Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/01/2016 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 twelfth—but 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!” - Copyright 2016 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2017 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. VERDICT Stock well where Stine devotees thrive.—Valentine Muyumba, Terre Haute, Indiana State University - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.