haunts the backseat.The kids get tired of him bullying them and decides to get even with them by making him belive in his own lie about a ghost.This one was infuriating.I was bored with thirty percent of this story and the pay off sucked.The wrong person got punished in my opinion.I give this one a two out of five stars.

The Boy Who Heard Screams-This one was almost the same structure as the last story but mixed up a little bit.Its about this kid that constantly lies about things like a cat being in a well.One day on his way home he hears a scream inside this house. Nobody believes him.His dad talks him into going in the house with a camera to see if he can get some cool pictures he ends up going inside the house and something actually really cool happens.This one was ok.I really enjoyed the ending.It was kinda fascinating.I just think it took to long to get there.I give it a three out of five stars.

Bugs- This one is a simple story about a kid being terrified of bugs.He panics if he sees any around.His older brother always makes fun of him like using a rubber spider and things like that.He has a birthday party coming up and a camp out thing and he doesn't wanna go because of bugs.He's at this party and hits a pinata only for a bunch of bugs to fall out in a pretty gross scene.He starts seeing a psychiatrist.We get a reveal of what's going on and it's entirely stupid.I gave this one a two out of five stars.

How To Change Your Life- This one starts off with a kid buried in sand.He tells the reader that his "friends"did this to him.His friends are pretty mean to him and he hates his life and wants change.His friends also set his dogs house on fire, which is written in away at first for us to think the dog himself got caught on fire.But don't worry he's ok.He gets out of the sand and goes to the library where he discovers a book.The book is how to change lives. He reads some weird words at the end of the book and basically  gets turned into a boy band guy that fans love and he hates it.This one was OK.I liked the fact that he wanted his old life back even though he was famous.I loved the ending also Four out of five stars for me.

The Bad Side- This one is about a kid that's a goody goody.He is raking his yard when his friend tries to talk him into going to the skate park.He sees a kid choking and saves him with CPR.These bullies pop up and claim that the protagonist stole a kids skateboard.The two kids run away to get ice cream and this time the owner kicks him out for stealing.But the kid claims he can't be in two places at once.This story was agian Ok.I actually predicted what was going on and I never do that with these type of stories.I give it a three out of five stars.

The HoleIn The Ground-This story is about a new kid moving to a new town and he meets these other kids and they tell him about a mysterious hole in his backyard.There is also this weird kid who follows him around but doesn't speak presumably because he's to shy.He goes to look at the hole in his backyard only to discover it keeps getting bigger and bigger ,until one day he finally jumps inside the hole.This one was okay with a decent mystery,but I can't give it to much credit because nothing is explained at the end.Props for including the cover art though.I give it a three out of five stars.

The Monster Maker-These two kids love making monster figurines.The main protagonist parents both work at places that help him with this hobby.There is this other kid that makes really good monsters too and the protagonist gets jealous.One day while coming home he sees this Frankenstine like monster toy thing on his doorstep.He has some slogans on the side and stuff like "he walks and he stalks",which is neat.The monster ends up coming alive and other things happen that's pretty cool.I give it a four out of five stars.

Overall,I thought Stinetinglers was just fine.Nothing was edgy or new to a seasoned Stine reader except for a few stories.I also wish more of the stories had propper explanations But I try to put myself In the newer generations shoes and If you've never read anything from him I think you will like it even more.I give Stinetinglers a three out of five stars.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten spooky stories for young readers, or like me, the young at heart. I was already an adult when Goosebumps and The Haunting Hour was on tv but that did not stop me from enjoying the show with my son, or buying him all the books, and years later I am still a fan of everything from the Fear Street books to the movies. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to get an early look at this new collection.

I loved the author's notes that tell where the idea for each story originated, and the spooky illustration at the start of each tale.
I think kids will appreciate the fast pace that can easily hold the attention of even the most reluctant readers. In true R.L. Stine style, some stories will have a message like being careful what you wish for and the grass is not always greener in someone else's life.
Not all stories will have a happy ending but the scares are age appropriate. Some of the stories are better than others, and some are just not his best work. I would still recommend this collection but I don't think it's on par with the author's previous works.

3 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

[Diana N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories definitely gave me some nostalgia. There was quite a variety and I felt like I was listening to short versions of the Goosebumps series.

Some stories were very predictable, but a couple favorites were Little Monsters and the tale about loose skin. There was one story that was a bit much on Audiobook, the screaming of "Help Me" got old real quick.

Overall many of these stories ended darkly and gave me some tingles. A fun Audiobook listen.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

[Silvie Klokgieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een jongen die een hekel heeft aan insecten, ziet ze opeens overal. De huid van een basketbalspeler druipt van zijn handen – maar niemand anders kan het zien. Drie vrienden vinden een gat in de grond dat alleen maar groter en groter wordt... Humor, onverwachte plottwists en een goede dosis horror. Koude rillingen bevat tien heerlijk griezelige verhalen waarbij de rillingen over je rug lopen.

Wat werd ik enthousiast toen ik zag dat er een verhalenbundel van R.L. Stine zou verschijnen. Als kind las ik de Kippenvel & Fear Street serie van deze auteur en deze vond ik altijd zo geweldig!

'Koude rillingen' bevat tien korte verhalen. Bij elk verhaal lees je een korte inleiding. Gemiddeld zijn de verhalen ongeveer twintig pagina's lang (of kort, het is maar net hoe je het bekijkt). 😉

De verhalen die in deze bundel staan zijn:

- Welkom in de Tussentijd
- Onze monstertjes
- Huid
- De spookauto
- De jongen die hulpgeroep hoorde
- Beestjes
- Verander je leven
- De slechte kant
- Het gat in de grond
- De monstermaker

Eigenlijk heb ik van elk verhaal wel genoten, alhoewel er toch twee iets meer er voor mij uitsprongen, namelijk 'Huid' en ' De jongen die hulpgeroep hoorde'.

'Koude rillingen' laat je als volwassen lezer weer helemaal teruggaan naar je jeugd. Het is dus zeker niet alleen voor de jeugdige lezer geschikt en ik heb er zeker van genoten.

R.L. Stine blijft voor mij toch wel dé jeugd horrorschrijver!

Ik wil @kluitman heel erg bedanken voor dit recensie-exemplaar!

Beoordeling: 4,0 ⭐️

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ Charming, cozy, and creative. Sure to thrill the young ones and relate to young horror, however tries to be a bit too relevant with how often Minecraft is mentioned. A bit lacking from the ones I grew up reading as a kid, but still a strong anthology perfect for the age group with some really awesome introductions from Stine before each story that I really enjoyed. I could listen to Stine talk all day. Entirely worth having as a collection, but I still hold nostalgic loyalty to his older work.

[Erin Talamantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Slightly disappointing as a big R.L. Stine fan. I’ve read a ton of his stories and story collections that were much creepier and eerier than these. Some of them were fun, but definitely not a new favorite.

[Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the stories were a lot of fun

[T ✩ Handmaiden Of Amidala]

Who remembers the copyright-evading Goosebumps-knockoff series in the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid books, "Spinetinglers"?

[January · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stinetinglers by R. L. Stine
210 pages Hardback

Genre: Horror, Children's > Middle Grade, Juvenile; Short Stories, Young Adult, Holiday > Halloween; Fantasy > Paranormal

Featuring: Kids, Graphics, Paranormal Activity, Clueless Parents, Author's Tidbits

Rating as a movie: PG - may not be suitable for children under 7

My rating: ⭐️⭐️

My thoughts: 📖 Page 45 of 210, 3 pages into "Skin." I don't know if I'm getting too old for these books, but I'm assuming they just aren't as good as earlier stories. I'm stopping now because I haven't eaten breakfast yet, and I fear I will lose my appetite if I continue.

Welcome to the In-Between ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our Little Monsters ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Skin⭐️⭐️
The Ghost in the Car⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Boy Who Heard Screams ⭐️⭐️
Bugs⭐️½
How to Change Your Life⭐️⭐️¾
The Bad Side⭐️⭐️½
The Hole in the Ground ⭐️
The Monster-Maker⭐️½

I didn't start reading R. L. Stine until I was 10, I was too afraid when they were first popular. My first book was Let's Get Invisible; it looked safe enough, and after that, I was in. I didn't like all of the books I tried, but I enjoyed them even if they weren't as good as others. I got back into R. L. Stine several years ago, when I decided to introduce the classics to my kids, The Haunted Mask was my favorite. I read The First Day of School Forever, and it just wasn't for me, but my son loved it. Stinetinglers may not be for me; some of the stories felt incomplete for short stories, and most weren't chilling at all. The best thing about this book was the stories that inspired them. I only picked this one up because of the season. 🎃 I don't often wish I could unread books, but this is one of them. These just aren't on the same level as his previous stuff, not even The First Day of School Forever which I gave 4 stars.

Recommend to others?: Nope. I didn't enjoy this collection, and my kid wasn't interested.

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Goosebumps, Fear Street, and standalone stories from R.L. Stine dominating my youth and helping to fuel my love for reading + reading horror, I jumped on the opportunity to read STINETINGLERS. This collection of new short stories is just what you would expect - and I mean that in the best way. I know I can always count on Stine's stories to help me escape, cheer me up, and fill me with a sense of nostalgia and continually fuel my love for horror. These stories are a lot of fun and each one has a brief blurb from Stine explaining a little about how he came to create it or who he thinks might enjoy it. I always love getting insights into the minds of authors, especially my favorites! Any Stine fan will absolutely enjoy this collection and I can guarantee an enjoyable reading experience.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Namens Kluitman mocht ik Koude rillingen van R.L. Stine lezen. Deze bundel bevat 10 verhalen waarvan je kippenvel krijgt en het zijn zeker griezelige verhalen kan ik je vertellen!

Elk verhaal start met een zwarte bladzijde, waarop een korte introductie van het onderwerp wordt gegeven. Hierna volgt het verhaal. Deze verhalen zijn redelijk kort, telkens zo’n 20 bladzijden en lezen vlot weg. Elk verhaal heeft een ander griezelig onderwerp. De onderwerpen balanceren op het randje van niet kunnen, maar het zou ook zo maar goed wel kunnen gebeuren. Het griezelige deel is overigens verbonden met actuele onderwerpen, als angst voor insecten, angst om niet op tijd te komen, angst om opeens een totaal ander leven te leiden, angst om niet gelooft te worden.

De verhalen bevatten een soort open einde. Als lezer moet je dus zelf het verhaal verder invullen. Heel tof hoe dit is gedaan, want het maakt dat je nog een tijdje nadenkt over het verhaal. ‘Welkom in de tussentijd’ en ‘De jongen die hulpgeroep hoorde’ sprongen er voor mij uit, brrr…. moet er niet aan denken dat dat bij mij zou gebeuren.

Koude rillingen is een heerlijk griezelige bundel met 10 korte verhalen voor kinderen die wel houden van zulke bizarre, griezelige en spannende verhalen! Zeker een aanrader om te lezen!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa! Lekker spannend! Ik was een beetje huiverig om de NL versie te lezen (vaak werken vertalingen gewoon niet) maar toch blij dat ik het heb gedaan. Ik wil wel de ENG versie kopen om aan mijn collectie toe te voegen want wat was dit boek geweldig. Echt heerlijk de Kippenvel-gevoelens. Lekker spannend en vreemd. Met eindes typisch voor Stine. XD Ik heb genoten van alle verhalen, dat is ook best zeldzaam, meestal heb je toch wel minstens een verhaal dat niet werkt, maar in dit boek? Alles. En leuk dat het boek allerlei soorten monsters/enge dingen heeft. Van een spook in een auto tot een huis in een andere tijdzone tot wat als je huid gaat slobberen?
Aanrader! Misschien schrijf ik een langere review, misschien wacht ik wel tot ik de ENG versie heb/heb gelezen.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is excellent! 👏🏻

[Alysia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was cool!

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Released Today - August 30, 2022

Look At The Cover!! LOOOOOKKK AAATTT IIIITTTTT!!!! 😍😍😍

STINETINGLERS: All-New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales R. L. Stine

I Had A Blast Reading This Horror Collection, So Much Fun!

If you are already a fan of Stine’s writing *raises hands* or he’s a new author to you, I Highly Recommend reading this collection:

‘From R. L. Stine, here are ten new stories that are sure to leave you shivering. A boy who hates bugs starts to see them everywhere. A basketball player’s skin starts to almost drip off his hands—but no one else can see it. Three friends find a hole in the ground that just gets bigger and bigger and bigger … And each story is introduced by Stine, providing a personal touch sure to delight fans.’

‘Dive in, and beware: you might be sleeping with the lights on tonight!’

My-Frightful-Horror-Fan-Club-Favorites Are The Following:

‘WELCOME TO THE IN-BETWEEN’ – When Gabe sneaks a peek at his Christmas gift and accidentally breaks it, he quickly finds himself stuck in time.

‘OUR LITTLE MONSTERS’ – If Becka can survive babysitting her four-year-old brother and sister while her parents are out, she can babysit anyone’s little monsters. That is until she’s in charge of watching the new neighbor’s kids ... Whoa!

‘THE GHOST IN THE CAR’ – Paul and his friend Ava can’t stand Paul’s older cousin, Miller, who picks on them constantly and lies all the time. When Miller picks them up for school one day in his new, used car and tells them that it’s haunted, Paul knows how he will get his revenge.

‘THE BOY WHO HEARD SCREAMS’ – When Ted runs up to twin sisters Maria and Alyssa, frantic in need of their help, the girls don’t hesitate and rush to his aide. When the girls discover his antics, they refuse to listen even though this time—he could be telling the truth.

‘BUGS’ – ‘Alvie, in this story, is terrified of even the thought of bugs. And guess what? He has good reason to be afraid.’

Hands down one of my favorites in this collection! If you’re afraid of bugs, start cringing as this story crawls deep inside you.

‘HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE’ —‘This wasn’t the life I wanted. I just wanted a life with nicer friends and a brother who didn’t bounce me off the wall every time he saw me, and parents who didn’t blame me for everything that happened in the world.’

The moral of this story, be careful what you wish for…

‘THE BAD SIDE’ — Carson is a good kid, always kind, and helps others, so when people throughout town accuse him of doing horrible things, he and his best friend Mike know it couldn’t possibly be him.

‘THE HOLE IN THE GROUND’ — ‘I squinted at it. The hole was three or four inches deep and about as wide as a bucket or a paint can. “Awesome,” I said sarcastically. “Is this what you do for fun around here? You stare at holes in the dirt?” Kendra raised her eyes to mine. “Not for fun,” she replied in a whisper….’

‘THE MONSTER-MAKER’ Love This One!! — Jamie started building monsters three years ago when he was in the fourth grade. Jamie’s early designs were made from kits, but all new creations are built from scratch with help from his friend, Annie. When their competition and classmate Isaac Peterman brings his jaw-dropping new creature to school, Jamie knows that he and Annie must step up their game.

Thank you, NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC), for providing me with an eGalley of STINETINGLERS at the request of an honest review.

Scheduled To Release, Though Subject To Change – August 2022
Middle-Grade Fiction
Horror Collection

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that I was obsessed with RL Stine growing up would be a severe understatement. Whenever those Scholastic Book Fair flyers would rear their ugly heads, I’d mark the box next to every “Goosebumps” book I could possibly get, never really caring about the synopses, just being super intrigued by the gruesome artwork they provided for my already overactive imagination.

Fast forward A LOT of years later and I got my hands on “Stinetinglers: All New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales.” While it’s not as creepy as “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” it gives off The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” vibes. Quick stories, short buildup, and a quick, but fun reveal. Favorite stories: “Welcome to the In-Between,” The Boy Who Heard Screams, “The Bad Side.”

While I’m probably not the target audience for this book, I appreciated every moment of it, and it brought me back to those nights when I’d be buried under my Batman covers with a flashlight way past bedtime. This is a great read for the younger generation to dip their toes into the horror genre without scaring the bejeezus of them.

I received an early eARC of this title from the publisher, however, these opinions are my own.

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[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this. I want to read some random stuff but I had to do this first. R.L. Stine has finally returned to short stories with this one. The last time was Haunting Hour back in like 2002. He has had plenty of one off stories in other collections but this is all his. I think he’s mostly good at short stories and I quite like the Nightmare/Haunting Hour duology especially so this was one I was hyped for. I’ll get to fully review on the blog someday but for now let’s see how the stories fared.

Welcome to the In Between: A boy who is always late gets trapped in time when he breaks his new smart watch. This has similar vibes to Click, Nutcracker Nightmare, and that one Twilight Zone episode. It plays off the idea of your view of time just like Nutcracker did it works by giving it a fresh spin. It does feel rushed though so the horror of this, while there, isn’t as potent as it was in those other stories. The whole In-Between thing is a cool idea and the twist is whatever. A decent one to start off but could be better.

Our Little Monsters: A girl takes up an odd babysitter job. This one was fun, it has some charming back and forth. The girl gets along with her siblings despite them being kind of annoying and the friend was fun. The twist is super predictable but it works due to proper foreshadowing. It does feel like a bit too much of a windup for a predictable ending and I am left with questions by the end. Still, it’s a pretty fun one.

Skin: A boy’s skin starts to fall off. I was hyped for this based on what it says about it on the back blurb and it worked. The idea leads to some solid body horror, even if it’s not pushed as far as I kinda thought. It gets started right away and the ways this gets in the way of his life works. It’s the better version of things like Chicken Chicken. The twist is kinda weird, it has foreshadowing at least but isn’t fully explained and felt a bit repetitive given the last story. But overall, it is soli9d.

The Ghost in the Car: A boy has an asshole older cousin who claims his car is haunted. This one is another that has a lot of wind up but I liked the general stricture to it. The cousin is enjoyable dick-ish so I did want the kids to get their revenge. The ending is fairly predictable but the twist itself was kinda dark which I liked. It’s kinda basic in some ways but I feel it was handled decently enough and it felt different enough from Haunted Car too, kinda. (Also, the kids parents are divorced, neat)

The Boy Who Heard Screams: A prankster hears screams coming from a local haunted house. This one was a solid comeuppance type story. It has the usual boy who cried formula that the previous story also kind of had. The build is standard but the punchline worked. It’s confusing in a way in an intentional way, it makes my head hurt in a good way. But the ending itself is super abrupt, it feels the end of a chapter or section rather than the end of a story, it’s odd. Still, it works well enough.

Bugs: A boy who is afraid of bugs start to see them everything. This premise was hard to explain as that’s not quite it but I don’t spoil it. This one was weird. It takes until the last minute to get into possibly supernatural stuff with bugs, but it stays on topic with a lot of scenes about bugs and such. His deep fear is treated seriously, as he even sees a therapist about it. Yes, really. It’s weirdly serious and creepy but the pacing is just odd. Then the ending makes no damn sense, it’s weirdly handled. It’s a memorable freaky kind of ending but just odd. I think this one is a bit of a flop but also kind of good horror wise, it’s weird, don’t know how to feel about it.

How to change your life: A boy with a terrible life gets it changed with a mysterious book. This is another miixed-ish one. Of course they play up his bad life with awful friends, siblings and parents. It has a bit of Don’t go to sleep vibes with the concept and sadly we only get like two different lives. The main one has some more fame satire which works. The twist is typical but fun. It’s mostly fun but it has the same moral issues that Sleep did, but it doesn’t go full in on the moral, it’s more about the new life not being for him which he even says. So that makes it lack a bit but it does help it. I’d say it’s fun but slightly wonky.

The Bad Side: A good kid finds that he has an evil version running around. This was pretty similar to things like I am your evil twin and Horrors of the Black Ring bu it was still fun. It flowed mostly well with the core idea being a solid creepy one. The explanation is odd but it works. The ending is a bit abrupt, it could have been a bit stronger, it’s slightly off. But otherwise, it’s basic, yet it works well.

The Hole in the Ground: A boy discovers a hole in the ground that keeps getting bigger. A basic and generally solid one. There’s decent tension as we wonder what is going on with the hole. The twist is kinda freaky but also doesn't make much sense with the final beat. And it’s another one that is rather abrupt and wonky. It’s mostly good but a bit basic and wonky, so a bit mixed. Also the mom sucks.

The Monster-Maker: A boy (I think) who is into making monster models get a monster maker that is not what it seems. This is just a big setup for a punchline but it mostly works. I liked the angle with the kids being into making stuff and the punchline was at least funny. He wants to out do this Issac kid and they set it up like Jamie is a jerk for just wanting to outdo him but the ending does muddle that a bit plus Issac is a bit of a jerk. It’s wonky but everything works fine, it’s just a bit for how simple the setup and punchline is. Also it’s rehash from an obscure Goosebumps TV guide story. Not even kidding. So yeah, mostly fine just not perfect.


I'll get to have more detail on the blog someday but it will be spoiler-y so I'll say stuff here. This was generally decent. You can tell he's a bit rusty with short story books as some flaws do creep in. The flow and structure of these can be wonky, as well as some of the logic. I wouldn't say too much was super stand out here but I think all were fun to some extent.

It's closest to Nightmare Hour, where there are clear flaws holding a lot of it back but enough food qualities to make it decent. I feel like he put more effort into little details but it did make them feel padded for short stories. Again, a sense of being rusty. I hope there's another one as Haunting Hour managed to improve a lot so I can see that happen here too. Even the weakest here have cool stuff so it end sup being consistently decent, but not always being too special.

My favorite was Skin, just solid and creepy, Least favorite...maybe Bugs or How to change your life but they had some memorable elements at least. I feel like more could have been to make these super solid and memorable but as it is, it is a fun collection. It's more on the fine side but I'd recommend it, it was decent, just not Tales 6 or Haunting Hour levels. I'[ll have to let it all sink in come review time.

STINE-ISMS: riot, swallowed hard, sour, long woosh of air, silvery, dry as cotton.

RED-HEAD WATCH: Shannon Derby (The Bad Side), Kendra (The Hole in the Ground)

(Side note, there are /3/ stories that mention Minecraft. Was he being paid off or what?)

[Yoli Galán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilloso, me ha llevado 25 años atrás cuando leía los libros de pesadillas.
Ameno, fácil de leer, con historias que te atrapan, me ha gustado mucho que al principio de cada historia el autor cuente de dónde le vino la inspiración para escribirla.
Asi que lo recomiendo tanto a adultos como a un público más joven.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

RL Stine is back with a collection of short stories sure to thrill any RL Stine fan. I know kids at the library who already enjoy Stines stories will love this collection. BUT, as an adult reader who was a HUGE fan as a kid a few things felt like Stine was phoning it in, including details that didn't make any sense.

There was a scene where a boy and his friend were trying to break into a forbidden closet at the top of the stairs... then his Dad "appeared at the top of the stairs" How can they all be at the top of the stairs?

There is a place named Hawkins Corner Indiana... is Stine a Stranger Things Stan?
Strange reference to a "lunch counter" in a story set in contemporary times... do kids know what a lunch counter is?
And finally a Mom in one of the stories slightly fat shames her son. Ick.
Nothing that would be a dealbreaker against recommending completely, just pointing out stuff that bothered me personally.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.