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Goosebumps #2
Stay Out of the Basement
Dr. Brewer is doing a little plant-testing in his basement. Nothing to worry about. Harmless, he says. But Margaret and Casey Brewer are worried about their father. Especially when they...meet...some of the plants he is growing down there. Then they notice that their father is developing plant like tendencies. In fact, he is becoming distinctly weedy-and seedy. Is it just part of Dr. Brewer's 'harmless' experiment? Or does Dad have more than just a green thumb...?
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,462 books17.8k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,378 reviews
August 17, 2019
2.5 stars
I only reread this one because I mean serious business about doing a full series reread of the "original" Goosebumps titles (where does that even end, though, I wonder? yet TBD), but I distinctly remembered reading this installment once and only once as a kid because I disliked it so much. I just think it's incredibly boring and apparently, that feeling hasn't changed in the 20-ish years since I first read it.
I only reread this one because I mean serious business about doing a full series reread of the "original" Goosebumps titles (where does that even end, though, I wonder? yet TBD), but I distinctly remembered reading this installment once and only once as a kid because I disliked it so much. I just think it's incredibly boring and apparently, that feeling hasn't changed in the 20-ish years since I first read it.
November 11, 2016
Margaret's father may be a botanist, but what he's doing in the basement suggests he may be a mad scientist.
A tall, treelike plant sighed and appeared to bend toward them, raising its tendrils as if beckoning to them, calling them back.
This book is undeniably kitschy, and then - BOOM! - the author drops some serious science into the mix: DNA, genome mapping, reproductive isolation, genetic modification and transgenics. These topics are explored in simpler terms, but they're nonetheless present:
"That's what a lot of botanists do with plants. They try to take the fruit-bearing building blocks from one plant and put it into another. Create a new plant that will bear five times as much fruit, or five times as much grain, or vegetables."
The relationship between Margaret and her little brother are on par for most siblings, and the story builds to a twist that seems predictable as an adult but was mind-blowing as a child. To top it all of, the conclusion is slightly unsettling.
Reader beware . . .
A tall, treelike plant sighed and appeared to bend toward them, raising its tendrils as if beckoning to them, calling them back.
This book is undeniably kitschy, and then - BOOM! - the author drops some serious science into the mix: DNA, genome mapping, reproductive isolation, genetic modification and transgenics. These topics are explored in simpler terms, but they're nonetheless present:
"That's what a lot of botanists do with plants. They try to take the fruit-bearing building blocks from one plant and put it into another. Create a new plant that will bear five times as much fruit, or five times as much grain, or vegetables."
The relationship between Margaret and her little brother are on par for most siblings, and the story builds to a twist that seems predictable as an adult but was mind-blowing as a child. To top it all of, the conclusion is slightly unsettling.
Reader beware . . .
January 14, 2019
Stay out of the basement (Goosebumps #2), R.L. Stine
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The stories follow child characters, who find themselves in scary situations, usually involving monsters and other supernatural elements. From 1992 to 1997, sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه جولای سال 2009 میلادی
عنوان یک: به زیر زمین نزدیک نشو؛ نویسنده: آروال. استاین؛ مترجم: شهره نورصالحی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، پیدایش، 1387، در 167 صفحه، اندازه 5.12 در 19 س.م.، فروست: مجموعه ترس و لرز، شابک: 9789643496715، چاپ سوم 1391، چا�� چهارم 1392؛ موضوع: داستانهای وحشت آفرین آمریکایی، سده 20 م
عنوان دو: داخل زیر زمین نشوید، نویسنده: آر.ال. استاین؛ مترجم: ماندانا قهرمانلو، ویراستار: محمد قاسم زاده، مشخصات نشر: تهران، ویدا، 1385، در 130 صفحه، فروست: دایره وحشت، ج 2، 9789646807046، چاپ دوم تابستان 1386، چاپ چهارم 1389؛
عنوان سه: از زیر زمین دوری کن، نویسنده: آر.ال. استاین؛ مترجم: غلامحسین اعرابی، مشخصات نشر: تهران، پلیکان، 1392، در 152 صفحه، فروست: مجموعه مورمور، 9786005915440،؛
ا. شربیانی
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The stories follow child characters, who find themselves in scary situations, usually involving monsters and other supernatural elements. From 1992 to 1997, sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه جولای سال 2009 میلادی
عنوان یک: به زیر زمین نزدیک نشو؛ نویسنده: آروال. استاین؛ مترجم: شهره نورصالحی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، پیدایش، 1387، در 167 صفحه، اندازه 5.12 در 19 س.م.، فروست: مجموعه ترس و لرز، شابک: 9789643496715، چاپ سوم 1391، چا�� چهارم 1392؛ موضوع: داستانهای وحشت آفرین آمریکایی، سده 20 م
عنوان دو: داخل زیر زمین نشوید، نویسنده: آر.ال. استاین؛ مترجم: ماندانا قهرمانلو، ویراستار: محمد قاسم زاده، مشخصات نشر: تهران، ویدا، 1385، در 130 صفحه، فروست: دایره وحشت، ج 2، 9789646807046، چاپ دوم تابستان 1386، چاپ چهارم 1389؛
عنوان سه: از زیر زمین دوری کن، نویسنده: آر.ال. استاین؛ مترجم: غلامحسین اعرابی، مشخصات نشر: تهران، پلیکان، 1392، در 152 صفحه، فروست: مجموعه مورمور، 9786005915440،؛
ا. شربیانی
September 7, 2023
Lo reconozco, tanto la mayor como yo estamos enganchadas a esta colección (a la peque poco a poco la estamos adentrando en el lado oscuro 😂). Acabamos uno y pensamos intercalarlo con libros de otra temática pero nos es imposible. Se nos va la mirada a la balda donde está la colección completa pensando en el siguiente, y es que Stine sabe lo que hace, sus libros son pura adicción, ideales para iniciar a los peques a la lectura, perfectos para aquellos más atrevidos, amantes del misterio y pasar un poco de miedo.
En esta ocasión tenemos a un padre de familia, el doctor Brewer, que se está volviendo un tanto raro. Cada vez pasa menos tiempo con sus hijos y más en el sótano.
Sus hijos, Margaret y Charlie (lo sé, no se corresponde con el nombre de la sinopsis, debe ser un error), están cada vez más convencidos de bajar a dicho sótano, a pesar de que lo tienen terminantemente prohibido, y descubrir que se trae su padre entre manos.
¿Por qué actúa tan raro? ¿Qué son esos extraños sonidos que salen del sótano?
¿Y cuál es el motivo de llevar siempre esa gorra mohosa?
Tras varios y repetidos intentos, con sustos incluidos, descubrirán la terrorífica verdad.
Stine nos vuelve a encandilar con una historia, esta vez de horror botánico, con sus momentos de tensión y esos piques entre hermanos que siempre caracterizan sus novelas.
No puedo hacer otra que recomendarles su lectura, y si es en compañía pues mucho mejor. Diversión asegurada 👌📚🔝
¿Lo mejor? Como nos deja con el culo torcido al llegar a la última página 😆
Y la mayor siempre me hace la misma pregunta; "¿termina así mamá?". Adorable 😍
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜
En esta ocasión tenemos a un padre de familia, el doctor Brewer, que se está volviendo un tanto raro. Cada vez pasa menos tiempo con sus hijos y más en el sótano.
Sus hijos, Margaret y Charlie (lo sé, no se corresponde con el nombre de la sinopsis, debe ser un error), están cada vez más convencidos de bajar a dicho sótano, a pesar de que lo tienen terminantemente prohibido, y descubrir que se trae su padre entre manos.
¿Por qué actúa tan raro? ¿Qué son esos extraños sonidos que salen del sótano?
¿Y cuál es el motivo de llevar siempre esa gorra mohosa?
Tras varios y repetidos intentos, con sustos incluidos, descubrirán la terrorífica verdad.
Stine nos vuelve a encandilar con una historia, esta vez de horror botánico, con sus momentos de tensión y esos piques entre hermanos que siempre caracterizan sus novelas.
No puedo hacer otra que recomendarles su lectura, y si es en compañía pues mucho mejor. Diversión asegurada 👌📚🔝
¿Lo mejor? Como nos deja con el culo torcido al llegar a la última página 😆
Y la mayor siempre me hace la misma pregunta; "¿termina así mamá?". Adorable 😍
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜
February 23, 2018
This was a jittery one.
Even for the brave hearted.
Two common children, siblings, are happy that their dad is doing plant research in their basement.
The research is all harmless, says the blurb. Nothing to worry about.
Believe me that's a white lie.
Whatever happens you should not go venturing into the basement. There's where strange things reside.
The curiosities of the children gets peeked up on seeing their dad exhibit traits of plants. Is he a freak botanist? Do they go and find out the truth in the deep restricted darkness that descend into the abyss of the unknown.
" A tall, treelike plant sighed and appeared to bend toward them, raising its tendrils as if beckoning to them, calling them back. "
They were warned. They have only themselves to blame for what they find out. Or find out for the last time.
Grippy, twist and turns like a slytherin snake.
Stay Out of The Basement is not the typical Goosebumps. It introduced me to the scientific terms like evolution, gene mapping and fancy stuff.
Ten years later, I am a Biomedical Engineering.
But I am still afraid of reading this book alone.
A 5 stars performance.
January 2, 2020
Marcadisíma con este libro, pues es el único de esta colección que sobrevivió a mi infancia y todavía conservo en mi librero.
De hecho cuando era niña esta historia, cuando la pasaron en jetix por allá del 2001 me dejó en shock, pues que la onda de la botánica a como se plantea en esta historia me atemorizó.
¿Qué tal y si de verdad podía pasar algo así?
De hecho cuando era niña esta historia, cuando la pasaron en jetix por allá del 2001 me dejó en shock, pues que la onda de la botánica a como se plantea en esta historia me atemorizó.
¿Qué tal y si de verdad podía pasar algo así?
October 2, 2018
#2 "Something's waiting in the dark...."
Margaret and Casey continue to worry about their father and his strange experiments on Plants he's doing in the basement. They are just harmless experiments... Right? Very unique concept.
Margaret and Casey continue to worry about their father and his strange experiments on Plants he's doing in the basement. They are just harmless experiments... Right? Very unique concept.
September 19, 2018
Νομίζω βρήκα τη νέα μου μανία!!! (πραγματικά δεν θυμάμαι τίποτα από αυτά τα βιβλία όταν τα είχα διαβάσει παιδί - θα τα έχεις διαβάσει και θα είναι σαν να μην τα έχεις διαβάσει φάση)
Απολαυστική περιπέτεια, με κάποια παράξενα σαρκοφάγα φυτά στο υπόγειο και έναν πατέρα τρελό επιστήμονα!
Απολαυστική περιπέτεια, με κάποια παράξενα σαρκοφάγα φυτά στο υπόγειο και έναν πατέρα τρελό επιστήμονα!
October 20, 2021
RILETTURA, DA ADULTO, DEI PICCOLI BRIVIDI N.17
Casey e Margaret sono due ragazzini che hanno una fortuna non da poco: il loro padre è uno scienziato pazzo ed è un ottimo argomento di conversazione. L'uomo, infatti, nasconde delle foglie sotto il cappello da baseball e ha preso la peculiare mania di cibarsi di concime. Che cosa succede nello scantinato in cui l'uomo fa i suoi esperimenti? Perché conviene non entrarci.
Molto divertente questo "Piccoli Brividi", con ottime stoccate e colpi di scena nel finale, fino a un indovinatissimo cliffhanger. Solitamente gli scienziati pazzi, in altri titoli della collana, vengono piazzati in finali poco ispirati per offrire grotteschi spiegoni, qui invece sono il fulcro della storia. E la chiusura della storia, per quanto scemotta, procede in una carambola di emozioni incredibilmente avvincenti. Promosso.
Casey e Margaret sono due ragazzini che hanno una fortuna non da poco: il loro padre è uno scienziato pazzo ed è un ottimo argomento di conversazione. L'uomo, infatti, nasconde delle foglie sotto il cappello da baseball e ha preso la peculiare mania di cibarsi di concime. Che cosa succede nello scantinato in cui l'uomo fa i suoi esperimenti? Perché conviene non entrarci.
Molto divertente questo "Piccoli Brividi", con ottime stoccate e colpi di scena nel finale, fino a un indovinatissimo cliffhanger. Solitamente gli scienziati pazzi, in altri titoli della collana, vengono piazzati in finali poco ispirati per offrire grotteschi spiegoni, qui invece sono il fulcro della storia. E la chiusura della storia, per quanto scemotta, procede in una carambola di emozioni incredibilmente avvincenti. Promosso.
August 18, 2021
Es sin duda uno de mis libros favoritos dentro de la saga Escalofríos. Ni siquiera creo que haya necesidad de aclarar por qué, pero por las dudas... Horror botánico puro.
October 14, 2020
One of my favourite Goosebumps stories! I remember being genuinely terrified when I was a kid... there's just something in the idea of your loved ones becoming "strange".... a familiar environment looking just a little bit "off"... Yup, this is definitely still a win for me!!!
June 22, 2015
Sooooo... Book two. I liked this story quite a bit more than the series opening book. It had some issues, but on the whole, it was a better story and made a hell of a lot more sense than Welcome to Dead House.
The premise here is that the family moved to Cali for Dad to take a job in a science lab... but then his experiments started getting a little... strange and dangerous, and so he was let go. But he didn't care, he just kept up the work -- IN THE BASEMENT THAT EVERYONE SHOULD STAY OUT OF! He's down there nearly 24 hours a day. He doesn't eat with the family, or talk to them anymore, or do any of the responsible parent things that he should be doing... just works in his lab constantly. (How they were paying bills and suchlike during dad's unemployment is a mystery to me, because Mom wasn't working. Savings? You sure don't get a severance package when you're fired for cause, so they weren't living off of that.)
Anyway, Dad keeps getting weirder... growing leaves out of his head... eating plant food. Wait, sorry, "Disgusting plant food!" (That's how it was described every time, as though the tweens would need to be reminded that nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (oh my!) in a soil compound probably wouldn't taste too hot. Although, to be honest, there was no information given about what kind of plant food it was, except that it came in a package - so it could very well have just been manure. Gives a new meaning to "Eat shit, Dad!" huh?
I digress. The kids snoop around to see what dad's working on, and they find creepy plants in a equatorially hot basement (again: paying for this excess summer heating how?) and things get weirder from there - but in a pretty predictable way. Once again we have a brother and sister combination. Once again we have a "just moved here" story. And once again we have a couple of kids encountering weird stuff and questioning themselves constantly to find out why they should be freaked out by it. Over and over and over. "Why am I so afraid? Why does this weird thing bother me so much? Why am I nervous and scared?" I dunno... maybe because your dad is acting like a weird imposter and hasn't talked to you in 3 weeks and has leaves growing out of his head and bleeds green now??
Other than that... no reason.
This was predictably safe reading - though criticizing it for that feels a little unfair, given the age group that it's for. But still, I think it's valid. I mean, when you find the clothes of a person that came to your house and you never actually saw leave... there's a logical conclusion that one comes to. And kidnapping isn't it. WHY remove the clothes and hide them? I feel like it was included that way to amp up the tension and danger, but Stine couldn't go the full monty and actually kill someone off. Plus, then the happy ending wouldn't be possible. And there MUST be a happy ending.
But then we get to the issue that dropped this back down to a two star read, which is the lack of addressing some pretty important ethical questions.
I don't think that 10-13 year old kids are unable to grasp the concept of ethical situations, and in fact I think that it should be included specifically FOR the kids to think about. But it was not addressed at all, and I think further sends the wrong message that doing something dangerous will pay off in the end if you just stick with it.
Don't open the door if you're not willing to walk through and see where it goes. That's all I'm saying.
The premise here is that the family moved to Cali for Dad to take a job in a science lab... but then his experiments started getting a little... strange and dangerous, and so he was let go. But he didn't care, he just kept up the work -- IN THE BASEMENT THAT EVERYONE SHOULD STAY OUT OF! He's down there nearly 24 hours a day. He doesn't eat with the family, or talk to them anymore, or do any of the responsible parent things that he should be doing... just works in his lab constantly. (How they were paying bills and suchlike during dad's unemployment is a mystery to me, because Mom wasn't working. Savings? You sure don't get a severance package when you're fired for cause, so they weren't living off of that.)
Anyway, Dad keeps getting weirder... growing leaves out of his head... eating plant food. Wait, sorry, "Disgusting plant food!" (That's how it was described every time, as though the tweens would need to be reminded that nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (oh my!) in a soil compound probably wouldn't taste too hot. Although, to be honest, there was no information given about what kind of plant food it was, except that it came in a package - so it could very well have just been manure. Gives a new meaning to "Eat shit, Dad!" huh?
I digress. The kids snoop around to see what dad's working on, and they find creepy plants in a equatorially hot basement (again: paying for this excess summer heating how?) and things get weirder from there - but in a pretty predictable way. Once again we have a brother and sister combination. Once again we have a "just moved here" story. And once again we have a couple of kids encountering weird stuff and questioning themselves constantly to find out why they should be freaked out by it. Over and over and over. "Why am I so afraid? Why does this weird thing bother me so much? Why am I nervous and scared?" I dunno... maybe because your dad is acting like a weird imposter and hasn't talked to you in 3 weeks and has leaves growing out of his head and bleeds green now??
Other than that... no reason.
This was predictably safe reading - though criticizing it for that feels a little unfair, given the age group that it's for. But still, I think it's valid. I mean, when you find the clothes of a person that came to your house and you never actually saw leave... there's a logical conclusion that one comes to. And kidnapping isn't it. WHY remove the clothes and hide them? I feel like it was included that way to amp up the tension and danger, but Stine couldn't go the full monty and actually kill someone off. Plus, then the happy ending wouldn't be possible. And there MUST be a happy ending.
But then we get to the issue that dropped this back down to a two star read, which is the lack of addressing some pretty important ethical questions.
I don't think that 10-13 year old kids are unable to grasp the concept of ethical situations, and in fact I think that it should be included specifically FOR the kids to think about. But it was not addressed at all, and I think further sends the wrong message that doing something dangerous will pay off in the end if you just stick with it.
Don't open the door if you're not willing to walk through and see where it goes. That's all I'm saying.
October 2, 2023
kinda boring when you already know what’s going to happen
June 14, 2024
Update 9/3/18! Here's my full review: http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/20...
3.5 stars (I read this for Booktubeathon 2018) This was one of the more creepy books in the series for me because it literally made my skin crawl haha. I was not expecting to be so grossed out by the plot, but the idea of a human turning into a plant really really threw me for a loop. I listened to this on audiobook and rather enjoyed the narrator. If you haven't picked up the Goosebumps series I would definitely recommend it. I'll be doing a full review soon.
3.5 stars (I read this for Booktubeathon 2018) This was one of the more creepy books in the series for me because it literally made my skin crawl haha. I was not expecting to be so grossed out by the plot, but the idea of a human turning into a plant really really threw me for a loop. I listened to this on audiobook and rather enjoyed the narrator. If you haven't picked up the Goosebumps series I would definitely recommend it. I'll be doing a full review soon.
August 11, 2018
I remember watching this when I was a kid, don't think I read it though.
Margaret and Casey's dad has been fired from his job, he's a scientist. Since he's been fired he's been working very hard in the basement on his plant experiments....plant and human DNA gets mixed together with scary results.
I loved the kids being kids, being told not to go in the basement and what they do? Go in the basement. It's too tempting! Also how they miss their father, he used to spend some time with them but now he's too caught up in his experiments.
As a Goosebumps book it has the normal "false" scares at the end of chapters.
I did have some issues with it though. Casey is 11 and it states they are one year apart, so Margaret is either 10 or 12. I read her thinking she's 10 but I don't think that was stated. Anyway she makes Casey, her brother, a sandwich at one point that just seemed out of place.
"I'm home," he said, grinning at her. "What's for lunch?"
Later, after making him a peanut butter sandwich, she told Casey what she had seen.
So she doesn't get any lunch? What abled 11 year old can't make his own sandwich? I do want to mention that if it was just that I wouldn't have cared, but it keeps going with Casey just driving me nuts.
A little later
"Casey - will you stop it!" she screamed.
"Give me a break!"
"Okay, okay." He backed off. "If you'll do me one favor."
"What favor?" Margaret asked, rolling her eyes.
"Make me another sandwich."
"Let's say we took a person who had a very high IQ. You know. Real brain power."
"Like me," Casey interrupted.
"Casey, shut up," Margaret said edgily.
"A real brain. Like Casey," Dr. Brewer said agreeably.
Casey blindly believes everything their dad says even as he's acting very weird and stuff isn't right, which granted makes sense because kids tend to believe their parents and all that. Margaret however seemed more believable, she noticed the odd-ness but wanted to believe her father. But she thought about it all, trying to make sense of it and figure out what was going on.
Ok maybe at that brain part I was already annoyed with Casey.
Later, due to all the weirdness, they both end up awake half the night.
No, she decided. The poor guy was up half the night. I'll let him sleep.
I wanted to scream "So were you! Poor guy my butt." at that point. He can pester you all he wants, get away with it and get you to make his sandwiches, but he's a "poor guy" for being awake half the night for the same reason you were, but only he matters.
Alright, alright, i'm sure i'm being wayyy to harsh on a kid, but I just wanted to roll my eyes so hard and climb up the walls at the annoying 11 year old boy who gets coddled and allowed to do as he pleases while his pretty much the same age sister, has to be the more mature one.
Also, there is fat-phobia, or at least it didn't strike me as right. Their father (or it's said he does too when he isn't hung up in the basement) and Casey (who does) calls Margret fatso, even though it's stated she hates that nickname and they call her that because she's so thin, like her father. Color me confused.
There is also a "You throw like a girl." line, which makes no sense to me.
Alright, done with my issues with it I swear I did like this book! I enjoyed the plant people aspect of it, the kids being kids (apart from Casey annoying me), and the sense of horror. I found it pretty predictable (though that's because A I saw it as a kid and B i'm an adult, not the target audience, so I don't say that as a bad thing) and the ending actually laughable (but again, that's me). I know child-me would have loved this, and that's the point of it!
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Margaret and Casey's dad has been fired from his job, he's a scientist. Since he's been fired he's been working very hard in the basement on his plant experiments....plant and human DNA gets mixed together with scary results.
I loved the kids being kids, being told not to go in the basement and what they do? Go in the basement. It's too tempting! Also how they miss their father, he used to spend some time with them but now he's too caught up in his experiments.
As a Goosebumps book it has the normal "false" scares at the end of chapters.
I did have some issues with it though. Casey is 11 and it states they are one year apart, so Margaret is either 10 or 12. I read her thinking she's 10 but I don't think that was stated. Anyway she makes Casey, her brother, a sandwich at one point that just seemed out of place.
"I'm home," he said, grinning at her. "What's for lunch?"
Later, after making him a peanut butter sandwich, she told Casey what she had seen.
So she doesn't get any lunch? What abled 11 year old can't make his own sandwich? I do want to mention that if it was just that I wouldn't have cared, but it keeps going with Casey just driving me nuts.
A little later
"Casey - will you stop it!" she screamed.
"Give me a break!"
"Okay, okay." He backed off. "If you'll do me one favor."
"What favor?" Margaret asked, rolling her eyes.
"Make me another sandwich."
"Let's say we took a person who had a very high IQ. You know. Real brain power."
"Like me," Casey interrupted.
"Casey, shut up," Margaret said edgily.
"A real brain. Like Casey," Dr. Brewer said agreeably.
Casey blindly believes everything their dad says even as he's acting very weird and stuff isn't right, which granted makes sense because kids tend to believe their parents and all that. Margaret however seemed more believable, she noticed the odd-ness but wanted to believe her father. But she thought about it all, trying to make sense of it and figure out what was going on.
Ok maybe at that brain part I was already annoyed with Casey.
Later, due to all the weirdness, they both end up awake half the night.
No, she decided. The poor guy was up half the night. I'll let him sleep.
I wanted to scream "So were you! Poor guy my butt." at that point. He can pester you all he wants, get away with it and get you to make his sandwiches, but he's a "poor guy" for being awake half the night for the same reason you were, but only he matters.
Alright, alright, i'm sure i'm being wayyy to harsh on a kid, but I just wanted to roll my eyes so hard and climb up the walls at the annoying 11 year old boy who gets coddled and allowed to do as he pleases while his pretty much the same age sister, has to be the more mature one.
Also, there is fat-phobia, or at least it didn't strike me as right. Their father (or it's said he does too when he isn't hung up in the basement) and Casey (who does) calls Margret fatso, even though it's stated she hates that nickname and they call her that because she's so thin, like her father. Color me confused.
There is also a "You throw like a girl." line, which makes no sense to me.
Alright, done with my issues with it I swear I did like this book! I enjoyed the plant people aspect of it, the kids being kids (apart from Casey annoying me), and the sense of horror. I found it pretty predictable (though that's because A I saw it as a kid and B i'm an adult, not the target audience, so I don't say that as a bad thing) and the ending actually laughable (but again, that's me). I know child-me would have loved this, and that's the point of it!
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November 2, 2021
2.5 stars.
Margaret and Casey's dad is a botanist who likes to experiment in the basement. But it's starting to feel like whatevers lurking down there might be trying to get out. Moaning in the night, strange plants with deadly vines, and their dad is starting to act really strange. Can Margaret and Casey save their dad before it's too late?
Slightly better than the previous Goosebumps book I read, Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns (not difficult to achieve). This had just enough creepiness scattered throughout to keep me interested, but unfortunately still falls flat in plot and pacing (ie there isn't any). At least the kids are bearable this time, and actively try to sort out the mess they get themselves in. Still not convinced these stories hold up in current times though.
Margaret and Casey's dad is a botanist who likes to experiment in the basement. But it's starting to feel like whatevers lurking down there might be trying to get out. Moaning in the night, strange plants with deadly vines, and their dad is starting to act really strange. Can Margaret and Casey save their dad before it's too late?
Slightly better than the previous Goosebumps book I read, Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns (not difficult to achieve). This had just enough creepiness scattered throughout to keep me interested, but unfortunately still falls flat in plot and pacing (ie there isn't any). At least the kids are bearable this time, and actively try to sort out the mess they get themselves in. Still not convinced these stories hold up in current times though.
February 17, 2023
اتمام
۲۶/بهمن/۰۱
21:40
پایان کتابهای استاین واقعا واقعا واقعا… غیرقابل پیشبینی و برگ ریزونه🗿🍃
۲۶/بهمن/۰۱
21:40
پایان کتابهای استاین واقعا واقعا واقعا… غیرقابل پیشبینی و برگ ریزونه🗿🍃
July 30, 2017
کتاب «به زیرزمین نزدیک نشو» نوشتهی «آر.ال. استاین» و ترجمهی «شهره نورصالحی» است. این اثر جزو مجموعهی «ترسولرز» محسوب میشود. استاین نوشتن مجموعهی ترسولرز را در سال 1992 با کتاب «خانهی مرگ» آغاز کرد. این مجموعه حدودا شامل 100 عنوان کتاب است که تاکنون بیش از 220 میلیون نسخه از آنها در آمریکا به فروش رسیده و به 32 زبان زنده دنیا ترجمه شدهاند. از میان کتابهای مجموعه، خود نویسنده «حبابی که همه را خورد» و «به زیرزمین نزدیک نشو» را بیشتر از بقیه میپسندد.
September 8, 2021
A really effective creepy tale as the mistrust between Marget and Casey towards their scientific father is brilliantly portrayed.
Let's face it we'd all be inquisitive to know exactly what experiments were happening down in the basement.
One of my favorites when growing up, the story still holds up well on a re-read.
Let's face it we'd all be inquisitive to know exactly what experiments were happening down in the basement.
One of my favorites when growing up, the story still holds up well on a re-read.
June 15, 2017
What if a loved one began acting strangely? Quite unlike their normal self? At first you think they are just stressed, or perhaps you worry that they are sick. Until some strange things start happening. Things that make you question if your loved one is even really the person they seem to be.
Margaret Brewer and her younger brother Casey live in sunny California. They're spending their days going to school, playing with friends, and teasing each other. But then their father, the botanist Dr. Brewer, gets fired. He's now home all day. But he never plays with the kids. In fact, he barely sees them at all. He's spending all his time down in the basement - a place the kids are forbidden to go. What is he doing down there? Why won't he answer any questions about his work? Why has he suddenly started wearing a baseball cap at all times? Margaret begins to have her suspicions....
I liked this book a lot better than WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE. The writing is better, the characters are actually a bit developed, and the storyline itself is more compelling. Who didn't enjoy being creeped out by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS?
This book had a lot of scary elements in it. The kids go from loving and worshipping their dad to being unable to trust him and even being afraid of him. This kind of slow realization that your loved one is 'changed' is very frightening (I see this all the time in real life with Alzheimer's). Dr. Brewer looks the same and sounds the same, but something's off.
Some scary moments were: Margaret coming up on her father quietly and discovering him devouring plant food by the handful over the sink. Margaret discovering that the reason her dad started wearing a baseball cap all the time is because all his hair has been replaced by leaves. Margaret and Casey venturing down into the basement and discovering plants that move at animal speed and moan.
Margaret is a strong female character. Why do I say this? She exhibits an agency and an intelligence I rarely see in books aimed at teens. She is especially effective in the book's climax, when she shows amazing strength, decision-making, and intelligence. I was impressed. Of course, Stine is writing books which have protagonists who are too young to have discovered the opposite sex, and I think this makes it easier. A girl (not yet interested in boys and what they think of her) can be more easily written as confident, self-assured, and willing to save herself. Once boys are in the picture, authors seem to feel like they have to focus on that to the exclusion of all else.
The ending - both the climactic scene and the parting few lines - are brilliant and well-executed. Stine does a great job of creeping us out. And he does so with sun, tropical heat, and bright colors. This is not a dreary or dark horror, and that makes it all the more terrifying.
Margaret Brewer and her younger brother Casey live in sunny California. They're spending their days going to school, playing with friends, and teasing each other. But then their father, the botanist Dr. Brewer, gets fired. He's now home all day. But he never plays with the kids. In fact, he barely sees them at all. He's spending all his time down in the basement - a place the kids are forbidden to go. What is he doing down there? Why won't he answer any questions about his work? Why has he suddenly started wearing a baseball cap at all times? Margaret begins to have her suspicions....
I liked this book a lot better than WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE. The writing is better, the characters are actually a bit developed, and the storyline itself is more compelling. Who didn't enjoy being creeped out by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS?
This book had a lot of scary elements in it. The kids go from loving and worshipping their dad to being unable to trust him and even being afraid of him. This kind of slow realization that your loved one is 'changed' is very frightening (I see this all the time in real life with Alzheimer's). Dr. Brewer looks the same and sounds the same, but something's off.
Some scary moments were: Margaret coming up on her father quietly and discovering him devouring plant food by the handful over the sink. Margaret discovering that the reason her dad started wearing a baseball cap all the time is because all his hair has been replaced by leaves. Margaret and Casey venturing down into the basement and discovering plants that move at animal speed and moan.
Margaret is a strong female character. Why do I say this? She exhibits an agency and an intelligence I rarely see in books aimed at teens. She is especially effective in the book's climax, when she shows amazing strength, decision-making, and intelligence. I was impressed. Of course, Stine is writing books which have protagonists who are too young to have discovered the opposite sex, and I think this makes it easier. A girl (not yet interested in boys and what they think of her) can be more easily written as confident, self-assured, and willing to save herself. Once boys are in the picture, authors seem to feel like they have to focus on that to the exclusion of all else.
The ending - both the climactic scene and the parting few lines - are brilliant and well-executed. Stine does a great job of creeping us out. And he does so with sun, tropical heat, and bright colors. This is not a dreary or dark horror, and that makes it all the more terrifying.
April 16, 2023
My favorite Goosebumps book as a child, and I’m happy to say that it held up remarkably well! Just a super fun read, and it features probably the best plant-man antagonist since that doofus we were blessed with in The Revenge of Dr. X.
Although he was perhaps not quite as compelling as Vegetable Man from ATHF...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2cUN...
😆
Although he was perhaps not quite as compelling as Vegetable Man from ATHF...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2cUN...
😆
July 1, 2018
It took forever for the kids to open that closet (don't go in the basement, they go in the basement, don't go in the basement, they go in the basement, two more times until fiiinaallllyyyy they get to the closet) but otherwise I liked it well enough.
June 6, 2024
This is one of the standout titles in the series.
The whole notion of the mystery being inside your own home really drives the plot. Both Margaret and Casey Brewer are curious as to what their father seems to be doing down in the basement all the time now that his been fired from his job.
A simply effective plot contrivance means their mother, Mrs. Brewer has to spend time with a hospitalised aunt, allowing just them three in the house.
With various weird behaviour by their father really adds to the mystery, eating plant food being one of the best - this also allows multiple trip to the basement.
Simple yet sinister, the final confrontation and twist ending are superb too.
The whole notion of the mystery being inside your own home really drives the plot. Both Margaret and Casey Brewer are curious as to what their father seems to be doing down in the basement all the time now that his been fired from his job.
A simply effective plot contrivance means their mother, Mrs. Brewer has to spend time with a hospitalised aunt, allowing just them three in the house.
With various weird behaviour by their father really adds to the mystery, eating plant food being one of the best - this also allows multiple trip to the basement.
Simple yet sinister, the final confrontation and twist ending are superb too.
March 7, 2017
moral:
stay out of the basement
stay out of the basement
February 26, 2020
Όπως και το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς, το είχα πρωτοδιαβάσει πριν πολλά χρόνια. Κι αυτή η ιστορία ήταν καλή, με μπόλικη αγωνία για την τύχη των μικρών πρωταγωνιστών. Νομίζω πάντως ότι δεν θα το έδινα σε παιδιά κάτω του γυμνασίου. Αξίζει να διαβαστεί και από ενήλικες, φτάνει να θυμούνται ότι ο συγγραφέας στοχεύει πρωτίστως σε εφήβους!
March 6, 2016
This is the 2nd book in the Goosebumps series, and I do think the first one was better, although both tales have similar scores. I've always wondered whether people whose favorite genre is horror are really frightened by what they read. And if not, then why do they keep coming back. Fear is an emotion everyone wants to avoid. Genuine fear has only recently in our history been isolated from its companion, Danger. The fear in a bungee jump, say, is almost devoid of danger, that's why it's a pastime. Bungee jumping is a way to experience fear. It's popular. Even if it doesn't have suspense, or skill, or playable features, it's popular. Why? Because fear devoid of danger is supposedly fun. But don't tell that to a paranoid.
Trying to extract fear from this layout of freakish plants was going to be an uphill struggle. The main characters are Margaret, her brother Casey, their friend Diane (who is smarter and maybe prettier than Margaret) their mum, their dad Dr Brewer. The journey of escalating fear takes about one or two weeks. The writer makes the school cancel classes just to finish the story quickly. The plot is that of Dr Brewer becoming a mad scientist. He is a freshly sacked scientist who continues his experiments at home. That affects both of his kids. The kids are forbidden to venture in the basement. They do it anyway. Several times.
I like any small novel that has siblings or cousins of both genders as characters. There's a realness about them. There's a vivid sense of life likeness about any story that features brothers and sisters. This book benefits from such a cast. Since I don't live in the US, and since children's tv shows aren't lifelike, books like this really make the American family come to being. Both first books of the Goosebumps series have kids playing. Focusing on kids while not relegating adults is a balancing act. This book is partly well written. There's some surplus screaming going on though. This side of the story is fake. No matter, though. It all adds to the quaint charm of this book.
I noticed that the first time the kids' father is caught lying, the kids can' assimilate this fact quickly. I enjoyed the relationship between the dad and the kids. I liked how the kids(sometimes Diane included) break the rules. How they rationalize their disobedience. Also when it was clear that their dad was no longer normal, Margaret especially lives in fear and doubt. When a kid breaks a small petty rule compared to what is going on with the parents then the reader will always side with the child. There are parallels that can be drawn between the monster dad and real parents' serious abuses and errors, like adultery. I don't know if there are stats, but I guess that more than half of couple commit adultery, even if they have kids. This book reminded me of the stressful bond and what happens to it when parents misbehave. That's my interpretation anyway.
Trying to extract fear from this layout of freakish plants was going to be an uphill struggle. The main characters are Margaret, her brother Casey, their friend Diane (who is smarter and maybe prettier than Margaret) their mum, their dad Dr Brewer. The journey of escalating fear takes about one or two weeks. The writer makes the school cancel classes just to finish the story quickly. The plot is that of Dr Brewer becoming a mad scientist. He is a freshly sacked scientist who continues his experiments at home. That affects both of his kids. The kids are forbidden to venture in the basement. They do it anyway. Several times.
I like any small novel that has siblings or cousins of both genders as characters. There's a realness about them. There's a vivid sense of life likeness about any story that features brothers and sisters. This book benefits from such a cast. Since I don't live in the US, and since children's tv shows aren't lifelike, books like this really make the American family come to being. Both first books of the Goosebumps series have kids playing. Focusing on kids while not relegating adults is a balancing act. This book is partly well written. There's some surplus screaming going on though. This side of the story is fake. No matter, though. It all adds to the quaint charm of this book.
I noticed that the first time the kids' father is caught lying, the kids can' assimilate this fact quickly. I enjoyed the relationship between the dad and the kids. I liked how the kids(sometimes Diane included) break the rules. How they rationalize their disobedience. Also when it was clear that their dad was no longer normal, Margaret especially lives in fear and doubt. When a kid breaks a small petty rule compared to what is going on with the parents then the reader will always side with the child. There are parallels that can be drawn between the monster dad and real parents' serious abuses and errors, like adultery. I don't know if there are stats, but I guess that more than half of couple commit adultery, even if they have kids. This book reminded me of the stressful bond and what happens to it when parents misbehave. That's my interpretation anyway.
August 5, 2020
I read this book aaaaaages ago and used to watch my VHS copy of the TV episode on a weekly basis, but I decided to revisit it in audiobook form since it was free on Hoopla. The book is still pretty good, though the television episode may be a tad better. Both explore themes of playing God, having a workaholic parent, having a parent who is going through a midlife crisis, and themes of marital issues through a supernatural/science fiction lens. I'd give the book four stars now, maybe four and a half.
The audiobook itself... it's okay. The narrator did a fine job, but there's this thing she often did that got on my nerves. Whenever a character shouted, the narrator would... I don't know how to phrase it. She would whisper yell? It was this fake yell that really irked me because it occurred so frequently. I wish she had just yelled the words and then adjusted the volume as many narrators do. Other than that, I would give the overall listening experience 3.5 stars. I'll definitely reread the book again in the future, but I can't say I would listen to it again.
The audiobook itself... it's okay. The narrator did a fine job, but there's this thing she often did that got on my nerves. Whenever a character shouted, the narrator would... I don't know how to phrase it. She would whisper yell? It was this fake yell that really irked me because it occurred so frequently. I wish she had just yelled the words and then adjusted the volume as many narrators do. Other than that, I would give the overall listening experience 3.5 stars. I'll definitely reread the book again in the future, but I can't say I would listen to it again.
December 31, 2021
I spent a month re-reading all 62 original Goosebumps books to see if they still hold up today, you can check out my 3.5 hour vlog here: https://youtu.be/2C73xc1FS5o
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
October 18, 2024
Such a CLASSIC!!!! 👏👏👏 Excellently done!
Reading notes...
I feel so bad for these poor kids. I can't even imagine how scary it would feel to be in their situation when one parent is gone and the other one is acting really scary.
The dad is so creepy and suspicious 😳 this part where he's forcing them to eat this nasty food, child abuse.
Reading notes...
I feel so bad for these poor kids. I can't even imagine how scary it would feel to be in their situation when one parent is gone and the other one is acting really scary.
The dad is so creepy and suspicious 😳 this part where he's forcing them to eat this nasty food, child abuse.
December 27, 2023
This was a fun one! I love it when an author can make plants sinister, and this succeeded.
It was quick and jumped into the horror/story right away. Looking forward to reading more goosebumps with the kiddo. :)
It was quick and jumped into the horror/story right away. Looking forward to reading more goosebumps with the kiddo. :)
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