Slappy Birthday to You

November 21, 2016
Chuckles blend with chills in this first book in the Goosebumps SlappyWorld spinoff series, which resurrects Slappy, the ventriloquist dummy featured in some of Stine’s earlier novels. In his new incarnation, Slappy is a 12th-birthday gift to Ian from his father, who refurbishes broken dolls; Slappy was sent to him to repair—in a package with no return address. Information that Ian’s younger sister, Molly, discovers online casts an eerie shadow on Slappy: a sorcerer carved his head out of wood from a cursed coffin, and six words uttered aloud will supposedly bring the dummy to life. After one of Ian’s obnoxious twin cousins shouts out the magic words, it unleashes pranks and insulting quips from the wisecracking Slappy, all of which are blamed on Ian. Stine again deploys a string of cliffhangers to close out many chapters, creating a jittery cycle of scares and relief. The author’s many fans won’t mind the fairly formulaic plot that unfolds, and the finale suggests that more mischief is ahead from other not-so-inanimate dolls. Ages 8–12.

November 15, 2016
Stine's Slappy returns to sneer and scare.Everyone's favorite demonic dummy, Slappy, welcomes readers to his world as he acts as narrator and host in this first of a new Goosebumps subseries. This time out of the case, Slappy is a gift to Ian on his 12th birthday from his father, who repairs dolls and had received Slappy as a job--but with no return address. Ian has been obsessed with ventriloquism and dummies since a trip on his 9th birthday to a doll museum. Bratty little sister Molly thinks the refurbished Slappy's scary. Annoying cousins Jonny and Vinny want their turn at playing with the new toy. When a paper with six magic words that promise to bring Slappy to life slips out of the dummy's sleeve, all heck breaks loose. The is-he/isn't-he-alive plot gets recycled again (this is Slappy's 10th novel-length outing) along with all of Slappy's jokes (which are mostly insults and feel very antique). His legions of fans won't mind; they never do. The language is simple, the chapters end in (often foolish) cliffhangers. Per established formula, this offers just a bit of gross and no real scares. Slappy is white, and there's nothing to indicate that the rest of the cast is otherwise. Disposable paperback chills from Jovial Bob Stine. (Humorous horror. 6-10)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 3-6-Be very careful what you wish for. For Ian's birthday, his father surprises him with a unique gift: Slappy the Dummy. As veteran Stine readers are bound to know, Slappy is no ordinary toy. Ian's obnoxious cousins, Jonny and Vinny, who have a penchant for playing mean jokes on Ian and his little sister Molly, kidnap the dummy and read aloud the magical words that bring the evil creature to life. Unfortunately, no one believes Ian when he explains that the dummy is responsible for all the terrible things starting to happen. The cousins do, eventually, get their comeuppance. Fans of "Goosebumps" will find the usual winning formula at play here-short chapters, lightning fast pacing, slapdash character development, and groan-inducing humor balanced with slight scares.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 4-6 Slappy the dummy, a recurrent Goosebumps book and film staple since Night of the Living Dummy (1993), kicks off a spinoff series of his own. Having developed an interest in ventriloquism after visiting a spooky doll museum on his ninth birthday, Ian is thrilled to receive a ventriloquist's dummy on his twelfthbut all too soon discovers that his prize has both a will and a penchant for mean one-liners ( Is that really your face? Or did someone barf all over your shoulders? ). Naturally, everyone thinks the ensuing pranks and insults are Ian's, until a climactic battle in the doll hospital run by Ian's father leads to a final shocking twist. Building suspense in his customary lapidary way with a horrifying discovery or cliff-hanger at the end of each short chapter, Stine dishes up a ghoulish treat punctuated by screams, gushes of blood or hot, green slime, and Slappy's crowing: I'm delightful. I'm de-lovely. I'm de-Slappy! Hahaha! (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)