Calling All Creeps ! (children's chapter book by R. L. Stine)
Written: Oct 09 '07 (Updated Oct 17 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A great read that will creep under your skin!!
Cons: Purple may not be your color!
The Bottom Line: You never know just who might be a Creep!!
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| CopeSullivan's Full Review: R. L. Stine - Calling All Creeps! |
* This review contains a few plot details and events from the story, but does NOT reveal the ending.
Ricky Beamer was a sixth-grader who couldn't take it any more!! All the taunting and teasing that he received from the other kids at Harding Middle School was just too much. "Sicky Ricky", and "Ricky Rat" had become tormented chants hurled at him from the other students. Four bullies had made it their personal mission to make Ricky's life miserable.
He even had problems fitting in with the others at his after-school activity, as a reporter for the school newspaper "Harding Herald". A tyrannical eighth-grader named Tasha regarded him as sixth-grade garbage, giving him the worst assignments and then never printing his work.
Then, a ray of hope entered his life. A new student named Iris befriended him. Finally, someone who didn't make fun of him. Someone who saw him for who he was.
Even at newspaper meetings, the bullies were relentless. One of the bullies caused an accident, prompting Tasha to kick Ricky off the paper. To make matters worse, Tasha evidently told the bully that Ricky had blamed him. After school, the four bullies tackled Ricky to the ground, embarrassing him in front of his new friend. And it was all Tasha's fault, he reasoned.
Surprisingly, Tasha gave Ricky another chance at the paper (she said she did it only because she was desperate and had no one else to ask). Ricky vowed he was going to prove himself this time! But, Ricky didn't get to keep his vow, thanks to the four bullies who sabotaged him in the process, destroying Tasha's camera.
Tasha wouldn't listen to Ricky's explanation. Calling him a "Creep" and a "Rodent", she kicked him off the paper for good. The next day at school was even worse. That was the last straw. Tasha was to blame for this! So, he plotted his revenge.
Ricky came up with the perfect practical joke. He snuck a message into the school paper, instructing "Creeps" to call Tasha by phone after midnight. There would be kids calling her house at all hours of the night. Her parents would be furious. This would finally teach Tasha a lesson. Or so he thought! His joke backfired! Tasha caught it and turned the tables. Now that prank was on him. He got all the calls, instead!
But there was something more to it. Ricky couldn't figure it out. Something was very strange. A few of the kids who called him said that they were the "Creeps", and were calling as instructed. They wanted to know when to "plant the seeds".
What? What did that mean?
Ricky found out all too soon. In an afternoon ambush, four kids dragged him into the woods. But, instead of pummeling him, they called him "Commander" and asked him for further instructions. They said that they were the "Creeps" that he had called on and were now ready to take over the student population.
This was a joke, wasn't it? It had to be a joke, didn't it?
No, it was NO joke. The children transformed themselves into disgusting, purple, bumpy, long-tongued lizard creatures and revealed their plan. Their destiny was to feed Creep seeds to the students at Harding Middle School, changing ALL of the kids into disgusting purple Creeps just like them!
What could Ricky do? Should he tell them that he wasn't the Creep Commander and risk getting eaten by them? Should he play along for now and escape with his life? Play along he must, but this would put the lives of all the students at risk!
Would Ricky's parents believe him when he asked for help, or would the laugh at his "imaginative" story? Would the Principal believe his plea for assistance, or would she think he's gone crazy? Would his new friend Iris help to save the day, or would she turn on him?
The entire student body was in jeopardy! What would be their fate?
I'm not telling. But I will give you one warning…. Don't eat the Macaroni & Cheese !!!
CALLING ALL CREEPS is book #50 in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. With well over 80 books to choose from in the series, you're sure to find a perfect fright, chill, thrill or scare in each one. The series is unlike many others that have to be read in consecutive numbered order. Each Goosebumps book can be read at any time, in any order you wish. Each story is completely new; new themes, new settings, new characters, and new scares (with the exception of a few mini-series within the series… watch out for II, III, IV after the title… this will be a big tip off of a mini-series).
The Goosebumps Series is written for children between the third and sixth grades (and advanced readers in second grade). They are easy to follow and easy to comprehend. For the most part, they are written in a language that kids can understand. There may be a few words here and there that younger kids will stumble over, like "mischief, Pentax, artificial", and "hesitated" for example, from this book.
I have to say that I was slightly disappointed with where the suspense started in Calling All Creeps. I emphasize, only slightly disappointed though… not enough to deduct a star from my rating. In most of the Goosebumps books, the action starts somewhere between the third and sixth chapters.
In Calling All Creeps, the real scare didn't reveal itself until the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters. But, the ridicule, personal torment, and angst of Ricky was more then enough to keep you memorized through chapters one to sixteen!!
So, the question remains…. I really liked this story, but how about my third-grade son? Although he "felt bad" for poor Ricky, getting picked on so much, he thought the "Creep" lizard-people were cool. He loved the ending (nope… I'm not telling you how it ended, sorry!). And, he reassures me that he will not stop eating Macaroni & Cheese. Hey, it's one of his favorite foods, after all !!!
And remember what R. L. Stine says…. "Reader beware, you're in for a scare!
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Recommended for kids grades 2 - 6 (depending on reading ability)
Calling All Creeps is #50 in the Goosebumps Series.
Published by Scholastic Books Inc.
Copyright: 1996 - First published by Scholastic books, December 1996
The majority of the Goosebumps Series, by R.L.Stine, was originally copyrighted and published in the 1990's - by Scholastic Books. Books in the series have been frequently re-published, at various times over the years, by Scholastic Books Inc.
R. L. Stine's Official Website: (It's pretty cool, check it out)
http://www.rlstine.com/#nav/home
The Scholastic Store.com
http://store.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomeView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051
Scholastic Bookclub flyers that come home from school, with your child:
(They're often offered at reduced prices, and it's a great way to help your child's teacher earn books for the classroom… ask you child's teacher about Scholastic Book Flyers)
http://WWW.Scholastic.com/bookclubs
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More Goosebumps books, by R. L. Stine:
Monster Blood
Monster Blood II
Monster Blood III
How To Kill a Monster
Say Cheese and Die
The Blob That Ate Everyone
The Curse of Camp Cold Lake
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This is an entry into msmorvay's 5th Annual Resurrecting the Oldies Book Write Off
Recommended:
Yes
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CopeSullivan
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Member: Danielle
Location: Ahm from th' Bawstin arear.
Reviews written: 203
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"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." ~Prov 10:12
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