[Book Review] Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #1: Zombie Halloween By R. L. Stine & Coffee Shop Of Horrors Hare’m Scare’m Demented Harvest Autumn Spice

Title: Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #1: Zombie Halloween
Series/Universe: Goosebumps Most Wanted
Author: R. L. Stine
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: June 24th 2014
Page Count: 192 pages
Age Rating: Older kids (Approx. 3rd grade) & Up (some slightly disturbing imagery, gore, vague violence, and mentions of death)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a copy to review
Publisher’s page: Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #1: Zombie Halloween

The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and after you. Just in time for Halloween, a super special edition!

Kenny Manzetti was the new kid in town. His family moved back in to an old house to help take care of his grandfather. Everyone in his new neighborhood is obsessed with zombies–even Grandpa Mo. But then a new family moves in next door and there choice in furniture is…interesting.

Kenny is convinced that there is something strange about the new neighbors but his parents won’t listen to him. So Kenny and his friends go in for a closer look. A bad idea on any day but definitely the wrong choice around Halloween. Will Kenny survive long enough to go trick or treating?

With an extended page count this special edition is a scream!

My Review

It’s a Goosebumps Halloween! Back in the day, I used to watch Goosebumps on tv and read the books –  all in broad daylight and they still scared the bejeezus out of me (the ones with that living dummy gave me nightmares).  They recently added the show to Netflix and I marathoned it in the days before Halloween this year (don’t judge me). I was completely surprised by how…cheesy it seems to me now, but cheesy in fun way. That’s how Zombie Halloween felt to me – cheesy, but in a fun, nostalgic way that totally brought me back to my childhood when Halloween was scary in that fun, innocent way.

In Zombie Halloween, 12-year-old Kenny, along with his family, have recently moved into Grandpa Mo’s old, dilapidated house, which happens to be located directly across the street from a creepy old graveyard. This close to Halloween, it seems everyone in town, from Grandpa Mo to Kenny’s new best friend Alec, are obsessed with zombies – a fact that Kenny and his twin sister plan to turn to their advantage by throwing a zombie-themed Halloween party to get to know the other kids from their new school. Kenny gets a bit sidetracked from party planning when an odd new neighbor moves in next door to Grandpa Mo’s, in a house also conveniently close to the graveyard. Suspiciously soon after, zombie sightings hit the local nightly news. Something strange is going on in this town, and when the adults won’t take him seriously, it seems like it’s up to Kenny, and his scaredy-cat sidekick Alec, to get the bottom of things.

This book was good, scary, age-appropriate fun.  The publisher suggests an age rating at approximately 8 – 12 years old, and I say that sounds about right. While it’s still fun and scary enough for older kids to enjoy, it’s not too scary for those on the lower end of the age range. There is a tiny bit of gore, which is to be expected with zombies in play, so things like dangling eye-balls and exposed rib cages may be a bit much for some kids.

All and all, I really enjoyed this book, and not just for the nostalgia factor – silly scares and creepy twists made this a fantastic Halloween read.

This special edition Halloween Goosebumps book was such a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. Another great way is with a fun, festive coffee. I recommend Coffee Shop Of Horrors Hare’m Scare’m Demented Harvest Autumn Spice – boozy vanilla flavor spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg gives this coffee great fall character and makes it perfect way to celebrate the Halloween holiday season.