The Running Bibliophile

Nightmare On Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine opens with Joe Ferber, his sister Sadie, and their parents moving into a haunted house on Nightmare Street. Their house has a creepy doll, a cemetery in the basement, and voices in the walls. Joe has trouble falling asleep that first night. As he tries to fall asleep, strange things keep happening, and when he finally dies catch some shut eye, he has nightmares. We also meet Shawn and his little sister named Addie, and it appears that they live in the same house. Shawn is having terrible nightmares, and strange things are happening to him. Can Joe and Shawn figure out what is real and what isn't before it's too late? I'd like to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this middle grade novel. As a tween and teen, I was a huge fan of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, so I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy for free in exchange for my hon...

Goblin Monday (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #2)  by R.L. Stine opens with Mario Galagos vacationing with his friends and their parents in Vermont.  When Mario finds an ugly stone statue and brings it into the house, he unknowingly starts a war with goblins. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book.  I received it for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Growing up, I was a huge fan of R.L. Stine and his Fear Street series.  Having read the first book in this new series and enjoying it, I wanted to see if the second installment was as good as it's predecessor.  Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed and underwhelmed with Goblin Monday . Although the age range for this book is for children aged eight to twelve years old, I actually think it's more appropriate for kids aged six to eight years old.  As the story develops, I kept expecting something scary or suspenseful to happen, but neither of those things happen until the rea...

The Night House by Jo Nesbo  was published on October 3, 2023, is an adult horror novel released by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor. The story follows Richard Elauved, a young boy sent to live with foster parents in the town of Ballantyne after his biological parents are killed. At his new school, Richard is both an outcast and a target of bullying, which only deepens his isolation. When a classmate named Tom mysteriously goes missing, Richard quickly becomes the prime suspect. He insists that Tom was somehow sucked into a phone booth at the edge of the woods, a claim no one is willing to believe. As fear and suspicion grow, another student disappears, leaving Richard in even deeper trouble and facing serious consequences with the law. Not having read any books by Jo Nesbo, I was intrigued by the synopsis and cover art of The Night House .  I requested to receive an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.  I was absolutely ecstatic that I was...

Scariest. Book. Ever. (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #1) by R.L. Stine is a new book series for children in middle grades.  It opens with twins Betty and Billy being dropped off at their Uncle Wendell's house while their parents fly to London for two weeks.  What their parent's don't know is that someone is after Wendell and one of his books.  To keep the book safe, the twins must help their uncle. First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Scholastic for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC).  As a tween and teen, I loved R.L. Stine's Fear Street book series, so I was excited to be approved to receive Scariest. Book. Ever. (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #1) for free in exchange for my honest review.  I solely requested this book because of that, so I had no idea what to expect going into the story. I'm not the target audience for this book, but I'm sure I would've loved it if I was eight to ten years old.  There were a few red herrings, which was ex...

Book Review: Halloween Party (Fear Street, #8) by R.L. Stine Halloween Party (Fear Street, #8) by R.L. Stine is the eighth book in the Fear Street Book series. Justine Cameron is throwing a Halloween party for nine specially picked students. The kicker is that none of the nine people really know Justine, and they wonder why they were invited. When the lights go off and come back on, there's a body with a knife in it. Is there a murderer amongst them? I'm in the process of rereading my way through my childhood, and I decided to read the Fear Street book series again . . . this time in order. I must not have read Halloween Party because I didn't have the book. I purchased the book through ThriftBooks.com, and I have to say that I didn't remember anything about the storyline, with the exception of the nickname for Niki sounding very familiar.  The Fear Street books are a more mature horror book series than R.L. Stine's Goosebumps book series. I loved reading these ...