Reviews

Gr 2-6‘Every public library and most school media centers will want to add these latest additions to the Goosebumps series. While anything that has "Goosebumps" in its title is a sure seller with elementary students, these tapes are in a different league from most of the audiotapes produced for children. While your typical audiotape consists of one narrator who reads verbatim from a well known children's classic, this series hearkens back to the days of old time radio theater with a cast of characters, and music and sound effects to heighten the suspense. Each tape opens with howling cats, eerie music, witch cackles and screams to set the mood for a story that has all the elements of scariness that has made this series so popular. Each tape features a main character who tells the story from a first person perspective with the other readers playing minor roles as they interact with the main character. Obviously R.L. Stine has a good feel for the interests of young children as the stories are filled with references to homework, collecting comic books, going to the movies, etc. The scares promised to listeners are not so intense as to frighten children. And of course in the end, good triumphs. In public libraries, these tapes will never stay on the shelves, while in the school setting they will be equally popular. Teachers might be able to utilize these tapes as a part of their encouragement of outside pleasure reading.-Linda R. Skeele, Western Elementary School, Georgetown, KY