August 26, 2025 by Feiwel & Friends
Copy provided by the publisher
Like Stinetinglers #1, #2, and #3, this fourth volume is comprised of shorter stories that channel the horror and humor of this author's Goosebumps books. Unlike the previous titles, this includes three novellas rather than shorter tales. All three are set in Blooming Hills, Ohio with students who attend Hocking Valley Middle School.
In "The Day I was Discontinued", Tony visits a new comic store in town to find out the valuations of some of his comic book collection. His best friend, Macy, thinks he's odd because everyone else wants to read manga and graphic novels, and certainly doesn't buy two copies of everything-- one to read, and one to encase in layers of plastic! Tony's favorite is Super Speed-Man, and he even has a costume for Halloween based on this super hero. His twin brother, Luca, gives him a hard time about it. At the store, Tony meets Caleb, who keeps his collection there. The owner, Duane, is out, but Tony has a good time talking to the young clerk, even though Caleb yells at him when Tony ventures too near a door marked "discontinued". Back at home, Luca draws a mustache in permanent marker on Tony's upper lip... right before picture day. Luca thinks this is hysterical, but Tony decides to skip school rather than face the humiliation. He goes to the comic shop, but Caleb isn't there. The owner, Duane, yells at Tony and claims that no one named Caleb works at the store, even though Tony finds Caleb's box of comics and a garment belonging to him. Tony sneaks a peek behind the forbidden door... and finds himself in the middle of a swamp, face-to-face with Swamp Beast, a discontinued comic character! He runs away, and the landscape fades as he finds himself running with super speed, just like his hero. The inhabits of this strange plane of reality start to attack Tony, but he is saved by a character called the Fabulous Flamethrower... and his friend Macy. Tony's suddenly back in Blooming Hills, but when he and his brother both wear a Super Speed-Man costume to a Halloween party, things take an unusual turn.
Kiley and Willa are best friends who are constantly trying to outdoor each other in pranks in "Guess What? I'm a Monster", and have both been voted "Most Annoying" at Hocking Valley Middle School. While Willa has a job as an assistant at Dr. Benson's animal science lab, she's allergic to dogs so hasn't applied to the new pet store in town. Kiley visits Donegal's Doggone Dogs and talks to the awner, Bruno, about possible employment. The shop sells dogs, fish, hamsters, and gerbils, but when Kiley finds an unusual lizard, Bruno acts strangely and whisks the animal away, claiming it is rare and valuable, so he has to be careful. Kiley gets hired, and Willa visits the shop with a rubber lizard she uses to prank Kiley. On the last day of school, Kiley accidentally hits Bobby Benson with a ball, and when they get to talking, Bobby warns her against the shop, since Bruno had worked with his father and acted strangely. Kiley doesn't listen. She and Willa are hoping to enter a photography contest to win some money, but Willa's pictures are much better than Kiley's. When Bruno leaves Kiley in charge of the shop for a moment, she seizes the opportunity to go to the basement to take pictures of the lizard, but gets bitten. Later, she starts breaking out in black spikes! Panicked, she calls Bobby, and he and his father come over with a possible antidote. Will it be enough?
Having just moved to Blooming Hills, Denny is settling in as the "new kid" in the story "Mr. Howell". When one of the teachers is sick, Mr. Howell substitutes, and reminds students of his name by throwing back his head and howling loudly! He ends up subbing for the gym teacher and coaching track as well. Denny and his brother Charlie are interested in the team, and befriend Bobby Benson, who is one of the star athletes. Denny thinks he sees Coach drop to all four and run on the track, but thinks that can't be right. When another teacher ends up sick, Mr. Howell takes over the school newspaper as well, forbidden the writers from investigating the teacher absences and focusing on happy stories instead. Denny sees Mr. Howell running again, and even sees him gulp down an entire raw steak in the grocery store, but none of his friends, or his parents, believe that anything is wrong. When there's a pep rally before a game against Westerville, Denny finds out the real reason no one is taking him seriously. But will he survive?
Stine sticks close to his formula of writing snappy sentences and creating dramatic tension even though some of the plot points are a bit goofy. There are plenty of unpleasant siblings and classmates, and some surprising metamorphoses, none of which are too dark. There are unpleasant and sometimes icky situations, but not too much blood or gore, making this perfect for middle grade readers.
Horror has gotten more and more popular in my library, and collections like Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or Poblocki's Tales to Keep You Up at Night are always in demand. Stine is a perennial favorite, and an Ohio native, so I loved that he created Blooming Hills as the backdrop for these creepy novellas. The covers are all deliciously disturbing and add to the appeal!
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