“I hid the dog whistle under my desk. She hadn’t seen me blow it. She had no idea what a mechanical genius Michael Munroe is. Yeah, I’m real good with tech stuff. People don’t expect it, because I’m Monster, the big hulk of a dude who is always getting into trouble.” p. 10
Reader's Annotation
Well, it’s certainly been a strange couple of days for Michael Munroe…seeing his teacher sitting happily on top of a giant egg, and then the cold strange way she stared at him at school the next day. Somehow, he’s got to get back in her house and see what hatches out of that egg!
About the Author
R. L. Stine was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1943. At the age of nine, when he discovered a typewriter in the attic, he took it down into his room, and began typing stories and joke books. After graduating Ohio State University, he began writing humor books for kids. In 1986, he made the switch to horror novels. He is the author of the Fear Street and Goosebumps series, and his most recent series are Rotten School and Goosebumps Horrorland. Stine lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, and his dog, Minnie. His son, Matthew, is a composer.
Genre
Horror
Reading Level/Interest Age
9-11 years
Plot Summary
This book contains two stories. In the first, My Friends Call Me Monster, middle-school student Michael “Monster” Munroe and his friends Daisy and DeWayne sneak into the house of their teacher, Mrs. Hardesty, and happen to see her sitting on top of an enormous egg. Michael later slips back into her house in time to see a scaly green clawed monster hatch, and overhear her telling several other monsters that they will soon take over the world. Determined to stop her plan, he returns again to her house, but she unfortunately she sees him, and force-feeds him some scrambled monster eggs. To Michael’s complete horror, he then turns into a monster! Michael must figure out a way to escape, not only from her house, but also from the other monsters with whom he finds himself imprisoned in the basement. And then there’s the matter of preventing monster world domination!
The second story, Enter Horrorland, is shorter, and is one installment in a series that takes place in the Horrorland theme park. The same tween, Michael, is the protagonist of this installment, and he and other tweens are roaming the park, searching for a way to escape. They soon find themselves in a room with caged half-man half-ape creatures, one of which grabs one of the boys. They luckily escape this area, and Michael goes on to Goodbye Land alone, hoping to find an exit from the park. While there, at a park employee’s coaxing, he walks through a mirror. But he doesn’t then find himself back in the outside world…but in the possibly more dangerous Panic Park!
Series Note
This novel is part of the Goosebumps Horrorland series, of which there are twelve titles.
Critical Evaluation
These are actually the first two horror stories I have ever read voluntarily (had to read some disturbing classic stories in high school…in a mandatory reading course whose theme was actually “death”), either for children or adults. I have always avoided horror novels, as horror movies scare me. But I am happy to say I survived R. L. Stine! I actually found the first story, My Friends Call Me Monster, more gross than scary, and quite enjoyable in its well-paced back-to-back strange revelations. I found that I was curious myself to uncover the mystery surrounding Mrs. Hardesty. And I like the way that Stine dropped hints early on regarding Mr. Wong, as well as the surprising related plot twists in the story’s final scenes. I would have liked to get to know the character of Michael better...he is intriguing, as he has trouble at times controlling his temper, and also made a comment early on about being a little misunderstood. The second story, Enter Horrorland, I actually did find a bit scary at moments. I think this was due to the knowledge that the tweens had already been trapped in the park for at least 24 hours, and escape did not seem imminent. Also, in this story, it was more uncertain who could be trusted, and the tone was a bit darker, more psychological. But I would recommend both stories to tweens who enjoy horror: suspense and lots of action, and a few chills…without nightmares later.
Booktalking Ideas
• Give a character booktalk as Michael Munroe, expressing the thoughts running through his head as he watches Mrs. Hardesty hatch the monster egg.
• Give an episode booktalk about Michael being trapped with the monsters in the basement.
Curriculum Ideas
• Literature: Read aloud to the class some stories from other countries and time periods about monsters. Students then brainstorm to figure out what it is about monsters that makes them so frightening…what are the qualities that most monsters have in common?
• Art/Ecology: Drawing on the dumpster and monster scenes in the novel, students repurpose metal, cardboard, plastic, and other trash from home into sculptures of monsters.
Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this book, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the book’s content to promote its literary merits.
• Refer to library’s collection development policy.
• Refer to book reviews from authoritative sources such as ALA, School Library Journal, etc.
• Obtain book reviews from tweens who have read it.
Why I Chose This Book
Despite my fear of horror novels, considering R. L. Stine’s mega-popularity, I thought it high time to read him in the name of library science. :)
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