1
0
The 12 Screams of Christmas (2014) by R. L. Stine ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read the kindle version of this newer Goosebumps book. This was a book club pick, so that’s what prompted the read. The 12 Screams of Christmas is the first Special Edition of the Goosebumps Most Wanted series.
First of all, I have to say that I did not have high hopes for this book. The artwork is stupid, and the title really is super corny. Well, they say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that wasn’t totally wrong for this book. It ended up being a fun read, and, of course, a page turner. They don’t call R. L. Stine The King of the Cliffhanger for no reason!
This isn’t to say this is exactly a good book, though, don’t get me wrong. It has some major flaws. It really doesn’t make a lot of sense and raises tons of questions. I’m going to get into spoilers in the following paragraphs, so if you want to read the book (it’s actually a fun read) don’t read the next few paragraphs.
Start
The book starts with a happy family in 1882 who had just moved into a new house. There’s mom, dad, and twin boys Abe and Ned and little girl Flora. Long story short, the little girl falls in the well and the family just lets her die in there because the rope breaks and they don’t have another one. That’s it in a nutshell. Doesn’t make sense, but here’s the premise for the play and the experiences that our main character goes through.
Fast forward to modern times. Kate can see ghosts. She has been called Ghost Girl by her class ever since she made a scene when she saw her first ghost during a 5th grade event with the class. I honestly thought this whole thing was going to end with her waking up in a mental hospital. I thought she was going to end up delusional. She’s very imaginative and often sees ‘ghosts’ where there aren’t really any. I’ll get into these details, and also the questions that were raised in my mind as we go along.
The drama department at school is putting on an original play called The 12 Screams of Christmas. Kate is trying out for the same part as her ex-friend, Courtney. While Kate and her friend Jack are rehearsing for tryouts in Kate’s den, in floats a ghostly figure. Kate is very scared, and realizes that Jack can see it, too. Turns out it’s just Courtney in full makeup for the part she is going to try out for. Oopsies #1.
Finally comes the night of tryouts. The drama teacher, Mr. Piccolo, (who is described multiple times as fat), tells a ghost story about how the school put on a play in the 30s and a sickly boy named Cliff’s greatest wish was to be part of the play. He was given the lead part, and he performed in the show against his doctor’s wishes. He was a big hit and when his mother is called the next day for congratulations, she says that she’s sorry that her boy couldn’t perform on opening night, because he’d died the night before. Ever since then, people think they see the boy roaming the theater and a seat on the balcony is always saved for him so he can have a good view of every show that’s put on. Kate looks to the balcony and sees a boy up there. She yells “Cliff is that you?” Oopsies #2 — It’s Paco, the 7th grade boy who is to be in charge of the lighting and sound. Not a ghost.
The drama director forgot his clipboard in his office, so he sends Kate to get it for him. First of all — Always send your kids in pairs. Well, Mr. P didn’t get that memo, so Kate goes down to his office and somehow gets locked in there. She realizes her cell phone is upstairs in her backpack. My thought was why is there no phone in the drama director’s office?
Finally, Jack comes down like 20 minutes later, saying that Mr. P. sent him down to get his clipboard and is surprised that Kate is still there. Courtney told them all that Kate had texted her saying she wasn’t feeling well and went home. Kate had missed her tryout.
Kate gets so mad that she runs back up to the theater and attacks Courtney and they fall through a trap door in the stage. Kate is knocked out. When she wakes up, she is surrounded by scary ghosts. One of them is Paco! Paco is a ghost? Oopsies #3, it was just a dream.
The whole class is brought to a crumbling house that is supposed to be haunted so they could get into the spirit of the play. Weird that it’s 6th grade boys and girls in one house and only one adult to chaperone. Oh, and one 7th grader, because Paco is there, too. So there’s Courtney, Jack, Carol Ann, Kate, Paco, Decarlos…. and there still has to be enough people for a chorus. Plus, how is Paco in charge of lighting and sound and also in the play? I honestly have no idea how many kids are in this play, and it doesn’t seem to be enough, actually.
They’re told to explore the house, but, in true Mr. P. fashion, he forgets to tell them to stay away from the well, and Kate almost falls in.
The group is told the story of the house, which happens to be the same house that the family from 1882 had lived in and also is part of Mr. P’s family history. Immediately, Kate sees the twin boys, Abe and Ned staring at her on the stairs. They call her Flora, though they know she’s not Flora, and they intend on keeping her in the house. They tell her they’ll be back.
In the middle of the night, Kate is lured by them to the well. Thankfully, Mr. P. discovers her, and saves her this time, though he doesn’t know he saved her. The two sit down to some cocoa, and she closes her eyes trying to get calm. With her eyes closed, she tells Mr. P. the whole story, and when she opens them, he’s gone. He comes back telling her that he had gone back to tell her roommates that Kate is safe and sound. Who leaves the room without saying “I’ll be right back” or something to that effect? This Mr. P. guy is a weirdo.
The next day, they are rehearsing. She sees the boys on the stairs again, and starts making a scene about how she can see them and don’t you see them? She runs upstairs because she can’t take the taunting anymore, and she hits her head on a shelf when she turns the corner. No one comes after her to check on her. She’s just left to run around by herself in a crumbling house. She is knocked out again, but wakes up and climbs the stairs to the attic and finds the mother, father, and two boys waiting for her for the Christmas celebration. Of course, they want to keep her and pretend she is Flora so that they can have another Christmas celebration.
This is the goriest part of the book, as some pretty gross things happen. I won’t describe them here, but it’s all about dead things. Ew! She finally climbs out the window, and all the ghosts chase her, and ultimately try to throw her in the well. She suddenly has a brilliant idea and remembers that in Mr. P.’s play, the big change he made to his family story was that Flora was saved with 12 screams.
“Come up, come up, come up!” she yelled this into the well 12 times. This brings Flora up and out of the well in a tense series of events and she is saved.
In a silly twist, when Kate gets home, Flora is with her, and she tells her she’s going to be with her forever to tag along school and everything else she does. There’s only one bed, Flora remarks. Where is Kate going to sleep?
My biggest question of all was why are the boys still kids as ghosts? Did they not live out their lives after all this happened? They stay kids to haunt the house for the rest of eternity? It doesn’t make sense. All the ghosts in the story are rotting, too. Why would ghosts be rotting? They’re not bodies. And why, if they’re ghosts, did Flora not join them? Why would she still be stuck in the well after all this? Why are their clothes old and tattered? It makes no sense whatsoever except for gross-out and scare factor.
End
This story was an enjoyable read, although, pretty dumb. But, I’ll say it again, as I have in previous blogs, are you really expecting top notch literature when reading Goosebumps stories? Nope, you’re expecting silly twists and nice cliffhangers to keep you…. hanging on that cliff!
I gave this four stars because it was such a fun read, but not 5 because it raised way too many questions, and it didn’t make a lot of sense.
This month I’ll be reading some more Christmas themed stories to get us into the spirit.
See you for our next book!
