Stinetinglers 3: MORE Chilling Stories by the Master of Scary Tales

R.L. Stine is back with ten new stories that are sure to frighten young readers, sticking in their heads long after they are done reading them.

What I Liked: R.L. Stine is an author that many people are familiar with, especially within the horror genre. This book has ten stories in it and as with many books with multiple stories, some are scarier than others. Several of the stories leave you hanging with an unclear ending which adds an element of fear as you contemplate what could have happened.

Each of the stories in this book provides you with a glimpse into why it was written and the questions that it should answer for you or the narrator. The beginning of the stories also includes an image that should stick in your mind as you read the book. Remember to re-visit the image after you read the story if you aren’t scared by the ending as the images can be scarier than what you read.

Full-Moon Sleepover Party- What happens when you’re a werewolf and think you have found the perfect group to fit in with only to find out otherwise? That’s exactly what you are about to find out in this story. This short story is more fearful for the narrator than the reader as things don’t go their way.

The Bad-Luck King- Where does bad luck come from? Is there a way to get rid of bad luck once and for all? Ella and Lou are sent to their Uncle Philip’s house by their dad with a four-leaf clover that they are to give to Philip. Philip is a collector and when they arrive at his house they find several rooms with various collections. They are advised to stay out of the basement though yet when they find an imp in the yard and dig it up, Mrs. G insists that they bury it back because it brings bad luck. The children don’t pay attention to this as they don’t believe her and strange coincidences begin to happen leading them into the basement. Read this story to find out if the children win in this one or what happens next. This one will stick with you long after you read the book and feels like walking into an antique shop.

The Stray Dog- Where do dogs come from? While this story isn’t necessarily scary and more so disappointing, it does make you think about the origins of animals. The open-ended closing of this story means that you are left to decide what happens to the rest of the story. This one could easily be turned into a book and has more to say.

Fish Food- What happens when you disobey the rules? Ezra is a twelve-year-old who always gets everything he wants, and right now what he wants is a pet. Ezra’s mom is allergic to most animals but has agreed to a fish so Esra goes with Roddy to the fish store to find the perfect pet. This story is hilarious more so than scary unless giant fish are something that terrifies you.

The Treehouse- In this story, two children have stumbled across a mysterious treehouse that seems to not belong to anyone only to find that this treehouse was someone’s home. You will be on your toes as you wait to see if the children manage to escape from the treehouse that seems to be stuck in another time zone. Will their dad find them on time?

The Magic Is in the Hat- Brady is supposed to perform magic tricks at the school talent show and a birthday party for five-year-olds. Unfortunately, the talent show doesn’t go as planned and it turns out Deirdre is a better magician. Brady has the perfect plan, he’ll just borrow Deirdre’s hat without her knowing, anyway, she did say the magic was in the hat. Things go wrong at the birthday party though and Deirdre has to come to Brady’s rescue. Did Deirdre save Brady or where did she send him off to? This story has comedic moments as Brady’s talent show goes wrong and as the hat isn’t what he expects. The closing of this story is left open-ended and a bit confusing as we aren’t sure what happened with Brady.

Oops!- In this story, Nathan has just been sent to be an apprentice for the King’s great wizard. Nathan can’t wait to begin learning from the great wizard, that is until the great wizard plays a mean trick on him. Find out if Nathan will be able to finish his apprenticeship with the great wizard or if something else happens. You will be on the edge of your seat as you read through this and wonder if Nathan will ever be returned to his original state.

I’m Not Becka- You’ve read stories about people switching bodies but what happens when you switch bodies with someone who isn’t alive? Kylie and Greta are influencers who record their videos at the cemetery all the time. This time is a bit different though as everything is covered in fog and one of the dead girls has come to life. Greta agrees to change places with Becka for 30 minutes. Will Becka return Greta’s body to her? This story is a lot of fun as you read the exchange between Becka and Greta. The ending is intriguing as you wonder what happens after the story ends.

The Dream Factory- What if you could pick whichever dream you wanted? Is that something you would opt for? Clay is tired of having nightmares every night so when he hears about the dream factory he can’t wait to try it. Clay’s parents gave him a choice of dreams for his birthday and he picks a dream in which he believes that nothing can go wrong. The problem, the attendant at the store was new and didn’t seem to know what he was doing. Is Clay going to get a dream he enjoys, how long will he be enjoying this dream? The concept of this one is terrifying, what if you pick something that you don’t want anymore? What happens if the dream lasts longer than you wish?

Eddie the Flash- Superheroes and villains come to life in this story but no one believes Eddie when he tries telling them that his book characters are now alive. The ending of this story is funny and entertaining as the fourth wall is broken and we are brought into the book. This portion is enjoyable as you begin to wonder how characters in media feel about their creators.

Final Verdict: Stinetinglers 3 is great for children ages 8 and up who enjoy Stine’s other books such as Goosebumps and Fear Street. These stories are sure to capture your attention and keep you up at night thinking about them long after you’ve closed the book. Adults who grew up with R.L. Stine will also love a return to the writing of R.L. Stine and bask in the nostalgia of his writing in the horror genre.