Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine is book 51 in the Goosebumps Original Series order. This book is scarier than most because it lets the fear and the unknown build up. What is really in the cave? Is it friend or Foe? The story works great because no character knows the full story of what is in the cave, but everyone adds a piece to the mystery. Beware, the Snowman has one of the better paces of a Goosebumps story. The scares in this story are fear of getting eaten by a wolf, fear of getting lost in the snowy tundra, fear of the unknown, and fear of creepy snowmen with facial scars. The ending is a little all over the place and has a plot that only R.L. Stine can make sense of. The story has a lot of heart in it and I was a little bit moved by the end. This story doesn’t have a final twist and ends with more of a chuckle. The cover is very memorable and I remember seeing it but not reading it. There is a creepy rhyme that keeps getting repeated about Beware, the snowman that works and plays a major part in the story. Beware, the Snowman by R. L. Stine was published on January 1, 1997.
Plot Summary: Jaclyn used to live with her Aunt Greta in Chicago, but they have just recently moved to Sherpia a small village near the Arctic Circle. Jaclyn doesn’t know why she moved to this strange place but she is here now. The village is filled with snowmen who all look the same and have a scar on their face. She meets other kids but they are reluctant to talk about the snowmen. On a day when she explores she starts climbing a big hill but is hunted by a wolf and a white bearded man warning her not to go to the top, and starts chasing her down. She finally gets the kids to talk about the snowman which is a shrine to keep away a giant Snowman who lives on top of the hill in a cave.
What I Liked: How the mystery of the Snowman is set up and how long it keeps the mystery. Stine is famous for making the plot turn into a joke when things get scary but he keeps the mystery for a long time. I liked getting all the different perspectives on what is in the cave. I like Jaclyn’s back story about how she lost her mom and didn’t know who her dad was, which is why she lives with her aunt. The ending is pretty heartwarming for putting the character through such emotions.
What I Disliked: The reason for how the snowman was created is wild I feel Stine could have come up with something better. I felt the village was not described well enough, I had a hard time visualizing it. The end joke was lame.
Recommendation: Beware, the Snowman is one of the better written goosebumps books I recommend you check it out. The beginning and the rising action are great I was slightly disappointed for the reason behind the snowman, but Stine makes it work. The story was surprisingly heartwarming at the end.
Rating: I rated Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Ranking: Here’s my full ranking of the 51 Goosebumps books that I have read in order from my favorite to least favorite: 1) A Night in Terror Tower, 2) Stay Out of the Basement, 3) The Headless Ghost, 4) Ghost Beach, 5) Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, 6) The Haunted Mask, 7) Ghost Camp, 8) The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, 9) One Day At Horrorland, 10) Night of the Living Dummy, 11) Welcome to Camp Nightmare, 12) A Shocker on Shock Street, 13)The Phantom of the Auditorium, 14) Beware, the Snowman, 15) It Came From Beneath the Sink, 16)Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns, 17)The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, 18) Say Cheese and Die, 19) Let’s Get Invisible, 20) The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, 21) Welcome to Dead House, 22) Monster Blood II, 23) The Beast From the East, 24) The Girl who Cried Monster, 25)Deep Trouble, 26) The Ghost Next Door, 27) Say Cheese and Die – Again! 28) Night of the Living Dummy 2, 29) My Hairiest Adventure, 30) Be Careful What You Wish For…, 31) Return of the Mummy, 32) Why I’m Afraid of Bees, 33) The Haunted Mask II, 34)How I Got My Shrunken Head, 35) How to Kill a Monster, 36) Attack of the Mutant, 37) Go Eat Worms!, 38) Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, 39) The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, 40) Bad Hare Day, 41) Cuckoo Clock of Doom, 42) Vampire Breath, 43) Monster Blood, 44)Night of the Living Dummy III, 45) The Barking Ghost, 46) Egg Monsters from Mars, 47) The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, 48) You Can’t Scare Me!, 49) Legend of the Lost Legend, 50) Calling All Creeps! and 51) Monster Blood III.
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