The Stoney So Far... The Baby-Sitters Club #21-30

We're now thirty books deep into the Baby-Sitters Club. Not only that, but we're also in the midst of specials and spinoffs. We have entered into full franchise mode. We also exit the twenties by also exiting the 1980s. The franchise has made it into its fourth year of life and given it was really intended to be just ten books, it's a bit surprising that this series still has a lot of gas in the tank. But given we haven't even scratched the surface 30 books in, I guess that's a testament to how much you can get with a book series about baby-sitting. And the twenties were perhaps the best example of what I mean as I find these ten book were the ones that went deep into worldbuilding. We still got our share of filler books of varying quality, but if you were invested from day one in Stoneybrook and the girls, then this batch really rewarded that brand loyalty. The twenties gave us a great deal of tonal whiplash. From new family members to dying family members, marriages, divorces, relationship concerns, elections, big mysteries and so much more. Not to mention a trip to camp and a lodge for the winter. Let's look back at what made the twenties so interesting.

Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #30: Mary Anne and the Great Romance

Is it just me or is it weird that we're just suddenly getting to a marriage story between Mrs. Schafer and Mr. Spier? I mean, we've set it up since the fourth book, but it also feels like it took a MASSIVE backseat in the series. So much so that we've had more stuff with Mrs. Schafer and Trip than we did Mr. Spier. Like this all feels very "Oh right, that plot point". Like at the very least Mimi's death and Stacey's parents divorcing had a lot more buildup than this. But yes indeed, we're finally being able to take another massive pin out of the pinboard as Mary Anne and Dawn are about to become sisters-in-law. It's also technically the first BSC book to be released in the 1990s. So that's a neat piece of trivia. How does the wedding go down? Let's walk down the aisle with Mary Anne and the Great Romance.

Both covers are solid. The winner is easily the original though. I like that Mary Anne and Dawn aren't even really the focus of the cover here, but rather Mrs. Schafer throwing the bouquet. It's definitely more of the big exciting wedding cover that we didn't get with Kristy's Big Day so props on that. The reprint is fine but not as energetic as the other. It's just Mary Anne and Dawn looking at the wedding cake and that's really it. It does a good job in selling that this is about their parents getting married, but other than that, it's lacking that energy that the original had. Both are good regardless.

Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #03: Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation

It's time for another trip into the Super Specials. What, already? Yes. Because now there's two a year as opposed to one. And like the previous two Super Specials, these are multi-narrated vacation stories. Only this time it's in winter. Is this a good book or would we much prefer having fun in the sun? Let's find out with Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation.

Our two covers are pretty good. Of the two I prefer the original. It's more dynamic and fun in my eyes as the club is engaged in this big snowball battle. Their poses make the moment a lot more energetic in my eyes. The reprint is fine, but doesn't land for me as much when it comes to the concept of a big snowball fight. I think the posing feeling more stiff doesn't quite land for me as I think the illustrator was no doubt hoping. The reprints have been winning me over lately, but when it comes to the super specials, they haven't quite hit that sweet spot. And given this is likely the last reprint for the super specials I'll be covering given the progress I've been making, it's unfortunate to not go out on a bang.

NNtG: Are You Afraid of the Dark? #23: The Tale of the Horrifying Hockey Team

Oh gee. What recent event could have motivated me to cover the final book in a series I haven't covered yet? Break out the gold medals and shitty Big Macs, because we're hitting the ice for the Are You Afraid of the Dark book series. And yes, I still eventually intend to return to covering the series itself but yeah. You saw how long it took to get back to Baby-Sitters Club, right? But yes, Are You Afraid of the Dark had its own Goosebumps-like book series. Some stories based around tales from the series, while others were entirely brand new. Also, we don't get a lot of hockey horror stories... unless you look at the US Men's Hockey Team immediately after winning the gold medal that is. I'm guessing if Screammates lasted longer than four books, maybe we could have gotten something, but this will do. Is it a goal, or should it spend time in the penalty box? Let's find out with The Tale of the Horrifying Hockey Team.

I love this cover. Very simple stuff, but still very effective. The green, zombie-like hue from not just the hockey players but the ice itself. Although less eerie green, more like they're playing on a pond of frozen piss. The wisps coming off them is such a great touch, adding to the ethereal feel that the cover is going for. You want a cover about evil hockey players, then you really can't ask for anything better.

The Stinal Countdown: Goosebumps House of Shivers #06: One Night at Camp Bigfoot

It's that time of year again. Time to talk about the first of this year's Goosebumps offerings. House of Shivers last year offered some middling books in my opinion. One a frustrating mess, the other really feeling like it intentionally held itself back from being something special. We have a camp book this time and with Stine, he almost always nails the camp books. He's had a couple clunkers, but the ratio skews mostly positive. Plus, Bigfoot's in this one. It's been a while since we've had a cryptid in a Goosebumps book. Hell, the last one was the Abominable Snowman and that book... existed. I hope this book can do more than just exist. Let's talk about One Night at Camp Bigfoot.

Oh right. It's this cover. I talked about it last year shortly after its reveal as it came under fire for feeling like it was made by AI. By all accounts, Robert Ball has never admitted to using AI for his work and some of the early House of Shivers covers do have concept art for them, so I don't buy the idea that he or Scholastic in general suddenly cheapened out and went full slop (Stine clearly has given THAT Instagram post but that's besides the point). That doesn't mean I like this cover. Bigfoot is decent in design, but I wish his pose was more intimidating. Though the burning marshmallows is a nice touch. But what really bugs me is the Bigfoot hole in the cabin in the background. How clean it is. How perfectly Bigfoot shaped it is. I would have preferred a more destructive looking scene that really sells that Bigfoot is a threat. It's a case of being too cartoony but somehow not cartoony enough to feel effective. It's a cover that just feels lacking to me. Again, I don't want to believe it's AI, I'll give the benefit of the doubt, but this just feels off for a Goosebumps cover.

The Stinal Countdown: Nightmare on Nightmare Street

So this one crept up on me. I legit thought this was a book due for later in the year, but nope. Mid-February. But that means that it's that time again. Another Blackstone Publishing R.L. Stine book. So far it's 0-2 for books I've enjoyed from the line. And the information about this book that has come out doesn't exactly make me go "Oh I can't wait for this one." But sometimes the books I've come in cold to have been the ones I've really enjoyed. So let's see if Stine can surprise me with this. Let's talk about Nightmare on Nightmare Street. See, the title also doesn't make me too jazzed. 

I talked about this cover last year not long after its release as, much like the upcoming Goosebumps House of Shivers covers, it's been under fire for AI allegations. We sadly know Stine's stance on AI given the shit he's posted to Instagram, but as for this cover in particular, I don't think it's actually AI. But it's still not an exciting cover. The clearest comparison is Welcome to Dead House as it's a shot of an old house with a figure looking out the front window. The big difference being that Dead House looked much nicer, had a better angle, and a far better use of color. Here it looks like a stock photo of an old house given a really awful looking filter. The orange and red from the windows doesn't help its case either, and the design is just really ugly. It also doesn't give the reader much to really get what this book is actually about. So while I doubt it's actually AI, it's still not that great a cover to be honest. 

The Stinal Countdown: New Fear Street #04: The Bad Girl

We have reached the end of New Fear Street already. Yep, a mere four books is all that Stine pumped out for this series. It does make me wonder though, if Stine really had any interest in this series or if all four books were just stuff from the original Fear Street that he didn't finish in time. We know that of The Stepbrother at least. So we have one more book left to go. And given the last book ended with a zombie girl, it feels a bit soon for another book about zombies. But life, AKA R.L. Stine, finds a way. Does he stick the landing, or is this just a pump-out before he gets to Fear Street Seniors? Let's find out with The Bad Girl.

I really like this cover. After the cool to bland feel of the last cover, this feels like a solid horror work. The girl's body strewn about, gray and lifeless, her clothing torn and decaying, the glasses on the ground. It's a solid enough creepy corpse cover and feels more horror than most of the Fear Street covers do. For a final cover for this series, it's a strong way to go out. That usually doesn't bode well for the book itself more often than not.