Goosebumps: 3 Ghoulish Tales: Scary Summer

Goosebumps: 3 Ghoulish Tales: Scary Summer

Various Authors

Graphix, 2007

$20.85, LB

978-1417792115

February 22^nd, 2012

Genre: Horror

Age: 9+

Description:

• “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” by Dean Harpiel: Joe and Mindy’s dad is constantly competing with the father of Joe’s best friend, Moose, over their gardening skills, especially growing large vegetables. When Joe’s dad brings home a new lawn ornament—two gnomes—weird tricks of sabotage begin to happen to everyone’s plants. Could the gnomes have something to do with it?
• “Ghost Beach” by Ted Naifeh: Jerry and Terri are twins visiting their ancient distant cousins—Brad and Angela Sadler. While there they are told by some kids to stay away from a cave on the beach because it is haunted by a ghost. Yet, when they offer to help exorcise it they meet a very alive man who says it is the kids who are ghosts and they want Jerry and Terry to join them. Who do they believe?
• “Horror at Camp Jellyjam” by Kyle Baker: After getting horribly bored on their long drive, Wendy and Elliot convince their parents to let them ride in the trailer which soon gets unhitched. The kids find themselves at a place called Jellyjam’s Sport Camp. Buddy, the counselor, says they can stay until their parents are contacted. The camp has only one rule—Only the Best—as each camper tries their best to win six King coins. When a weird girl warns Wendy away from the camp and then a roommate gets all her coins and disappears as if she never was there Wendy uncovers a horrible plot and needs to rescue Elliot, who has five King coins, ASAP!

Opinion: All three of these comics are adapted from actual Goosebumps stories. The art really varies from one story to the next. There is a lot of detail in all three which would have been better conveyed if the stories were in color. The black and white makes the detail too messy and confusing at times. This is a fat volume (130 pages) so each story is a decent length (about 50 pages each). It is a good choice for Goosebumps fans and good for reluctant readers too (they could get hooked on the graphic adaptations and move onto the chapter books).