The Cold People

Spooksville #5

by Christopher Pike

Discovering huge blocks of ice inside the woods of Spooksville, Adam and his friend inadvertently set free the Cold People, who soon after ravage the town, freezing everybody they touch. Original.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cold People From the Spooksville series is another one I was excited about.The story begins with the kids talking about how cold it is outside despite it being in the middle of the summer.The kids get going on their next adventure when they see multiple blocks of ice.Watch wants to thaw them out to see what's inside.The group grabs a bunch of sticks and Adam uses his Bic lighter to start a fire.It takes a while but the ice thaws out.Inside is a human man in a blue jumpsuit.He gets up and grabs Watch and runs away at alarming speed.The kids can't catch him,so they have no choice but to go and see Bum to figure out what is going on.They meet Bum and he explains what the creatures are.They are called Cyro creatures.This isn't the only thing Bum says.I was not expecting this much Detail from Christopher Pike.He goes all out on what these things are and I'm going to warn all of you reading this because this got a little complicated for me.Im going to try to explain in my own words what they are,but I do belive you should read this yourselves,because I will not do this justice.So basically Atlantis had this other part to it that was called Mu.Mu and Atlantis didn't get along,they were being controlled by this alien race.Spooksville was originally Mu.To make a long story short,The alien people promised the Mu civilians they could live forever if they joined the aliens or let them fight on their planet or something like that.They agree so what they do is inject the civilians with Cyro,and they become frozen.The aliens send an asteroid to Atlantis and that's how it became underwater,but before it hits the now Cyro people leave for the north pole.Let me reiterate that I'm sure I got ninty percent of that wrong,but I read alot of that explanation twice before this review.So bum explains that these Cyro creatures want to turn everybody into cold people,because they don't like people with normal blood.Bum thinks they already got watch.The group decides as a team to go get watch back and remembers how the original creature was afraid of Adam's torch,so they go to this army surplus store for flamethrowers.This is awesome.It turns out that that one creature thawed out the other Cyro creatures and they are taking civilians from their home and turning them into cold people.At the surplus The cold people are trying to get inside so the group fights back with flamethrowers.The army surplus manager has a M16.I don't know anything about guns,but he thinks this will stop the monsters for sure.He runs out and shoots them but it doesn't really effect the monster and the group looks away as this creature attacks him.The group has to get out before the cold people can attack,so they equip themselves with hot air balloons and the group splits up into groups of twos with Bum and Cindy on one and Adam and Sally on the other.In one of the more intense scenes a monster grabs Adam and cuts him open with his claws.Adam gets away,but the damage is done.His leg begins to feel numb and he's sure he's infected.One of the more funny parts with Sally is the banter between her and Adam,basically almost spilling the beans about him being infected.They eventually run into Watch.He is in a graveyard,just wandering around.The group doesn't want to harm him,so Adam tries reasoning with him.This works for a split second until Watch attacks.Sally hits him with a Stick and knocks him out so they can carry him safely.Another scene that I want to mention is where we learn Sally can drive a truck.She learns this from Bum and she goes to get in the truck and it's a standard shift.I easily give The Cold People a five out of five stars.The only complaint I have is part of the climax felt a little rushed,other then that,this one was fun.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one....might be my favorite of the series so far. Definitely a creepier story than the last couple of them.

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam and his friends are hiking in the woods when a strange cold snap drops the temperature in Spooksville in the middle of the summer. When they stumble across a dozen human-sized blocks of ice in the trees, they decide to melt one to see what’s inside. Too late, they realize they’ve unleashed a Cold Person, a man with superhuman speed and strength and the ability to freeze others. Before long, there are Cold People all over Spooksville who seem determined to make everyone else cold like them, and Adam, Sally, Watch, and Cindy may be the only ones who can stop them. Trigger warnings: death, body horror, fires, guns, explosions.

I was both nervous and excited to reach this title. Pike’s adult novel, The Cold One, is unsettling in its weirdness but not one of his better attempts, and I don’t know whether I was hoping or dreading that The Cold People would have anything in common with it. The good news is that, as far as I remember, this is an entirely separate story. The other good news is that it shares The Cold One’s sense of disturbing strangeness, albeit on a much smaller scale. This might be the creepiest Spooksville book since The Secret Path, and I’m so here for it.

Pike’s own personal brand of monster mythology is pretty top notch here. The Cold People are weird and original, a blend of futuristic science fiction and monster lore where humans can live forever, but they lose all their humanity. Cold People can’t feel anything, and they hate anything that reminds them that they used to be warm. The plot is fast-paced, even abrupt at times, and for once the characters have help from some adults in town, namely “Bum”, a homeless man who used to be the mayor and knows more about Spooksville than anyone. Still, it’s a middle grade novel, so everything pretty much comes down to Adam and Sally saving the day. In an adult film, solving a problem like this would take planning, agonizing, and a higher body count, but I love the way the kids in this series are just like idk let’s steal a car and blow something up to stop the monsters. It’ll probably be fine.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

[I'mogén · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Details:
Narrated by Adam Verner
Unabridged

This installment felt like a mire pivotal moment in the series, with a storyline that seems that it can crop up more throughout the story and cause consequences.

I thought the ending was too abrupt and easily fixed.

Gutted that these are the only ones available from my library app, but I've found another 5 or so through Audible... Although I feel a little irritated having to wait each month to use my credits on it.... I get through them so fast!

Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Elusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'The Cold People', Adam, Sally, Watch and Cindy are hiking in the woods when they stumble upon massive blocks of ice. Their interest is piqued as to what lies within, thus they build a fire. What happens next puts them on thin ice.

Jam-packed with action, adventure and terror, this one was a winner. The four friends' face-off with just one cold person was no walk in the park as he was chilling, from his appearance to his extraordinary abilities.

The downward spiral continued, with hordes of cold people on the loose terrorizing Spooksville and turning more humans into one of them. The detailed backstory from Bum was much welcome, as always.

The tension never let up as the group was constantly outnumbered, on the run and battling. It was great to see everyone pulling their weight, acting jointly and staying calm throughout the chaos.

Adam's leadership was impressive, even as he was in the throes of becoming a cold person. His ultimate plan to defeat the cold crew was brilliant.

Overall, 'The Cold People' was blazingly fast paced and aptly filled with a sense of urgency. Adam and co (including Bum) were as likeable as ever.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really cute Spooksville story that shows that, no matter the age it's written for, Pike is a talented author. The backstory was inventive and science-fiction rich when told by Bum. The dialogue was humorous as always, each kid having their typical differing personalities. The end was charged with suspense for this age-group, inventively defeating the monsters without silly coincidence that randomly springs up.

[Ana Ibarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, really good, loved that they added real life history. They really put on the table the strength of their friendship. But the end was completely rushed, I mean, you don't have to do a whole other book, but a couple of chapters would have been nice. More perfect for such a good plot.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bigger and better, kids get flamethrowers to fight frost beings. Fun read

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pike continues the adventures of the children of Spooksville with this totally original story featuring the Cold People. So original that someone felt like the former mayor who is now homeless, Mr. Bum, needed to come in and provide an extra-long backstory that wasn't needed and bogged down the pace. Also, I have always accepted that these very young children are put in harm's way in this series, but must admit that their use of a Bic lighter and flame throwers are dangerous examples for young readers. Fortunately, Pike does have the children discuss the dangers of the items as well as the dangers of guns. Pike also includes quite a bit of science, making this a subtle learning experience. I was fine until the random inclusion of an air balloon and the super-fast ending.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of bonkers stuff in it, but unfortunately I can't say I enjoyed reading. It is by turns dry and cartoonish. The buffoonery of the non-Bum adults is next-level. I give Pike credit for writing his twelve-year-old protagonists as smart (as opposed to Stine, who often makes his kids too dumb to be believable) but they are, perhaps, so smart that it defies plausibility.

The Cold People are good monsters and allow Pike to write a zombie story while avoiding gore.

[Dylan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cold People is definitely better than The Secret Path. The problem has a wild backstory and the second half of the book isn't one interminably long sequence of actions. There's internal monologue and description in there a bit. Crazy!

[Magali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite of all the Spooksville books and it is definitely the one I prefer since I've began my re-read. The story is interesting and there is a lot of action and the stakes are really high... Also, Cindy is still a little annoying (aka not well-written) but we get to see her kick some ass in this one which is good. And I love the ex-mayor.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

No ha sido el mejor libro de la saga.

[Emmie · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/9/19

[Xavier Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra star for Sally ♥️

[Rhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favourite installment so far. And the Cold People could have been really cool, too.

[Tanya]

Grabbed this while shelving and read at work. It’s worse than expected.

[Tomásbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[David Bennett Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is starting to feel like Animorphs meets Goosebumps instead of just a Goosebumps clone. Don't know if that is a good or bad thing yet.

[Santiago · Rating 2 out of 5]

El más flojo hasta ahora de estas novelitas. Lo único para destacar es que se indaga en el origen sobrenatural del pueblo y como que amplían el lore, después completamente olvidable

[Entertainment · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

“And everyone who had turned cold started turning back to normal. Even Watch, who hadn’t been normal to begin with.”

[Solim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 This one was actually horrific. If I was a kid, I would have been creeped out by this one.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – I have come to enjoy reading this series. It sort of reminds me of the Goosebumps books, but not as creepy I’d like to point out. It has its strange and off the wall odd moments and I am okay with them.

In this book Adam, Sally, Cindy and Watch find some blocks of ice in the middle of the woods. What do you do with giant unknown blocks of ice? You melt them of course! I don’t think I would have melted them had I been in their shoes. That however, isn’t the way that they had looked at the situation though. They were bored and they were exploring and looking for a way to pass the time, since they were outside and freezing.

Once they started to melt the block of ice, they started to realize that it wasn’t a block of ice at all and by then it was a bit late and they’d managed to put each one of them in danger. The only thing they could think to do at that point was to go and talk to Bum the old mayor of the town and he was able to help them all to better understand the situation. Together they came up with a battle plan.

If you’d like to know what happens, your going to have to read the book I think that this was a well thought out and well written book. I think that any child would like it if they would pick it up and start reading it. My daughter and I have recently started watching the television series on netflix that is based of these books. Although, it is slightly different it is still a rather interesting series. I like when I am able to find things to watch with my children that are age appropriate and that they enjoy as much as I do.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth Spooksville book that I've read so far and I haven't been disappointed yet. These books are quick and well-written, packed with action and witty humor. In The Cold People, Bum played a larger part, which I liked because I think his character is a good addition to the story. As usual, everything worked out in the end and the town was saved. The Cold People was a fast and easy read that I really enjoyed.

[Cameron Stolfuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This month I read a book called The Cold People by Christopher Pike. This book is a Mystery book that takes place in a town called Spooks Ville where Sally, Cindy, Adam, and Watch take on hideous monsters and go on huge journeys. In this book Sally, Cindy, Adam, and Watch find a mysterious block of ice in the middle of the forest. All of them quickly realize that their is a human like figure in the ice. I rated this book 4/5 stars cause it has tons of excitement and awesome mysteries.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has always been my favorite book cas I was reading it with my brother and dad in my room and I mumbled "he picked up his riffle" (I got the quote wrong but I just make it enough) and they thought I was crazy till I told them it was the book.

[Ines Presas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una nueva aventura del cuarteto ésta vez con ayuda del vagabundo Bum, una historia entretenida como siempre, con un final un poco apresurado a mi parecer pero sin embargo bueno.

[Steff Daza · Rating 5 out of 5]

No el más interesante de la saga pero aún así escalofriante

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay.