Point by Numbers: Call Waiting

It's time for another trip into the world of Point Horror. We are reaching the end of the Stine era of the series. And this is one I can already predict. I can almost smell the tropes here. This book involves phone calls, so we're definitely in line for some ominous phone calls from someone creepy. Part of me just expects there to also be some sort of mental health issue be the culprit, because this is an R.L. Stine book after all. Let's see what's on the other line with Call Waiting.

This cover is good. Not amazing, but still does what it sets out to do. Give us lipstick, a phone and a note with the names of Karen and Ethan on it. That this even caller is likely out for love-focused revenge. I also like the little drop of blood on the phone which is actually dripping from the title. That's actually a fresh use of the title as well, I like it a lot. It's a cover I like. That usually bodes very bad for me.

Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #22: Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter

Jessi's first book in the series was really good. A solid little story about her sitting for a deaf boy and how his sister deals with all of it. Great character stuff. Well, this book chooses to give us animals. A whole lot of animals. And that already sounds like a good time to me. Hope to not be disappointed. It's Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter.

Three covers to talk about again and all three are pretty good. The first one mixes the baby-sitting element the the pet sitting element for reasons I can only assume being that the covers need to have little kids on it to sell the baby-sitting aspect to new and interested readers. The new cover does away with the kids but keeps all of the animals, and it's a nice little cover. The word "cuddly" keeps entering my head when I see it. Also that turtle on the bottom left, i love it. But it's the graphic novel cover that I prefer. Mainly because it sells the chaos that would come from being a pet-sitter. And Jessi's shocked reaction really sells the situation. All good stuff, but this time the winner is the graphic novel.

A Case of the Bumps: Parson Brown

The snow has fallen once again. Earlier than last year as it feels like as soon as December rolled around we just got whacked over and over with the winter white. So, being that we're entering winter, I think it's high time to give a look at a book I often overlook. One I don't hate, but never consider it one I think of too often. Ah the conundrums that is this blog. Beware, the Snowman is one of the more intriguing Goosebumps books. A concept that oddly feels more in line with the earlier books, has a solid mid-book twist, and a generally neat concept all around. So, let's take a look at what makes this book tick, what's kept it from melting to total obscurity, and what I think holds it back. Since we've no place to go, let it snow...man. Let's open up another case of the bumps.

Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #21: Mallory and the Trouble with Twins

So Mallory is 0-1 when it comes to books I like. And really, none of that was the fault of Mallory as a character at all, rather the annoying structure of the book itself. But now that she's become more of a regular in the main character rotation, it's time for her second attempt. And we have a book that appears to be about a pair of bratty twins. Oh. Goody. Well, still hoping for a decent book at least. It's time to talk about Mallory and the Trouble with Twins.

Covers this time around are all similar. Not much in terms of real variation, save for the graphic novel, but they all convey the overall plot of the book. The Arnold twins are a pain that Mallory is going to have to deal with. Of the three covers, I'll go with the original for Mallory's more annoyed expression which sells that this is more of a problem than she thought it would be. The reprint is more miffed than frustrated and the graphic novel is more suspicious than annoyed. Wish they were more interesting but ah well.

Choice Words: Give Yourself Goosebumps #18: Attack of the Beastly Baby-Sitter

We're getting close to covering all of the holo-covered Give Yourself Goosebumps books (if you're reading in numerical order this will sound odd) and the last batch I have to cover are all books I'm at least a little intrigued by. This one being perhaps the one I've always raised an eyebrow over. because we have a book about a baby-sitter who appears to be a giant rat. This feels like it could be one of the more inspired books that we've gotten or it could be a case of Stine going too off the rails for his own good. Only one way to be sure. Let's survive the Attack of the Beastly Baby-Sitter.

This cover is awesome. Granted, maybe the warping makes things look a bit too weird, but I still love the angle. How we see our beastly baby-sitter is indeed a giant rat with creepy little red eyes and a just as garish flowery shirt. It's a cool design regardless. Shame our baby-sitter of the book, Zoe, is described as being human and not so much a giant rat... for the most part but we'll get to it. The kid peering through the blinds in fear really sells this cover, giving a bit of dread which a lot of Goosebumps covers honestly don't deliver on. One of the more underrated covers in the series and further proof why I like the work of Mark Nagata. 

Choice Words: Give Yourself Goosebumps #21: The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island

It's time for another trip into the world of Give Yourself Goosebumps. This time it's another island adventure. Though where Deep in the Jungle of Doom focused more on a jungle adventure, this time we look be going tropical. So that gives us volcanoes, sharks and tikis aplenty. So will this one be a fun tropical trip or some tiki trash? Let's find out with The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island.

I like this cover. I wouldn't call it a scary cover by any stretch. Unless you have a phobia of giant octopuses, which I have to a mild extent. But while this one doesn't really sell on the scares, it is very impressive and imposing. I also like how the warping looks in this cover, even if it does look a bit goofy, like there's this big divot in the middle of the island. But it still works, giving us a nice shot of the Tiki Island jungle and the active volcano. It sells heavily some of the things this book provides. Also the fish with its big worried eyes is a bit goofy, but memorable. Great stuff.

My Teacher Flunked the Planet

The time has arrived. It's the big finale of Bruce Coville's alien saga. We had Broxholm's debut and Peter's exodus. We had Duncan's brain frying and the true intentions of the aliens revealed. We had Peter's exposition and more of a build to what's at stake. And now we're here. The ultimate test to see if Earth will be free to travel the cosmos, blocked off, invaded, or straight up blown up. It all boils down to this, so let's talk about My Teacher Flunked the Planet.

COVER STORY

I love this cover. I love that it does feel like we've reached the big conclusion to this story. Peter and Susan watching as it seems that Broxholm is about to blow up Earth. No Duncan though. Part of me wishes we had a shot of him looking from outside a window. Once more for old time sake. But yeah, this one more than delivers in the epic feel needed for this big finale. Great stuff.