Slappy Birthday To You

Stine, R.L. Slappy Birthday To You 
February 28th 2017 by Scholastic Paperbacks
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Ian's father refurbishes for a living and gives Ian a ventriloquist's dummy for his birthday. His cousins Vinny and Jonny are big bullies who give him a hard time about having a doll and cause some mayhem. Of course, Slappy starts wreaking havoc, and Ian gets blamed for it. Things escalate, and Slappy extracts his vengeance on the evil cousins.
Strengths: There's been a resurgence in interest in the Goosebumps books, due to the movie that came out a couple of years ago, and the fact that the teachers at my school are now younger than most of my clothing and grew up on the books. Have copies that aren't falling apart helps as well. I will definitely purchase.
Weaknesses: There are no shades of gray in Goosebumps books. They are just ridiculous. This must be what the children like about them, but I don't see the attraction.
What I really think: I think that Stine is a good writer who writes some not-so-good books. The Lost Girl was particularly good, and I would love for Stine to slow down and write something... not Slappy.