Book Review: ‘Der Fluch der Kuscheltiere’ by R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine’s ‘Der Fluch der Kuscheltiere’ is book thirty-one of the year.

I’ve lost track of the number I’m at for German book reads now, but that’s good. When asked, ‘How many books in German have you read?’ I can now answer: ‘Several.’

As usual, I had a blast with Stine’s kid-focused horror. This book follows Greg and his friend Liv as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. My favourite time of year! Greg leads Liv into the dreaded Shadyside to one-up his nemesis in the candy collection. There, they find a house with a strange young boy and an even stranger older woman, who turns out to be a witch. They walk away with an enchanted bag that copies whatever you put inside tenfold. Dreams of money and candy float around the kids’ heads, but chaos isn’t far away.

Like most of Stine’s work, the horror is tame because of its target audience. Yet, one section in this book gave me the creeps: the cockroach section! It was pretty terrifying. I can only imagine how much that would freak little kids out—well, got to give them a genuine scare now and then, right? Great stuff.

On to the following children’s book in German!

Book Review: ‘Die Rache der unheimlichen Puppe’ by R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine’s ‘Die Rache der unheimlichen Puppe’ is book twenty-six of the year.

I also read this on my honeymoon, along with a yet-to-be-finished King novel. If I want to keep progressing with my German language skills, I shouldn’t stop for a holiday!

The story follows Jessica and her friend. The pair aim to host children’s birthday parties for some much-needed cash. Meanwhile, Jessica’s younger twin sisters and their creepy ventriloquist dummy are causing havoc. And when a second dummy enters the picture, there’s no telling what will happen.

As with the previous Stine books, the threat is mild because the story is for children. Yet, there are some genuine scares, and the ending is quite a brilliant cliffhanger. Stine knows horror through and through, making him the master at aiming it at kids. It’s neither terrifying nor boring; a fine line to tread.

I’ll be reading another ‘Gänsehaut’ in German post haste!

Book Review: “Der Spiegel des Schreckens” by R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine’s “Der Spiegel des Schreckens” is my twentieth book of the year and my third German book ever.

I decided to continue with my run of “Goosebumps”/”Gänsehaut” books—if it works, why change it? Furthermore, R. L. Stine aimed these books for ten-to-twelve–year-olds, and I loved them as a kid. Hence, they are perfect for me in my quest to learn German.

The story follows two boys and their friends as they discover something in the attic. The object is a mirror that grants whoever pulls its lamp cord the power of invisibility. But the longer the kids stay invisible, the stranger they feel.

There’s no death or injury—it’s a kids’ book!—but the implication of the cursed object is quite creepy. Even so, I had a blast with the book, and I look forward to reading my next “Gänsehaut” book on my honeymoon! (Along with my usual stack of English books, of course!)

Each book I read in German gets a bit easier, and I’m having fun reliving my childhood as I do it.

Book Review: “Willkommen im Haus der Toten” by R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine’s “Willkommen im Haus der Toten” is my next read of the year.

I had so much fun with “Das unheimliche Labor” that I read another “Goosebumps” book. And, much like that other “Gänsehaut” book, I had a blast. It’s great to remember how you felt reading this stuff as a kid.

“Willkommen im Haus der Toten” opens with a family moving to a new house called Dark Falls. Ooh, spooky! But things start to feel off for the children, a girl and her younger brother. Their dog runs off and disappears. Other strange children appear in the household at creepy moments. And what of those new friends they’ve made?

Fun and childish, this “Goosebumps” book is what I expected. Like the previous one, some bits were beyond my current German skills. But I always had a general feeling about what was happening, even if I struggled with the odd paragraph.

I’m off to start another “Gänsehaut” book!