Tag Archives: Book Club

PHBC – The Snowman by R L Stine

5 Replies

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s? The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book. There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read? Are you new to Point Horror? Has our opinion changed? Are they still as good? Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror? Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

Join in the discussion with this months pick….

The Snowman by R L Stine

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Vote for the next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

A cold blooded killer

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

Heather Dickson is one very unhappy girl.  She can think of nothing better than killing off her nasty, vile Uncle.  She has a loving boyfriend and a best friend and a job that she hates….what more could she ask for?!

A boy called The Snowman turns up in Twin Valley but he’s not all what he seems…….

The Snowman?!  Oh he sounds frightfully chilling!

He really is not that terrifying.  Heather seems to loose all common sense and gets swept away by The Snowman’s cool charms and good looks and starts cheating on her boyfriend with him whilst giving him lots and lots of money from her trust fund whenever he asks.

I’m not sure I like this Snowman guy!

Fear not dear reader, he does however redeem himself by killing the vile Uncle of Heather…..with his snowman red scarf!

I bet Heather loved him even more after that…I mean she hated her Uncle right?!

Hmmmmmm no……It’s then she starts to realise that not everything with The Snowman is as it seems……

The Girl

Wow!  Where do I start with unhappy Heather Dickson!  With her golden hair featuring an off centred pony tail, her dark blue almost violet eyes, her high cheek bones and creamy pale skin….she had high hopes to be a classic Point Horror girl didn’t she?  She turned out to be this and much much more…..worse.  I think I spent nearly every chapter screaming OH HEATHER!  WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!  ARE YOU CRAZY! and shaking my head at her….lots!

Heathers parents died years before in a car crash and she is now living with an Aunt and Uncle for the last 13 years whom she hates with a passion.  And that passion made me chuckle on numerous occasions with her fantasies about killing Uncle James.  I mean she even fantasises about killing her Uncle whilst kissing her boyfriend…..need I say more!

Oh yes I can!  She also cheats on her boyfriend because she takes a fancy to the mysterious Snowman and thinks about him too whilst kissing her boyfriend…..poor Ben.

Always living her life in slow motion, her Dad’s lighter always at hand (phew) and with a trust fund stuffed full of money she threw money at The Snowman constantly!  Pay for this Heather, oh silly me I have forgot my wallet, LET ME BLACKMAIL YOU HEATHER AND THEN YOU CAN STILL GIVE ME MONEY.  Even at the end when he kidnapped Heather she was still offering him money!  Say what now!

Bless her!  She was captured under The Snowman’s spell!

The Love Interest

The Snowman!

Boo!  Hiss!  Boo!

With his amazing pure white (not silver) parted in the middle hair which was wavy and long, his apple breath, dark features, ruddy skin which was almost tanned, his adorable cleft in his chin and dark brown eyes that were like dark coals he made Heather swoon and swoon and swoon and throw money at him left right and centre.

He was kind of horrible to Heather, but evidence above indicates she kind of deserved it!  And lets face it he killed the horrible Uncle and destroyed our comedy value of fantasy deaths….I shall never forgive him!

The Gang

Ben with his large dark eyes, straight black hair and his Honda Civic was the perfect dumped Point Horror boy.  He deserved so much more than pining after Heather.  Evidence above indicates he is potentially not a good kisser either!

Uncle James with his narrow face, thin lips, yellowed false teeth, thick glasses, long boney arms and legs that made him look like a gigantic insect and ancient olive coloured overcoat was completely vile!  The best thing about this guy was they way Heather kept killing him over and over again in her dreams and of course when he finally got bumped off I have to admit I did a little giggle when the ambulance people left him on the front porch for the night!  Oh gosh this made me laugh more than it probably should have!

I guess I could put best friend Kim Slater in here as a severely unused point horror best friend can ever be.  Kim was short with brown curls and a hoarse scratchy voice.  Stiney also felt the need to point out to us that she was a little chunky even without the 3 long sweaters she wears (grrrrrr)…..but yeah she popped up every now and again and didn’t really do much to help her friend Heather.  She must have realised, like us, that Heather was past help!

Oh and poor Aunt Belle – she was the only character I actually felt sorry for in this book – bless her fragile bones and lilac smelling skin.

Fashion Faux Pas

I think I was that wrapped up in trying not to laugh too much at the Point Horror I didn’t notice any terrible fashion!

Dialogue Disasters

“He looks like a big green squirrel”

“You were fascinating that I was a large roast beef”

“He looks like a pencil with a red eraser at the top”

“He suddenly looked to Heather like a department store mannequin”

“He looks like a tooth pick”

“You look like a Heather…..You know.  All blonde and pretty.  Heathery”

“I dance like a water buffalo on roller skates”

“He looks like a toothpick”

There was a wide range of comparisons to things in this Point Horror!

“Coffee, tea or me?”

Heathers chat up lines are the best!  Take note!

“And through the gray thoughts, the bright pink head of her uncle appeared, like a flowering weed sprouting up through a concrete sidewalk”

No YOU laughed!  You did!  I know you did!

Body Count

1!  And lets face it….he deserved it right?!

Loved all the fake Uncle James deaths more though especially the sledding one!

Weeeeeeeeeee!

Is it scary?

No!  It’s really really not!

It kind of enforces the don’t fall for the mysterious stranger or any stranger you set eyes on vibe though!

Did the best friend do it?

Nope!  This book was what it said on the tin….all about The Snowman!

And not the walking in the air kind either!

Some Mild Peril?

I guess being chased by a car in the middle of the night in the icy snow could be classed as mild peril.  Other than that not really!  Unless we class snowman gate at the end as a contender?

Is it any good?

This one was mildly okay, but mainly for comedy value for me.  With a fab opening chapter and an egg cracking death by page 5 I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better…..how wrong was I?!

That’s right old Stiney thought that Raymond Briggs ending to The Snowman was for whimps and decided that the only possible ending was to but a live person inside a snowman to try and kill them….luckily Heather had seen the The Snowman on TV every Christmas and knows a snowman melts!

Final Thought

For once I am speechless……..

Cover Wars!

I found this really awesome foreign cover!  Which do you prefer?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Your given the title The Snowman to right a Point Horror – what would it be about?
  • What happened to The Snowman after the book?
  • Did Heather and Ben stay together?
  • Where was Kim throughout this whole book?!

You can leave a reply by using the reply button at the top of the page!

Vote for the next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

What will you pick?

And the winner was…..

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

Tales Quiz – Which Character From Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman Are You?

2 Replies

lying-about-last-summer-sue-wallman

Earlier this year I read and loved Lying About Last Summer by the lovely Sue Wallman.

You can find my spoiler free review here

So when the book was announced as one of the #ZoellaBookClub Books I was so super excited!

I was lucky enough to have been sent all of the #ZoellaBookClub Autumn Edition books by the lovely people at WH Smith ( you can find my unboxing and more about the books here ) and as I had already read and reviewed Lying About Last Summer I thought it would be nice to do something a little different.

So I teamed up with the wonderful Sue Wallman and today we are asking….

Which Character From Lying About Last Summer Are You?

lying-about-last-summer-sue-wallman

Skye is looking for an escape from the reality of last summer when her sister died in a tragic accident. Her parents think that a camp for troubled teenagers might help her process her grief. All of the kids at the summer camp have lost someone close, but is bringing them together such a good idea? And can everyone at camp be trusted? When Skye starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister, she knows it’s time to confront the past. But what if the danger is right in front of her?

You can buy a copy of the #ZoellaBookClub version of the book here

51srpxpliml-_sx324_bo1204203200_

You can buy a copy of the original cover of the book here

Which character from Lying About Last Summer are you most like? 

Take the quiz to find out and share your results with us on twitter or leave a comment.

If you cannot see the quiz below click here and scroll down

About Sue Wallman

sue-wallman-300x200

Sue Wallman is a journalist who lives in London with her husband and three teenage daughters. In 2013 she won the Bailey’s Women’s Prize first chapter award judged by Rachel Joyce and Kate Mosse. LYING ABOUT LAST SUMMER is her first novel.

To find out more about Sue Wallman you can visit her website – http://suewallman.co.uk

Or why not follow her on twitter using @swallman

A huge thank you to Sue for playing along and helping to create this quiz!  And to Olivia at Scholastic for being so supportive of the idea.

Have you read Lying About Last Summer?  What did you think?  Have you taken the quiz?  Which character are you?  I would love to hear from you!  Why not leave a comment using the reply button above or tweet my on twitter using @chelleytoy!

Happy Reading!

sig2

PHBC – Halloween Night II by R L Stine

9 Replies

41ow0ynjl3l-_sy344_bo1204203200_ql70_point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

Join in the discussion with this Halloween Special!

Halloween Night II by R L Stine

41ow0ynjl3l-_sy344_bo1204203200_ql70_

Check out our thoughts on the first Halloween Night here

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

Don’t forget next months #PointHorrorBookClub for the 13th November…..

417r2r5z4dl-_sx285_bo1204203200_For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

Tricks, treats and…death

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

One year after Halloween Night we return to the old gang of Fairview….on Halloween!

Oh No!  Not Halloween again!

Yep!  Clues in the title!  You remember how much Brenda loves Halloween….especially since her best friend and cousin plotted and tried to kill her previously…on Halloween.

You would think she’d be over hating Halloween by now!

*rolls eyes*

How can anyone hate Halloween?!

Well Brenda does, but she likes making films…..not those kind of films…scary films….with her friends Traci and Angela called Night of the Jack O’ Lantern….because you know Brenda has no reason to ever fear pumpkins!

She also has new boyfriend Jake who she loves with all of heart!

Awwwwww how sweet!

No he’s really not….trust me!

And once Brenda gets cheated on and dumped that’s when the creepy cards, rotten pumpkins and pumpkin pillow worms start….., but who could be responsible for ruining another Halloween for Brenda!

And how about a good Halloween trick to scare a victim to death……

*evil laugh*

The Girl

Copper haired Brenda Morgan is BACK!  Back with her downgraded green eyes (they were emerald previously), fair skin and freckles that darken when she gets angry!

Like before I had a very love/hate relationship with Brenda…although I did find her slightly more irritating this time around.  I mean her love for jack ass Jake was just plain annoying….she kind of deserved the Happy Last Halloween card that creeped her out so much!

I loved the fact that her pure hatred of her cousin Halley was still alive and kicking and Brenda’s little blue car was still rattling along.

And her freak out over the “fat man” who simply just wanted to return her lost wallet was hilarious.

It seemed that catching Jake and Halley together and snogging each others faces at the mall over a yellow table really pushed Brenda over the edge.  Poor Brenda really does not have good luck with boys….last time it was slime ball Ted and now jerk Jake!

I also loved how much Brenda hates Halloween for obvious reasons, but yet she was quite happy to go along with a revenge prank oh you know like the one that was played on her a year before!

Will she every learn!

The Love Interest

Jack Ass Jake….oh this boy made my blood boil.  He was a jerk from start to finish.  He loved his own reflection, was constantly late for everything, didn’t date girls for very long and basically loved himself too much for my liking.

Come to think of it he actually reminds me of one of my exes!

Ugh!

He was Brenda’s boyfriend who basically ran off with her cousin and then goes back to Brenda thinking she must be lucky he gave her a second chance!

Just no!

I was so so happy when the girls all started to plot to scare him to death and record it on camera…..it was an extra bonus to me that he actually got killed off!

I’ve never been so happy to lose a Point Horror boy before!

Best part of the whole book and if a coffin too!

No YOUR laughing!

The Gang

Lets start with newbie Angela Bowen.  The curly brown haired, dark brown eyed, chubby girl!  Yes you heard me right…..Stiney actually put a chubby girl in a Point Horror…..so of course she turned out to be the reveal/killer/weirdo.  And of course she had to have the most ridiculous Point Horror capture ever…..befouled by a pumpkin!  Right on the head!  And burnt by the candle inside!  Ouch!

But lets not forget she was fun to be with, had a good sense of humour and was a good understanding listener who liked orange nail polish and lived in a scary house that was like something out of a horror film.  She was pretty awesome right?!

I actually did like Angela…and although I guessed she would be the reveal I think we can all thank her for killing off the worst Point Horror boy EVER which I have to admit was a nice twist that made me cheer with joy!

Oh and silly me….she had a love for skeletons!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Then we have best friend Traci (with an I) Warner back again with her long black hair and dark eyes (again upgraded from silvery last time) and this time around expert filmmaker.  She blended into the background of any fake scenario for the gangs film project for school which mainly just entailed cat fights over boys to be honest.  Again she kind of just went along with things like before, but I seemed to like her a bot more this time around.

Brenda’s cousin Halley was back again, but this time as a fully fledged Morgan.  Not content with going out with Brenda’s old boyfriend Ted (remember him?) with her sexy looking ways, blonde hair and sweet and spicy perfume she manages to steal Brenda’s boyfriend right in front of her face! I think this was payback as Brenda moaned on about Halley going out with her ex Ted so much even though jerk Jake was Traci’s ex!  All a bit Made In Chelsea if you ask me!

And then there was the return of Dina…..you know the one that tried to stab Brenda in the first book who conveniently doesn’t remember a thing about what happened last Halloween (you can recap here Dina).  Do you think this had anything to do with her tripping over that pumpkin last time?  In custody of her parents after being released from hospital and seeing a shrink she was still the tall, slender, pretty but pale dark eyed girl but this time with hair past her shoulders it’s just a shame that we didn’t get a whole chapter from her point of view again!

It was also great to see Brenda’s little brother make an appearance again although a slightly toned down version from the first book….but I still loved him anyway!

Fashion Faux Pas

Did anyone spot any?

I did spot Angela wearing a canary yellow t shirt and dark green denim jeans with dangling plastic earrings which made me think of Pat Butcher!

200px-pat_pam

Dialogue Disasters

Not many this time around but these ones made me chuckle…..

“She was definitely on the chubby side and always had to worry about her weight”

That’s no excuse for making Angela the reveal Stiney!

“They had this horrible court fight over who got Halley and the judge decided they were both unfit parents”

Say what now?

“You can’t break cd’s….their indestructible!”

Oh the 90’s!  Bonus points for upgrading from tape cassettes though.

“Tomorrow will be better Bren.  You’ll see”

“Yeah.  Better. Brenda echoed.  Much Better”

“But it wasn’t”

“The next morning, the vest she wanted to wear over her white t shirt had a stain on the front.  She had to change her whole outfit!  Then she couldn’t find her hairbrush!”

*screams*  OH THE HORROR!

And not to forget the best line of this whole book…..

“I just remembered my parents have a really large bull whip in the closet”

All I’m saying is if Angela’s parents didn’t exist I think we all know who the bull whip really belonged to don’t we Angela!

Body Count

1

And I think we were all thankful to Angela for that one!

Lets hope the footage gets leaked!

Is it scary?

Hmmmmm not really….more classic Point Horror through and through.

Although I think the biggest horror of them all was when Brenda lost her wallet AND DIDN’T GET TO BUY HER SWEATER!

Did the best friend do it?

DING DING!

We have another winner!

Okay so not the best, best friend, but the newbie best friend….it totally counts though!

I mean Brenda doesn’t have much luck with best friends does she?!

Some Mild Peril?

One word….pumpkins!

Yep I went there!

stock-photo-halloween-girl-with-pumpkin-head-158135618

Oh also the fact that Brenda’s parents do not show up in any way shape or form before page 67!  I class that as mild peril considering everything that was going on under their roof when they were meant to be responsible for two teenagers!

Oh how I love a good set of Point Horror parents!

Is it any good?

I enjoyed it, but it felt a little slow.  I enjoyed the Halloween feel to it and the haunted houses, pumpkins and tricks and I must admit that pumpkin ending gave me a good old chuckle and the sense of now I know what they covers all about!

Final Thought

*ponders if this book was sponsored by Coke as it appeared EVERYWHERE*

Cover Wars!

Which one do you prefer?

41ow0ynjl3l-_sy344_bo1204203200_ql70_halloween-night-2

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Did anyone miss Jake after his timely death?
  • Where were Brenda’s parents?
  • Was Dina totally under used?
  • Did the girls ever finish their horror film project – Night Of The Jack O Lantern?
  • If you were filming a typical Point Horror scene for your project what would you film?
  • What happened to the fat old man?

You can leave a reply by using the reply button at the top of the page!

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub on the 13th November to discuss Prom Date !

417r2r5z4dl-_sx285_bo1204203200_

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

Spotlight – #ZoellaBookClub Autumn Edition

2 Replies

zbcw2016-launch-video

A few weeks ago I received a very exciting email from the lovely people at WH Smith asking me if I would like to receive and review that next bundle of books in the autumn edition of the fantastic #ZoellaBookClub!

After being a fan of the first #ZoellaBookClub and buying all eight of the first set of books I jumped at the chance!

I waited with anticipation to find out what the next eight books were going to be and I was absolutely over the moon when the announcement video was released!

After seeing this video I was even more super to receive the books from WH Smith!

And then this arrived……

img_3619

img_3621This box was super heavy and after having a sneak peak inside I soon realised that WH Smith had sent me much more than just the #ZoellaBookClub books!

So I decided to do an unboxing on camera to show all the beautiful and amazing things WH Smith sent me……..

**Please note that this video is not sponsored in any way I received this box of #ZoellaBookClubBooks in exchange for honest reviews and does not affect or influence my opinions in any way**

So there you have it!  I feel well and truly spoilt and very lucky indeed!

img_3638

Thank you so much WH Smith!

The Books

img_3634So I took some pictures of all of the books I received and I thought I would shine the spotlight on them and share the blurbs.

All these new covers are exclusive to WH Smith and beautiful!

They are such a fantastic selection of books and I can wait to jump in and start reading them asap!

zoellaspines

The One We Fell In Love With

By Paige Toon

img_3639

Phoebe is caught between a rock and a hard place. Settle down and get married, or return to the French Alps to pursue her passion?
 
Eliza is in love with someone who is no longer hers. In fact, he probably never was… And her dream of becoming a successful musician seems to be vanishing before her eyes.

Rose is out of a job and out of a boyfriend. To make matters worse, she’s been forced to move back in with her mother…
 
But these very different girls have one thing in common. Angus. The one they fell in love with…

Frozen Charlotte

By Alex Bell

img_3641

Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind…

Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lillias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there’s her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn’t be there. The girl that died.

Alex Bell’s chilling novel is part of the Red Eye series, perfect for fans of James Dawson’s Say Her Name and Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood

You can find my review of Frozen Charlotte here

Or a Q&A with a creepy Frozen Charlotte doll here

Also check out this brilliant guest post by Alex Bell on The Twilight Zone here

Or Point Horror and Haunted Houses here

A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

img_3643

The bestselling novel about love, loss and the power of story-telling from the twice Carnegie Medal-winning Patrick Ness, soon to be a major motion picture. Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.

Finding Audrey

By Sophie Kinsella

img_3640

From the bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a story of humour, heart and heartache. Finding Audrey is Sophie Kinsella’s first novel for teens, sure to appeal to her legions of adult and young adult fans all over the world.

Audrey can’t leave the house. she can’t even take off her dark glasses inside the house.

Then her brother’s friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again – well, Starbucks is a start. And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she’d thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable.

Be prepared to laugh, dream and hope with Audrey as she learns that even when you feel like you have lost yourself, love can still find you . . .

I Was Here

By Gayle Forman

img_3644

A brand-new, heartwrenching novel from the bestselling author ofIf I Stay, Gayle Forman

This characteristically powerful novel follows eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds in the months following her best friend’s shocking suicide.

As Cody numbly searches for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of self-discovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.

‘A pitch-perfect blend of tragedy, mystery and romance’ Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

‘Not only beautifully written and heartwrenching, but IMPORTANT. Wow. Just, wow’ Sarah Dessen

‘It’s about to become your new favourite book’ Sugarscape

‘A potent rite-of-passage tale’ Sunday Times

If I Was Your Girl

By Meridith Russo

img_3645

‘So powerful and poignant… I honestly just think this book will change a lot of people’s lives.’ –Zoella

My name is Amanda. I’m 18. When you look at me, you might see that I’m pretty and popular; you might think my life is easy. But being me has never been easy. Because I haven’t always been Amanda. When I was born, I was named Andrew. Now, at my new school, I finally feel like myself. But do I owe my new friends the truth about my past?

Lying About Last Summer

By Sue Wallman

img_3642

Skye is looking for an escape from the reality of last summer when her sister died in a tragic accident. Her parents think that a camp for troubled teenagers might help her process her grief. All of the kids at the summer camp have lost someone close, but is bringing them together such a good idea? And can everyone at camp be trusted? When Skye starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister, she knows it’s time to confront the past. But what if the danger is right in front of her?

You can find my review of Lying About Last Summer here

You can also find out which character from Lying About Last Summer you are here

The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily

By Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

img_3623-1

A teen romance set against the magical backdrop of New York City in December. It is the ultimate Christmas book.

Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but when Lily’s beloved grandfather falls ill, the repercussions take their toll on everyone. Even though they are still together, somehow the magic has gone out of their relationship and it’s clear that Lily has fallen out of love with life.

Action must be taken! Dash teams up with Lily’s brother and a host of their friends, who have just twelve days to get Lily’s groove back in time for Christmas.

A warm, wintry read that is guaranteed to be a favourite Christmas book for many years to come.

You can find out more about the #ZoellaBookClub, including exclusive extracts, Q&A’s and more here

You can also buy an exclusive bundle of these books from WH Smith here

Another huge HUGE thank you to WH Smith for not only sending me these fab books to read, but also for all the extra surprise goodies that were totally unexpected and so so generous.

What I love about the #ZoellaBookClub is the fact that people are picking up books and reading and top that off with fantastic books and brilliant authors it makes something very special indeed!

Have you read any of the Autumn #ZoellaBookClub books?  Which one is your favourite?  Which exclusive cover do you like the most? Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of the page or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy !

Happy Reading!

sig2

PHBC – Fatal Secrets by Richie Tankersley Cusick

8 Replies

1897096

point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

 Join in the discussion with this months title!

Fatal Secrets by Richie Tankersley Cusick

1897096

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

 There is a link to a poll at the bottom of this post to vote for your next #pointhorrorbookclub read for November! The next book will be announced on 17th October 2016

Don’t forget up for missing last months #PointHorrorBookClub I am posting a special Halloween treat on the 31st October where we will be discussing Halloween Night 2!

41j1ny32cwl-_sx278_bo1204203200_

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Also do check out our Q&A with the one and only Richie Tankersley Cusick that went live last month – here !

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

Skating on thin ice…

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

Ryan McCauley has just watched her sister drown in icy cold water with only her red ribbons left floating on the surface…all in what seems like a tragic accident with no body left to be found.  But just before Marissa died she gave Ryan a roll of film to develop and tried to tell Ryan a secret!

A secret?  Oh I love secrets!  Do tell!

Well that’s the thing Ryan doesn’t know and when strange things start to happen she begins to think that someone is after her next wants her dead too!

Surely not?!

Yep…..thus begins the moving dolls, presents from the dead, honking car horns, hallucinations and hearing her dead sister Marissa, spiked cider and creepy Father Christmas’s chasing Ryan down the street!

Not a creepy phone call in sight in this book!

For realises?  OMG!

But never fear because she has the best Point Horror boy ever to help her and you can always rely on your boss and your parents right?!

The Girl

Ryan McCauley with her brown hair, brown eyes and love of doll houses and pine cones was actually a pretty decent Point Horror girl I have to admit!  I actually really liked her.

Her sister Marissa’s death seemed to have a huge impact on Ryan and rightly so as she basically watched her drown in the opening chapters and I think this was actually really well done!  Feeling pushed out by her mother and forgotten about all seemed part of the grieving process that the family was going through and I thought RTC captured this well.

I loved he scenes when she was hallucinating in the toy shop, beating up an unsuspecting snowman and being chased by a Father Christmas with a bell….I actually felt scared for her at some points as the tension was mounting!

I mean she actually became scared to death it sent her over the edge…..but wouldn’t you be with all that happening to you?

But most of all I loved her flirting with Jinx!  More on him in a minute!

The Love Interest

Prepare yourself……

Are you ready?

You know what’s coming don’t you!?

OMG I LOVED JINX SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!

*kisses every page Jinx appears on*

Be still my beating heart!

Look I’m a sucker for a funny, cheeky boy and Jinx ticked all these boxes and more!

The so called irritating little brother of Ryan’s best friend Phoebe with his brown eyes , baby face and one dimple in his little cute cheek. He was always making Ryan smile and of course me and lets not forget how his room reflected his personality.

He lit up every page!  I’ve never shipped a Point Horror pair quite like I have with Jinx and Ryan!

OMG THEY HAVE TO HAVE GOT TOGETHER AFTER THE BOOK!

WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME RTC?!

WHY!

Jinx and Ryan’s flirting was everything!  And when Jinx got a little jealous of hunk Winchester my heart ached!

And his love of pizza held no bounds!  The scene when he ran (in slow motion in my head) to Ryan’s rescue dropping his pizza on the floor as quick as anything is surely a pure sign of love!

Awwwwwwwww!

The Gang

Only fair to start with Ryan’s blond curled hair sister, Marissa, who basically dies on page 8!  The typical first victim of any good horror!

With her love of red ribbons in her hair and a blouse that got wet and turned red like blood she was destined to be the victim leaving little clues behind about her “secret” and an undeveloped film which gave me nostalgic flashbacks to those good old days of sending rolls of film off to Truprint!  Oh and don’t forget she prefers the smell of turkey not the cold!  You know because they are totally related!

Then we have the typical best friend, Phoebe, with her dimples, blue eyes, her need for natural curly hair, crazy about guys and lets not forget fancying Steve!  Yes, she fancied Ryan’s Mom’s boyfriend….because he’s such a catch….and an evil gun wielding drug lord!

Phoebe seemed like the best friend that we have come to know and love from our Point Horror’s especially as she was crazy about guys too!

I loved the fight she has with her brother Jinx (*swoons*) …and basically revealed all his deepest darkest secrets out of spite for him getting her grounded!  Loved it!

Winchester the loner with his shy looks, shy slow smile, hair as black as ravens wings and gorgeous looks he was our bit of hot Point Horror totty lets be honest here.  He made me imagine Nick Jonas….which is never a bad thing!

635512335204116245-nick-jonas-jy-0219

 He was very caring about his family and basically went out with Ryan’s sister when she was alive but it turns out that he was really after Ryan *eye roll*

However, he was drawn into the drug ring of being the delivery boy….but I will forgive his devilish good looks because his family’s life was being threatened and he basically turned hero in the end by trying to save everyone which I’m tempted to write allllll the fan fiction about especially in his tight fitting jeans!

*fans self*

And there’s creepy Charles Eastman an apparent friend of Marissa’s, a stranger to Ryan and her Mom, who came bearing gifts and was invited to stay in their house!  With his blonde hair, intense stare and creepy personality he charmed his way around Ryan’s Mom all to try and find out if Ryan knew anything about Marissa’s secret.  He was vile from the first page I laid eyes on him and lets not forget he was the worst driver ever!  He got lost, hit a dog, got a flat tyre and drove off and left his intoxicated passenger in the middle of nowhere in the snow!

Creep!

Moving on swiftly to the “artsy section of town”…… to Mr Partini and his toy shop where he makes all the toys himself…..you know to STASH HIS DRUGS IN!  An old Italian man who lost his wife 25 years previously and who employed Ryan in his shop was in on it all along!  Calling Ryan his little Bambalina was just a cover up for his evil streak.  Who would have thought it?!

The Parents!

Yep I’m giving them a whole section to themselves as again this Point Horror reminds me why we should never moan that parents are often “absent” from Point Horror….and not in the way you might expect.

I mean we had Ryan’s Mom….a widow and totally in love with her new beau Steve.  I liked Ryan’s Mom…..she was grieving for one of her daughters who had died and her body not found, she cared for Ryan although Ryan couldn’t necessarily see that.  I mean okay she let a stranger called Creepy Charles stay in her house but still she was a good example of a Point Horror Mom trying her best.

And then there’s Steve……rich, college professor Steve.  With his sports car, boat, cute smile, funny personality, hair thinning on top and a mole on his……(that sentence was never finished and it scares me!).  Oh and lets not forget he’s a drug lord and a killer.

Once I found out he was part of the reveal everything about him literally gave me the creeps.  All the little Step Father pep talks to Ryan and little winks and acts of kindness just to try and find out if Ryan knew anything ….ugh!  And there’s the fact that Marissa had found out about his little drug ring with the others so he got her killed to protect himself and his “business”.  I always remember being shocked when I read this in my teens that an actual parent figure was in on it and I wonder if that’s why this book stuck in my mind all these years later as a fave….I couldn’t remember why it was a fave, but I definitely think this twist was one of the main reasons.  I mean who doesn’t love a good twist?!

Fashion Faux Pas

I did not find any!

Unless you count the blouse that Marissa remembered wearing that got wet and turned red like blood…..knock off?

Dialogue Disasters

I didn’t find too many dialogue disasters in this one…just a few things that made me chuckle as normal….

“Ryan you couldn’t be mean to anybody”

Tell that to the poor snowman she beat up!

“You need a boyfriend”

Pheobe has the best solution to Ryan’s problems…..not!

“And Mr Partini wouldn’t let anything happen to me”

Oh wouldn’t he?

“Ryan wondered how he could often look so cuddly and be such a holy terror”

*daydreams about Jinx*

“Ryan felt like a sack of lead”

Heeeeeaaavvvveee-ho!

“Your entirely too high strung”

With just reason!

“Shadows don’t honk.  Shadows don’t talk”

*coughs* this is Point Horror! *coughs*

“You’ve got about as much self confidence as a rabbit”

Jinx is trying the tried and tested Watership Down chat up line…..I still would 😉

“They’re all big ones”

Point Horror stumbling into Point Romance territory!

And last but by no means least the line that wins ALL of the awards…..

“Without warning the elves started singing their Christmas Carols….but on low speed, demons voices”

Forget killer clowns…..evil demon elves is where it’s at!

evil-elf

Body Count

2!

You heard me right!

2!

Well 3 if we count the beaten up snowman….RIP Snowy!

But Yayyyyyyy!

Richie gives us Point Horror fans exactly what we crave! One death by drowning in icy cold frozen water at the start and one death by gunshot right at the end!

I feel bad…..but WHAT A TREAT!

Is it scary?

Not entirely, but I did find they whole being chased by Santa with his little ringing bell quite terrifying I will be honest.  How scary was that scene?!

Did the best friend do it?

Nope not this time…..but basically the whole town was virtually in on it….

Okay I exaggerate….it was only the shop owner, the creepy stranger, the handsome hunk and the step dad….no big deal!

*blows mind*

Some Mild Peril?

I guess the whole barn shotgun showdown at the end is a huge mix of mild peril….but up until that point Ryan wasn’t exactly in too much danger really was she?

Oh except those icy roads and creepy Father Christmas!

Is it any good?

I always said that this Point Horror was a favourite of mine back in the day and I always knew the twist at the end kind of shocked me and it’s stayed with me all these years and I have to say this book did not disappoint me at all.

I loved it!

I think the characters were great.  The storyline was great.  The twist and reveal was great.

I even loved the little popcorn mention on page 20!  Mmmmmmmmmm

Final Thought

Who actually did get sent to kill Marissa?

Cover Wars!

6602727-m1897096

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Winchester, Jinx or Charles?
  • Who really did kill Marissa as Steve did not like to get his hands dirty?
  • You want to send someone mad to retrieve a secret…what would you do?

You can leave a reply by using the reply button at the top of the page!

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub for a one off special on the 31st October 2016 to discuss Halloween Night 2 !

41j1ny32cwl-_sx278_bo1204203200_

You can vote for your next #PointHorrorBookClub read for November here!

Voting closes on the 17th October 2016!

And the winner was…..

phnovt16

The next read will be announced on the #pointhorrorbookclub page here and on twitter using the hashtag #pointhorrorbookclub on the 17th October 2016!

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

PHBC – Call Waiting by R L Stine

17 Replies

$_35point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

 Join in the discussion with this months title!

Call Waiting by R L Stine

$_35

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

 There is a link to a poll at the bottom of this post to vote for your next #pointhorrorbookclub read! The next book will be announced on 22nd August 2016

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Also do check out our Q&A with the one and only Richie Tankersley Cusick that went live this month – here !

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

Don’t pick up the phone….

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

Right!

*flicks hair*

Karen Masters is so in love with douchebag hunk Ethan that when she thinks he is seeing Wendy behind her back she starts turning into Glenn Close circa Fatal Attraction era!

233417206_f7cd1de65e_b

Please don’t tell be Ethan had a bunny rabbit!?

Nope thank goodness he didn’t that’s all I’m saying!

Anyway, all Karen cares about is how much she loves Ethan and would do anything for Ethan etc etc and then Ethan drops the bombshell!

What she was right? He was cheating on Karen?!  We finally have a gay character in Point Horror?!

We can only dream of such a story line in Point Horror!

Well kind of but not with who she thought, but Ethan wants the best of both worlds and tells Karen that they should “see other people”!

Ugh!

Yep Ugh indeed!

This sends Karen spiralling out of control and she does the only thing she can possibly think of to keep Ethan …… pretend that she is getting creepy phone calls from someone who wants to kill her!  And these phone calls all happened whilst she is on the phone via her Call Waiting beeps!

But soon Ethan finds out that Karen doesn’t have Call Waiting!

OMG THE HORROR!

But that’s not the end of it…..then the calls really start happening!  FOR REAL!

Dum dum duuuuummmmm!

The Girl

Oh dear!  Oh dear!  Where on earth do I start with Karen Masters!?

With her dark short hair, dark eyes and very thin appearance I thought she would be one of those Point Horror girls that I would not forget in a hurry…..this was true, but maybe for all the wrong reasons!

With her parents divorced, brother always out with friends and birdlike Mum always working Karen was in the house on her own quite a lot.  But fear not as Point Horror love interest Ethan saved her from her loneliness….apparently!

Karen and Ethan both love bike rides, trivial pursuit and chessboards on rainy evenings…..the perfect romantic couple……that was until Karen thought Ethan was having it away with prop master Wendy!  Oh the horror!  So naturally Karen does the only thing that any girl should do…..stalk your boyfriend outside his own house to see what time he comes home!

And then get caught out by him whilst chatting to your friend about stalking your boyfriend on the phone!

Yep that’s right!  What a brilliant role model Karen was for all teenage girls (NOT!)…..she was very jealous indeed.

But nothing was going to stop Karen!  She loved Ethan with all her heart…he was even worth getting stressed over which gave Karen a very stiff neck indeed!

And do you know what a stiff neck is like?!  DO YOU?!

And this was just the beginning….when things start to come crashing down and falling apart between her and Ethan (mainly because Ethan was a douchebag – more on this later) Karen becomes a little unstable.  I mean making up receiving threatening phone calls just to keep your man is just the worst and then to get busted for doing it!

Oh Karen…..he’s just a boy!

Was it just me or did anyone else laugh when she started to get the calls for realises?!

Also I did admire Karen’s commitment to date nights and especially the new dance club…..horrific snowy bad weather outside is nothing to Karen!  Ethan still must take her to dance!

The Love Interest

Douchebag Ethan!

Ugh!

I mean he’s not the worst Point Horror boy we have ever had I guess!  He does stick by Karen in the end, but still!

With his long black hair, dark soulful eyes, broad forehead, silver earing through one ear and red Bonneville car he had so much Point Horror boy potential.  According to Karen he was funny, outgoing and playful, but all we got to see was him being a bad liar and lets be honest a bit harsh to poor old Karen.

He constantly broke date nights with Karen, he used the line “I think we should see other people” rather than lets break up AND “We can just go out on Saturday nights”. *rages*  He constantly hid behind his friend Jake who always seemed to be bailing him out of a Karen situation.  UGGGGHHHHH!

Ernie calling in sick so Ethan had to work seemed to be the tipping point!

Okay, okay so Ethan may have reminded me a bit of a guy I went out with at school who did the same to me and yes okay I may still be slightly bitter heartbroken about that whole time, but come on Ethan sucked big time!

I mean I guess he kind of redeemed himself in the end by sticking by Karen with the phone calls and “realising what she meant to him”, but he should have know that all along!

The perfect ending for me would have been Karen realising this and saying “look Ethan I may take you up on that seeing other people thing…hi Jake” but no! NO!

*mumbles under breathe*

What was with Ethan and Jake anyway?!  Ethan “rushing off to do math with Jake” *winks*.  Oh why couldn’t we just have a gay love triangle for once in a Point Horror!

The Gang

I have to start with best friend Micah Davis!  A bit of a flirt with blonde curly hair that she played with a lot, long nails, velvety voice that sounded like a sexy purr (?)  and a serious Kit Kat problem (who doesn’t?  Especially the peanut butter ones!) she was after Ethan all along the hussy!  She was meant to be Karen’s best friend and then when Ethan doesn’t break up with Karen she decides to push Karen further over the edge by actually making scary phone calls to her only to be busted by a chiming clock!  Ouch Micah!  Ouch!  Oh also the big finale girl cat fight!  Wow we haven’t had one of those for ages!  Me-ow!

Jake the best friend who had Ethan’s back ….ALL THE TIME.  Who didn’t want these two to get together?!  They would have been adorbs!  Anyway …. tall, with red wiry hair, long gangly arms, a horse voice that earned him the nickname Frog and who reminded Karen of a Grasshopper was severely under used and only there to get Ethan out of tricky situations with Karen.  I’m putting it out there that Jake fancied the pants of Ethan!  100%!  Who’s with me?

Wholesale-Green-font-b-Grasshopper-b-font-Mascot-font-b-Costume-b-font-Locust-Mascot-font

Okay older brother Chris was our typical joker of a Point Horror character!  The college kid with his passion for comedy shows, practical jokes, sandy hair, millions of friends and apparently lots of girlfriends!  I have to admit some of his practical jokes on Karen were hilarious but maybe that was just me being cruel because it was Karen and it was so funny and…..okay I will stop now!

Cousin Adam was a bit of a pointless red herring character wasn’t he?  Not even his love of horror comics and horror movies or the fact that he was really into history could help him.  Having recently moved back into the area and with his rust coloured hair, dark eyes, black rimmed glasses, zits on his chin and skinny appearance he was the perfect extra character we all needed.  He was shy, had a silent laugh that sounded like coughing (?), carried a brown briefcase and liked calling his cousin after midnight!  Other than that he didn’t really do anything did he?!

And what about poor old Wendy Talbot!  Prop Master for the school production of Guys And Dolls with her straight red hair, grey green eyes and paper Mache head that was so heavy she fell down the stairs *sniggers*…. any way she got a lot of flack for apparently “flirting” with Ethan!  I felt a little sorry for her!  Was there something in that shoulder touch?! And that prop gun that Karen thought was real!!  She must have been the best prop master EVER!

Oh also a quick shout out to the two secretaries arguing over pencils and how dark they are!  THIS.  WAS. BRILLIANT!

Fashion Faux Pas

Oh I spotted a shaggy coat that made someone look like a bear!

Charles-Fréger-5

A pale blue down vest over a bulky yellow sweater and faded denim jeans with a hole in one knee.

And the crème de la crème of fashion faux pas’s ……Ethans silky, red and gold patterned shirt!

s-l300

Oh the 90’s!

Dialogue Disasters

Here are some bits of dialogue that made me laugh!

“You’re a nervous nut”

Micah being a good friend to Karen here *coughs*

“You’re so pale, Karen.  And you look positively anorexic”

Ugh!  Micah is the worst!

“She put her hand on his shoulder.  Like she owned him or something”

Karen advising us all that we mustn’t ever put out hands on a boys shoulder

“A Pop-Tart?  Since when are you such a health nut?!

Really?  Are Pop Tarts healthy?  I think not!

“Does Adam still spend all his time reading those old horror comics and watching old horror movies?”

*Cheers*

“She had a strong impulse to grab Ethan by the shoulders and shake him”

No Karen you must not touch a boy on the shoulders!!!

“Try to get yourself together okay?”

Ethan to Karen….after he has dumped said they should see other people…..RUDE!

“Karen, Ethan and your brother have just told me a disturbing story.  About Call Waiting!”

I’m starting to wonder if Karen’s Mum and I read the same book?

“Howcome your spending so much time with Jake these days?”

That is a very good question Karen!

Body Count

0!

Stiney offers us more or a “psychological” Point Horror rather than a blood thirsty heavy body count Point Horror this time around!

I’m sad there was no Piranha’s!

Is it scary?

Erm…..nope!  It really wasn’t.

I think I sat more open mouthed about poor Karen’s state of mind and everyone ignoring that fact than it being scary to be honest.

Did the best friend do it?

In the end YES!

DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!

But this was only after Karen got busted making up pretend phone calls to herself on her Call Waiting option so Micah thought she would do it for realises….you know to push Karen further over the edge AND TO STEAL HER MAN WHO SHE HAD BEEN SEEING BEHIND KARENS BACK!

Some Mild Peril?

I guess driving cars at high speed in the snow and ice could be classed as mild peril?  Other than that….not really!

Oh except a hot fire poker stick in the big finale of course!

Is it any good?

It was okay…..not the worst Point Horror we have read, but certainly not the best.

It was also not as good as some of the Point Horror Stiney offered us over his time writing Point Horror….it did made me ponder if this was ever really a Point Horror or just repackaged as such.

Final Thought

Did Karen turn into Ghostface from the Scream movies?!

Cover Wars!

Which one do you prefer?

$_35n11525

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Ethan – hot or rot?
  • Jake & Ethan – were they secretly together?
  • What flavour Kit Kat?
  • What happened to Ethan and Karen after the book?
  • Are Karen & Micah still friends?
  • Lets hear your scary phone call – what would you have said to Karen?
  • Which secretary was right?  Which pencil is the best?!

You can leave a reply by using the reply button at the top of the page!

Richie

Don’t forget our fab Q&A with Richie Tankersley Cusick that went live this month – here !

It’s like a dream come true!

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub on 13th September 2016 !

You can vote for your next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

Voting closes on the 22nd August 2016!

And the winner was…….

phbcsept16

The next read will be announced on the #pointhorrorbookclub page here and on twitter using the hashtag #pointhorrorbookclub on the 22nd August 2016!

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

Bimcell Kontör Tl Yükleme

7 Replies

Online olarak bimcell tl yükleme hizmeti nasıl yapılır? Sorusuna cevap olarak hazırladıgımız bu site üzerinden bimcell kontör yükleme işlemi yapabilirsiniz.

 

Bimcell Tl Yükleme Nasıl Yapılır?

Bimcell tl yükleme işlemini sitemiz üzeriden yukarıda ki ” Tl Yüklemek İçin Tıklayınız ” Butonuna tıklayarak başlayabilirsiniz 2. adım olarak telefon numaranız ve kart bilgilerinizi girmeniz kalıyor. Kart bilgilerinizi girmenizin Ardından ” Bimcell kontör Yükleme ” Butonuna tıklayınız ve güvenlik adımında tc kimlik numarası sorucaktır bilgileri dogru girdikten sonra telefonuza gelen şifreyi girin ve keyfinize bakın.

PHBC – The Fever by Diane Hoh

19 Replies

416zEgDddzL._SX288_BO1,204,203,200_

point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

Join in the discussion with this months title!

The Fever by Diane Hoh

416zEgDddzL._SX288_BO1,204,203,200_

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

 There is a link to a poll at the bottom of this post to vote for your next #pointhorrorbookclub read! The next book will be announced on 20th June 2016

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

I am still awaiting the answers back from Point Horror author Richie Tankersley Cusick ….. hoping to have them back ready for next month!

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

Try to stay cool….because fever kills!

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

Poor old Duffy Quinn has a fever and has been admitted to Twelvetrees hospital?!

Oh No!  Poor Duffy!  She must be really ill!  I bet her parents are worried sick (excuse the pun)!

Ermmmmmm not exactly.  Basically her Mum & Dad are extremely busy accountants and just do not have the time to look after their daughter whilst they are doing their tax returns!

Lol!  What a good excuse for missing parents in Point Horror!  So was Duffy okay?

Suffering from a fever Duffy thinks she has imagined an incident that happened in her room when she shouted out for help in the middle of the night (and was ignored…how very dare they).  She is trying so hard to work out what she has heard that someone decides that Duffy deserves to die!  That’s when the nausea, dizziness and funny lights start and fever aside basically all Duffy really wanted was a shower!

A shower?!  Hasn’t Duffy seen Pyscho?

The killer is so determined to bump off Duffy by any means!  This includes swapping of an out of order elevator sign, releasing the brake off Duffy’s wheelchair down a hill (laughs hysterically), trys to kill her in the shower and with a pillow!

*gasps*

Fear not Duffy has a pink razor, bug spray and a wide range of Point Horror boys to save her at every turn!

The Hospital

Yep the only hospital in Twelvetrees is getting a heading all of it’s own!

Wow!  What a hospital!

I loved the creepy tall, grim, gradually decaying building with it’s worn grey stones, mildew and covered in ivy walls setting.  And not to forget mentioning the wooden wheelchairs (!).  It was like something out of a horror movie….only with real live patients, staff and volunteers inside!

I don’t think it was the swapped medication that was making Duffy ill….it was obviously those pea green slacks and tunic combo that the safe wore as uniform.

And lets not go there with health and safety and hygiene……how was this hospital still running?!?

The Doctor

Dr Jonus Morgan took on a whole new level of Dr I just had to give him a quick mention.  Young, tall, boney and skinny with thick shagging eyebrows, beard and gold earing he really did not look after his patient well did he?  And although he frowned a lot I kind of found him more appealing than the boys in this Point Horror – more on that later!

The Girl

Cue worst patient in the world….well according to everyone in this Point Horror anyway…..

Dorothy “Duffy” Quinn with her sudden unexplained fever, cinnamon red hair, pretty oval face, temper and her self proclaimed odd sense of humour had never been sick before!  And after ending up in Twelvetrees hospital I bet she never wants to be sick ever again!

I’m not entirely sure what I think of Duffy.  She did have some get up and go in her as I think most Point Horror girls would have just lay there in the hospital bed.  I mean Duffy was determined to have a shower after all as she obviously found the expert sponge baths and delicious back rubs the nurses gave her as creepy as I did whilst reading it!

She did go through a lot before she figured out someone was trying to kill her though.  There was the Elevator scare, the runaway wheelchair (omg that was hilarious – sorry Duffy), shower attack and then the pillow attack and of course someone changing her medication!  Who knew a pink ladies razor, a carafe of water and a can of bug spray would come in handy!

*pops these by the side of my bed forever…just in cases*

I mean that must have hurt right?!

And yes a ladies razor bloomin hurts when you cut your leg shaving!

thepinklady

All in all Duffy was a determined Point Horror girl even when no one believed her over anything.  Even her parents!  The less said about them the better!

I found her quite entertaining.  Especially when she ran out of the shower looking like this in my head……

ring20

Or was this just the effect of the Digoxin?!

The Love Interest

There was that many boys lusting after Duffy whilst she was high with fever that I do not know who the love interest was in the end so I’m renaming this heading….

The Boys

Oh where to start!

One thing these boys all had in common is that they were all lusting after Duffy!  Fever or no fever!

Okay lets go with the boy version of Cinderella only without the happy ending……Kit Rappaport! Cute, smart and nice, a math wizard with carroty red hair.  Duffy rescued his frog and they had been good friends ever since.  Orphaned at the tender age of nine (and unfortunately killed off Point Horror style at the tender age of, I’m guessing 16), turned down for a scholarship and forced to work in his Uncle’s shoe shop we didn’t get to see much of him as he “moved to California” aka snuffed it before chapter two!  Although this was not revealed until the end.

I feel we missed out on a decent Point Horror boy here as he was cruelly taken away from us!

Dylan Rourke blue eyed, devilish and shrewed with a square honest face and a trail of freckles on his nose that had been broken twice and leaned to the right.  An employee as janitor at the hospital and classmate of Duffy.  He was the total opposite of Kit and struggled for good grades.  He had recently broken up with Amy and basically fancied the pants off Duffy.  I liked Dylan….he can run after my runaway wheel chair and save me any day!

And last but my no means least Smith Lewis!  An orderly at the hospital and I think he was meant to be our Point Horror hunk!  With his eyes the colour of root beer, sexy proud walk (which Duffy found arrogant), thick straight hair, practical jokes and black sports car he apparently sent pulses racing where ever he went and his catch phrase “You think I’m adorable right?” made me want to grab the sick bucket!  I’ve been watching this years big brother whilst reading this book and all I could picture was Marco!  Help Me!  I think I have caught Duffy’s fever!

Marco-Pierre-White-Jr-feature-300x400

The Girls

Blue eyed Amy Severn a junior volunteer at the hospital and of course classmate of Duffy.  She was kind and helpful with her blond hair perfect and sprayed so much into place it looked like plastic and her preppy clothes which included plaid skirts and sweaters she was a quiet and dutiful student and made it quite clear that looking at patients charts was illegal in Twelvetrees hospital!  She had cruelly been dumped by Dylan and gave Duffy’s the evil’s inbetween smiles and patient care of course.

Best friend Jane Sabatini was described as breathtakingly beautiful with thick dark lashes, dark curly hair, heart shaped face, perfectly flawless ivory skin, almost violet eyes and perfectly arched brows.  And yay for another overweight not skinny fab Point Horror character!  I loved Jane!  I wish she had featured a little more.  I mean she walked up four flights of stairs just to bring Duffy some magazines and ran errands for her when she had been running errands all morning with no questions asked.  A true friend indeed.

In fact I’m starting her own hashtag on twitter – #GIVEJANESABATINIHEROWNPOINTHORROR !

And last and most intentionally least we have junior volunteer and so determined to get into medical school that she TOUCHED AND MIXED UP THE PATIENT CHARTS FOR THE MAN WHO OWNED THE HOSPITAL, Cynthia Boon!  With she straight sandy hair, pale eyes, full mouth, shiny skin and tension lines she was described as ambitious and energetic and a KILLER!!  She killed off poor Kit after he discovered that she killed off Mr Latham who funded the hospital with as many wooden wheelchairs as possible and then because she killed Kit in the middle of the night in Duffy’s hospital room she had to kill Duffy next!  You have to feel sorry for her a little bit…..she was given a classic Point Horror ending and was sprayed in the eyes with bug spray and stabbed herself in her face with a hypordermic needle and then shoved on a slate in the morge!

Fashion Faux Pas

I spotted a few…..

Too tight Bermuda shorts over an oversized hot pink sweatshirt and hot pink bow!

And best of all…..Jane wearing lime green pedal pushers and a hot pink short-sleeved t shirt with the slogan, GO AHEAD MAKE MY DAY GIVE ME A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!

Get me one now!

Dialogue Disasters

Here’s some lines that made me giggle…..

“Residents of the town of Twelvetrees, Maine, had often remarked sourly that it was not the sort of look a hospital established to welcome the sick and ailing should have”

The obviously had not been inside Twelvetrees hospital….it was far worse than the outside!

“Had it been someone out in the hall doing something useful with the old metal bedpans?”

*sniggers*

“Dr’s were supposed to be balding or grey”

Duffy has never watched Casualty or Holby City then?  Or even visited Hollyoaks?!

“He might look like an ad for a physical fitness magazine, but there was a lot more to Dylan then brawn”

Any volunteers to answer this?

“Sensing that Duffy would rather spend valuable visiting time with her friends, her parent didn’t stay long”

Oh there’s a surprise!

“I wish we could come more often.  I worry about you every minute.  But it’s tax time, honey, and you know what that’s like”

I sense Duffy’s parents are LIARS!

“What you need is a man in your life.  Someone to take you out to a funny movie or dancing”

Firstly no Amy!  No!  And secondly I’m surprised Cynthia didn’t bump Amy off for saying this to her!

“What was Amy shaving with?  A power saw?”

All the lol’s!

“No one will ever be able to tell that you were dead before the car ever went off the road”

This was pre CSI so I will forgive Cynthia for this comment!

Body Count

2!  One pre the book starting and one in front of our very noses!

Is it scary?

Hmmmmmm not really.  I mean this was no Stiney Phirana Pit was it?!  Other than the fact there was not a squirt of hand gel in sight in that hospital which was scary enough and the clear breaches of patient care aka changing someones medication in order to bump them off!

Oh!  I did find the whole shower scene a little scary actually I have to be honest….I mean it was kind of violent and horror movie style scary!  It made up for me laughing so hard at the whole wheelchair scene!

*starts laughing again*

*doesn’t stop…ever*

Did the best friend do it?

Hmmmmm not really, but most of the characters in this Point Horror were a confusing hot sweat of friends/classmates/worked or volunteered at the hospital and who liked visiting Duffy more than actually you know…doing there job!

Some Mild Peril?

It’s like PHBC just want me to keep mentioning the runaway wheelchair again!

*laughs*

I think being admitted to a hospital because your ill with a fever and almost falling down a lift shaft, being rolled down a hill in a runaway wheelchair, being attacked when you finally get a shower and having your medication changed could be classed as mild peril don’t you think?

Or was Duffy just overreacting?

Is it any good?

Possibly not the best Diane Hoh offered to the Point Horror brand, but certainly not the worst.  I loved the concept of this one with the unknowing witness to a crime becoming the target and must be killed by any means in a creepy hospital setting, but the various coming and goings of the so called “friends” at every given opportunity and the amount of time Duffy waited and moaned about wanting a shower was a little strung out.  However the “attacks” on Duffy were pure classic Point Horror gold!

Final Thought

Kadunk!

Even PHBC member Tara’s cat got the fever!

taracat

Cover Wars

Which cover do you prefer?

416zEgDddzL._SX288_BO1,204,203,200_

fever 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Which boy (or maybe girl) would Duffy have got with in the end?
  • But what would have happened if Kit was still alive?
  • What happened to Cynthia?
  • If you had to bump Duffy off what method would you choose?
  • What would your Point Horror weapon of choice be for getting that killer?!

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub on 13th July 2016 !

I promise to be on time!

**EXCITING POINT HORROR BOOK CLUB NEWS**

 I have sent our questions to  Point Horror legend – author Richie Tankersley Cusick!  I am just awaiting them back….hoping to have these ready for next month!

You can vote for your next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

Voting closes on the 20th June 2016!

And the winner was Twins by Caroline B Cooney!

phbcjuly16

The next read will be announced on the #pointhorrorbookclub page here and on twitter using the hashtag #pointhorrorbookclub on the 20th June 2016!

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

PHBC – Hide and Seek by Jane McFann

14 Replies

41KVN214ZKL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

 Join in the discussion with this months title!

Hide and Seek by Jane McFann

41KVN214ZKL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

 There is a link to a poll at the bottom of this post to vote for your next #pointhorrorbookclub read! The next book will be announced on 17th April 2016

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

It isn’t a game any more.  It never was……

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

Well!  This is what happens when we ALL complain that parents are conveniently absent from Point Horror Books!

We literally could not escape them in this book!

Or at least our main character Lissa couldn’t!

But Why?  What happens?

We begin the story at the end!

Woah!  At the end?

Yes that’s right!

Poor Lissa is hiding at the bottom of a tree trunk covered in leaves with her beloved pet bird called Bird.  Someone is after her!  They want her dead!

Dead?!  Sounds like a normal Point Horror to me!

Well, this was no ordinary Point Horror.

As Lissa is sitting at the bottom of the tree waiting to die we get glimpses into her memory and her past.  Her childhood growing up.  Lissa has learnt how to be so quiet.  To be invisible.

And there is a reason for this….her Father!

The Girl

Lissa the quiet little mouse.  With her elf like hair that used to be long, her love for mint choc chip ice cream and the want for her Father to be proud of her made me route for her all the way!

I liked Lissa.

I don’t think it’s fair to call her a good Point Horror girl as this was not a normal Point Horror.  It was far different and she was far different.  I really felt for her.  I really felt her pain, torment and how scared she was on every page.

I felt her glow on the page when Josh was around or when her only true friend Bird was clutched to her chest or nibbling at her fingers.  I cheered for joy when she finally left that house and her Father and I was happy for her in the end.

The Love Interest

Josh!

*swoons so hard*

Okay I admit it …. I am a little in love with Josh!  He made my heart all fluttery!

With his goofy grin, blonde floppy hair and basically just his presence on the page made me smile so so much.   When he get’s Lissa the flowers, bakes her cake, wants to get to know Lissa more and help her and then saving her at the end!

Be still my beating heart!

Was this just me?!

That scene where he calls Lissa perfect!

*stares with heart eyes*

As Princess Lissa said….

“Josh, you have been the only beacon of light in the darkness that has become my life”

*pines for Josh*

He can enter my realm, lower my drawbridge, fight of the dragons and grab me from my tower any day! 😉

The Parents

Yep they get a whole heading to themselves!

So shall we start….

*shudders*

The brooding artist with his dark black eyes, thick curly grey hair and always wearing the same jeans and shirt!  Lissa’s Father.  Who basically controls Lissa’s Mother who is so scared of him she constantly makes excuses for his vile, abusive behaviour.

Throughout the course of the book not only does he ignore his daughter and belittle her, he cuts off her long brown pigtailed hair, pushes her down the stairs making Lissa break her leg (he did it you know he did!) and pins Lissa up a tree by her throat threatening to kill her!

I am actually so terrified of her Father!  His presence every time he was on the page made me rage and I wanted Lissa to get the hell out of there!

Lissa’s Mother did frustrate me a little, but only because I was screaming for her to take Lissa as far away as possible.  Even down to the story of how they met…the tell tale signs were all there for us as a reader to see.  When she finally took Lissa away from her Father I cheered in joy although the end we had read at the beginning was obviously going to crop up at some point, but I then became angry with her all over again when every day she would drive four hours to go back to look after Lissa’s Father….you know just to make sure he was okay!

*rages*

But in all honesty I think Jane McFann portrayed the situation of an abusive Father, a Mother torn and scared to leave and a girl completely lost and scared so so hauntingly well.

The scene where Lissa’s Mother and Father are dancing away in the kitchen really felt like a happy moment.  Just a snapshot of a moment.  Jane McFann really tugged on the old heart strings!

On a little side note kudos for this Point Horror to actually print the word “gay” in it’s text but how did we all feel about it’s context?  Basically Lissa’s grandfather accusing his son (Lissa’s Father) of being gay because he drew pictures?  This made me rage I have to admit!

The Gang

Bird.  Yes I’m classing Bird as part of the gang here!  He was Lissa’s only true friend.  A green, gray-cheeked parrot with a blue shading to green head.  Only four inches long and weighing in ounces he was also feisty and intelligent and bonded with Lissa completely.  He had his own character even with little dialogue other than a swark every now and again.  My heart actually dropped with Lissa’s Father grabbed him tightly and threw him on the floor!

Abby…. the girl who didn’t stop talking with her red hair and her endless need to cram as much dialogue in as possible.  She was only a brief character, but one unforgettable one!

Fashion Faux Pas

I was either too wrapped up in Josh or there were no noticeable fashion disasters in this Point Horror.  Or did I just miss them?!

Dialogue Disasters

I have to say I didn’t find many….but here’s a couple that made me giggle!

“You may not say no!”

Lissa you can always say no!

“Lissa loved to swing”

I always knew that this was going to be a different type of Point Horror.  At one point I wondered what I was getting myself in to! 🙂

“Hi I’m Abby.  I can hit you in the face and make you cry”

Oh I LOVED Abby!

“He said that my still life of pears looked like roadkill on the expressway”

Lissa’s Mother certainly knew how to pick em!

Body Count

O

But in this case I’m glad it was zero as it would have been tragic!

No scrap that I wish it was 1…..I will let you guess who!

Is it scary?

No not really….however it was more psychological in my opinion.  The scenes with Lissa’s Father made me so tense and the scene in the woods at the end!  I actually thought Point Horror peeps were actually going to let the author kill her main character off!

Did the best friend do it?

No!  Lissa kept herself to herself and didn’t make friends.  It wasn’t that kind of Point Horror (I know I keep saying this).

The reality was it was far worse…her Father!

Some Mild Peril?

Any scene involving her Father basically put Lissa in severe peril and was just horrific to read!  I was so scared for her!

Is it any good?

I actually really really liked this one.  This was not your typical Point Horror.  In fact I would be so surprised if this was actually written for the Point Horror series.  It felt like a standalone story that someone found and slotted into the Point Horror world with Point Horror graphic on the cover.

I think with this in mind, if you don’t think of this as an actual Point Horror book brand it was actually really really good.  But if you like your Point Horror with Point Horror egg cracking and all then I think you may be left disappointed.

I do ponder if this originally had a different ending though.  I was left just a tiny bit disappointed by the end.  Did they change it to make it a Point Horror ending maybe?

I do think that this is one book I would actually recommend people to read if they were looking for a harrowing tale of childhood, abuse and a mild thriller that makes your heart beat a little.

Final Thought

Will this divide the Point Horror Book Club!?

Cover Wars

Which do you prefer?

41KVN214ZKL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_th

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • Do we think that Hide & Seek was intended for the Point Horror brand?
  • Be honest what would you have liked to have happened to Lissa’s Father?
  • Would you have preferred a different ending?  If so what?
  • Is Chelle crazy for falling for Josh?
  • There is a mention about Josh’s Aura in the book …. what Aura would you have around you?
  • What happened to Abby?

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub on 13th May 2016 !

You can vote for your next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

Voting closes on the 17th April 2016!

And the winner was….

phmay16

The next read will be announced on the #pointhorrorbookclub page here and on twitter using the hashtag #pointhorrorbookclub on the 17th April 2016!

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

PHBC – Hit And Run by R L Stine

28 Replies

n30981point1-510x180

Do you remember the Point Horror Book Series from the 90’s?  The Point Horror Series was a series of young adult point horror books and was launched in 1991 by Scholastic always with the Point Horror banner on the spine and on the top of every point horror book.  There were a number of authors that wrote these books for Scholastic: R L Stine, Diane Hoh, Caroline B Cooney, Sinclair Smith to name but a few.

Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on the re-read?  Are you new to Point Horror?  Has our opinion changed?  Are they still as good?  Do they stand up to modern day YA Horror?  Or are they a whole load of cray cray?

Lets find out…

#pointhorrorbookclub

 Join in the discussion with this months title!

Hit And Run By R L Stine

n30981

Don’t forget to use the #pointhorrorbookclub on twitter so I can see your thoughts or tweet me using @chelleytoy

 There is a link to a poll at the bottom of this post to vote for your next #pointhorrorbookclub read! The next book will be announced on 17th March 2016

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

** Please note that as this is a discussion there will be spoilers**

The Tagline

Look before you leap!

Okay ….so…What’s It All About?

A group of friends are due to take their driving test, the good girl, the joker, the jock and the shy guy and after playing too many practical jokes on one of the group Eddie they decide one night ,when their parents are not around obvs, to take the car out for a spin and some get in some extra practise!

But isn’t that illegal?!  What if they got caught?!

Pfft!  Chill there’s totally nothing to worry about!  Nothing whatsoever….I mean they only run over a guy and leave him for dead on the side of the road!  No biggie!

But that’s called a Hit and Run!

Ohhhhhhh now I get why the book is called Hit & Run!

Anyway onwards we must go….

So the four friends try to forget about the poor dead guy, Brandt Tinker (not a joke)…..

*sniggers*

I’m trying to tell a synopsis here!

Anyway….then the phone calls start and the threatening letters turning up….you know the drill, but this time they appear to be from the dead guy, Brandt Tinkers!  Could he really be alive and out to get revenge?!

The Girl

With her crimped blonde hair, face full of freckles and lively green eyes I kind of liked Cassie Martin.  A normal 16 year old girl who’s short, thin athletic appearance made her look twelve. She hung out with her three best friends and she even had a secret crush on the one, Scott Baldwin.  This being said I loved how Cassie always gave us the plus and negative sides to her friends and her inside thoughts ie wishing Winks to be more serious and Scott, her crushes laugh making her teeth itch!

*scratches teeth*

It made me growl a little that her athletic tendencies seemed to be used as an excuse for hanging out with three boys instead of girls.  I don’t think this should have been an issue that kept needing to be brought up throughout the book, especially when the three boys were….lets say idiots Point Horror Boys!

Cassie did make me laugh though when she receives a phone call and the operator tells her it’s the supposed dead man they ran over and she accepts the call!  I mean would you?!

She wasn’t the worst Point Horror Girl we have come across, but just not the best….

The Love Interest

Scott Bladwin was described as more of a follower than a leader by Cassie.  A sheep rather than a tiger.

*growls*.

The big, blonde jock with brawny shoulders, broadneck and brains.  He was the full back on the football team, all state wrestler, class representative on the student government, held a solid B Plus Average, held an after school job (that he never seemed to be at throughout the book) and an all round guy who’s picture is in every year book.

I mean wow!  Can this guy be any better!

Unfortunately his personality was not the best Point Horror Boy we have ever had.  He has no idea Cassie has a crush on him and a really annoying laugh apparently and is described as good looking in a teddy bear sort of way?!!

I mean ….whaaaaaa???

thY8WHAY99He was the classic red herring!

He did go up in my estimation for that yellow poloroid camera though, that awkward kiss with Cassie and the way he didn’t really care if people took the mickey out of him.

The Gang

Bruce “Winks” Winkleman….upon first description I knew he would have been the boy that 15 year old Chelle would have swooned over.  Stringy brown hair down to his shoulders, short pudgy nose, blue denim jacket with his Fathers war medals pinned to it, faded jeans with gaping holes, black rimmed Buddy Holly glasses slightly to big for his slender face, one kind of smile, a devilish grin, the joker and a good guy once you get to know him.

Apparently!  Yes I soon changed my mind!

I realised very quickly that he took his “dumb jokes and schemes” way to far and literally would do anything for a laugh.  He practically bullies poor Eddie and gets everyone else to join in on the bullying!  Was it just me who laughed when he got run over by the “corpse”?  I did a little ha you deserved it sucker at my book!  🙂

His eyeball trick was plain gross….even I would have fainted and his car trick with the brakes was really all just about setting him up as the suspect in the story.

Eddie Katz the short, quiet, timid and frightened looking friend with his curly black hair, dark red circles on his cheeks, who wants to be a doctor but appears to not be able to deal with people let alone dead bodies and blood and who blushes far to easily.  He is the subject of Wink’s practical jokes and I really felt for him.  Everyone plays the jokes on him and he is a good sport about it all…..well that is until he decides to get payback on his “friends”.

It was a little obvious he was the one playing the tricks and who set up the whole hit and run scenario in my opinion.

Brandt Tinkers….the dead guy!  Yep that’s right the already dead guy that Eddie “claims” he ran over and killed even though he was already dead!  So stiff he could stand up on his own!  I mean the poor guy!  Not only does he have to suffer the name Brandt Tinkers he gets run over, shoved in and out of different cars and trunks and I do not even want to think about how he must have smelled!  OMG!

A little mention to Jerry, Eddies cousin who worked at the morgue and who supplied the eyeball to Winks and a dead body (which I’m pretty sure is illegal) to Eddie all in the name of a practical joke!  Tall and broad sholdered, built like a fall back, with long, frizzy blonde hair that fell unbrushed around his micheivious face.  He was like a cross between Winks and Scott and completely the opposite to his cousin Eddie.  He loved his diamond stud and cowboy boots and although helping Eddie initially with his so called joke it took him far to long to realise that the joke had gone to far!

I want to do a shout out here to the parents in this book too!  Oh how they made me laugh!  I did fear the worst for the parents when on page three the classic “the parents are out” is mentioned and then as we went on the parents were either at the cinema or in bed or out for dinner, but then something changed!  About halfway into this book the most rare thing happened.  The parents became involved in their childrens lives and were real people with real personalities.  Grounding their children and wearing bath robes and answering the phone at 3am in the morning and actually caring about there child being laid up and left for dead in the hospital!  I mean what craziness is this!  Yes Mr Stine!  Yes!

I especially liked Mrs Katz who just wanted everyone to love her yellow moist cake!

A part of me did wish that they were the evil twist in this book and were playing the pratical jokes on the kids as some type of Point Horror revenge gone wrong!!

*evil laugh*

Fashion Faux Pas

This book mentioned clothing all over the place!

It mentioned pump up sneakers…..a sign of the 90’s for sure!

th3P2G4BZ9A Bart Simpson t-shirt….

keepitrealvtg_34251383878136And best of all Wink’s bright yellow sweater and green corduroys that made him look like a chicken….

thVV9LTYS0

Dialogue Disasters

I have to admit I didn’t find many in this one….but these few made me chuckle…

“Cassie has been athletic all her life, playing sports, swimming, bike riding and hanging out with the boys in her neighbourhood”

*coughs*

With an opening sentence like this I thought this was going to be Point Romance!

“We won’t need headlights.  Winks can run ahead of us in that sweater”

Lol

“Brandt Tinkers Eddie said staring at his corpse.  Brandt Tinkers”

Yep we were all thinking the same….who came up with this name #ClassicPointHorrorName

“Even though it was only seven thirty she was already in a flannel night gown and bathrobe”

I’m normally in mine by 6:30!

“Eddie had pulled into himself like a frightened turtle”

Peek A Boo!

TQUe8fZ

Body Count

A lame one….and even he was already dead!  Disappointing to say the least!

Is it scary?

No no no!  Not scary at all I’m afraid.

Did the best friend do it?

Well yeah….one of the best friends did do it!

*throws confetti*

Some Mild Peril?

Hmmmmm I guess being run over and left for dead and being told to run for your life whilst a car tries to mow you down classes as mild peril.

Other than that I’m not sure…..

I know one thing for sure definitely not a threatening note written in purple crayon lol

Is it any good?

I actually kind of liked this one…it was like a first version of I Know What You Did Last Summer with a few more plot wholes and before they cast Sarah Michelle Geller….I enjoyed it.  Okay the twist was guessable and the threats not really that scary, but it was enjoyable.

Also did anyone else notice the obsession with the colour yellow in this book?  Yellow food, yellow clothes, yellow camera, yellow cake, yellow lights…….and there was that hospital that was….wait for it….. pea soup green.  All green.  Green every where ruining my mellow yellow coma that I was in.

Final Thought

Fluffy the cat!

*sniffles*

Cover Wars

Which do you prefer?

n30981

9780590453851

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over to you!

As well as your thoughts on the book I’ve added some fun questions to ponder!

  • What practical joke would you have played on Winks?
  • Were the parents in on it?
  • What was Brandt Tinkers back story other than being a poor homeless guys who’s body was used for prank purposes?
  • What yellow thing would you have added into the book?

See you at #pointhorrorbookclub on 13th April 2016 !

You can vote for your next #PointHorrorBookClub read here!

Voting closes on the 17th March 2016!

And the winner was…..

PHAPR16

The next read will be announced on the #pointhorrorbookclub page here and on twitter using the hashtag #pointhorrorbookclub on the 17th February 2016!

For links to #pointhorrorbookclub posts old and new, Point Horror guest posts and interviews with Point Horror authors please click here

Thanks for joining in….

sig2

 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...