Lindy finds a ventriloquist dummy in a dumpster outside the new house next door. She names it Slappy and then somehow becomes a local celebrity who performs at birthday parties. Her twin sister Kris is jealous so their dad gets Kris her very own dummy from a local pawn shop and the sisters engage in an active ventriloquism rivalry. But then some strange things start happening, could the dummies be responsible?
I'm obsessed with so many things about this book. Most of those things are just how CRAZY it is and how many questions it left me with but in a good way, I loved this book. Here is a list of a few of those things I love:
1. So these twins (Kris and Lindy - great names, off to a good start) are out exploring the new house being built next door and they find a ventriloquist dummy in the dumpster. That on its own is CRAZY and HORRIFYING. Never take a dummy, or doll of any kind, out of a dumpster and take it home! That's nonsense!
2. Maybe I missed something but it also seems wild to me that Lindy immediately lands jobs as a ventriloquist and Kris follows not that far behind. Is ventriloquism really that much of a novelty? Is it actually entertaining? Why does it warrant so much attention?
3. Also, how was it so easy to find TWO ventriloquist dummies in this town? Every time I think about how there are two dummies in this book I am immediately bewildered by this fact. Seriously, just the setup for this story is so wacky I cannot even believe it.
4. And then we find out that literally the entire first half of the book IS A LIE. Half of this book is just Lindy playing a stupid prank of Kris before any of it becomes real at all. What a crazy thing to do, R.L. Stine! (I actually hated this moment because it really ruined a lot of the craziness going down up until that moment, but in the end I think it added to the nonsensical nature of this book so I accept it.)
5. Mr. Wood the living ventriloquist dummy is honestly horrifying. He literally tries to enslave them and strangle their dog. A living dummy is an image that all media already wants haunt my nightmares so I feel like not that much really needed to be done to make him scary, but R.L. Stine got WILD with this one. He says mean things in a low, raspy voice and also vomits smelly green goop all over entire crowds of people somehow and threatens to kill their dog and hurt their family and he can dig himself out of a buried suitcase and then this crazy thing happens when a steamroller smashes him where he releases a green gas and makes a hissing sound as if he were full of air? There's just so much going on in this one!
6. Speaking of the dog, I feel like we're really reaching with dog names. I mean I obviously loved Petey from Dead House and I could accept Trigger from Monster Blood I guess, but they lost me in Let's Get Invisible with Whitey the dog, and Barky the dog from this one I absolutely do not accept.
7. Another horrifying thing about this book is the second-hand embarrassment for poor Kris when Mr. Wood is snarling insults at the elderly and also a large crowd of people and everyone thinks she's doing it and somehow sprayed stink goop all over the auditorium and it's not actually her fault at all but even her parents think she's being horrible. shudder
8. AND THE ENDING. They finally get rid of Mr. Wood because some construction guy who is just relieved he didn't run over a kid smashes the dummy with his steamroller and the twins are so relieved that he's gone and then Slappy comes alive and comes for them! I can't wait for the sequel.
No debate necessary, this is the best Goosebumps book I've read so far and also potentially of all time. 11/10 best book ever written.
- Night of the Living Dummy (#7)
- Stay Out of the Basement (#2)
- Say Cheese and Die! (#4)
- Let's Get Invisible! (#6)
- Monster Blood (#3)
- Welcome to Dead House (#1)
- The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (#5)
Next is The Girl Who Cried Monster which I've never heard of and could really mean anything. See you there.
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