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Goosebumps #52
How I Learned to Fly
They're baa-ack! Make way for the bestselling children's series of all time! With a fresh new look, GOOSEBUMPS is set to scare a whole new generation of kids. So reader beware--you're in for a scare!
He's got his head in the clouds. For real . . .
Wilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark. Trying to hide from Wilson.
But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. It's called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.
Poor Jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary. . . .
He's got his head in the clouds. For real . . .
Wilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark. Trying to hide from Wilson.
But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. It's called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.
Poor Jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary. . . .
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
78 people are currently reading
3344 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,669 books18.3k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
September 8, 2021
Jack is frustrated by Wilson’s constant competitive nature and always been outshone by him, especially when Mia is about.
So when Jack discovers a book in an old abandoned house called ‘Flying Lessons, he instantly thinks this would be a perfect way to impress Mia.
Quite different to most of the Goosebumps books, with more of a fantasy element has quite a good message at heart.
As Jack will learn that it’s better to be himself than constantly trying to impress.
So when Jack discovers a book in an old abandoned house called ‘Flying Lessons, he instantly thinks this would be a perfect way to impress Mia.
Quite different to most of the Goosebumps books, with more of a fantasy element has quite a good message at heart.
As Jack will learn that it’s better to be himself than constantly trying to impress.
April 29, 2015
This book is a hot mess. Jack Johnson is a 12-year-old who is in a pissing contest with another 12-year-old named Wilson Schlame. I don't get it. I thought testosterone poisoning set in a little later than this. Maybe I was wrong. The boys compete with each other in EVERYTHING and Wilson always wins. He's a complete asshole who has to one-up Jack on everything Jack attempts to do.
What's the root of all this?
A cute girl, of course! Her name is Mia. The boys make complete idiots out of themselves vying for her attention. If I were her, I'd be really fed up and tell both of them to scram. However, she seems to find Wilson's assholery 'charming' and just kind of ignores the facts like a.) both boys act like complete cavemen around her and b.) Wilson is a complete asshole who stomps on Jack's accomplishments at every opportunity.
So. I suppose you want me to get around to talking about the flying? Okay, Jack flees Mia's birthday party because he can't stand Wilson acting like a total asshole nonstop for four hours. He (for some reason) hides out in an old abandoned house where he finds an (admittedly) very cool-sounding book titled FLYING LESSONS. Instead of being about airplanes, like Jack initially assumed, it is illustrated with tons of pictures of people in old-fashioned clothes flying through the air.
Jack takes the book home and follows the instructions to be able to fly. It involves a lot of hopping and making a crazy dough mixture with a secret ingredient.
Long story short, it works. And that's when things go bad...
...
The narrative stream in this book is very poor. Events are happening, it's a big mish-mash, and it doesn't really make much sense, even for a Goosebumps book.
Another problem is Wilson is just such a dick. Jeez Louise, what is with Stine and creating kids who are little terrors? I really don't expect three-dimensional characterization in a Goosebumps book, but Wilson was grating on my nerves. I sympathized with Jack for wanting to beat the kid at something - anything - and wipe that annoying smirk off his face.
Until page 80 when Jack starts acting like a jerk, refusing to teach Mia how to fly because he's a selfish person. Ugh. That made me so mad! And then when he decides he IS going to teach her how to fly, it's all because he wants her to swoon all over him and be the "big man." Ugh. So gross. I hate all this macho shit.
Tl;dr - Poor plot, poor execution, terrible characters. The ending was pretty good, though.
What's the root of all this?
A cute girl, of course! Her name is Mia. The boys make complete idiots out of themselves vying for her attention. If I were her, I'd be really fed up and tell both of them to scram. However, she seems to find Wilson's assholery 'charming' and just kind of ignores the facts like a.) both boys act like complete cavemen around her and b.) Wilson is a complete asshole who stomps on Jack's accomplishments at every opportunity.
So. I suppose you want me to get around to talking about the flying? Okay, Jack flees Mia's birthday party because he can't stand Wilson acting like a total asshole nonstop for four hours. He (for some reason) hides out in an old abandoned house where he finds an (admittedly) very cool-sounding book titled FLYING LESSONS. Instead of being about airplanes, like Jack initially assumed, it is illustrated with tons of pictures of people in old-fashioned clothes flying through the air.
Jack takes the book home and follows the instructions to be able to fly. It involves a lot of hopping and making a crazy dough mixture with a secret ingredient.
Long story short, it works. And that's when things go bad...
...
The narrative stream in this book is very poor. Events are happening, it's a big mish-mash, and it doesn't really make much sense, even for a Goosebumps book.
Another problem is Wilson is just such a dick. Jeez Louise, what is with Stine and creating kids who are little terrors? I really don't expect three-dimensional characterization in a Goosebumps book, but Wilson was grating on my nerves. I sympathized with Jack for wanting to beat the kid at something - anything - and wipe that annoying smirk off his face.
Until page 80 when Jack starts acting like a jerk, refusing to teach Mia how to fly because he's a selfish person. Ugh. That made me so mad! And then when he decides he IS going to teach her how to fly, it's all because he wants her to swoon all over him and be the "big man." Ugh. So gross. I hate all this macho shit.
Tl;dr - Poor plot, poor execution, terrible characters. The ending was pretty good, though.
November 3, 2021
In a series with as many books as Goosebumps there’s bound to be a few stinkers and this one is definitely one of them. It just doesn’t hit like other Goosebumps stories do. It reads more superheroes than horror and I was definitely not into it. I don’t ever remember reading this one as a kid but maybe I just blocked the horrible experience from my memory totally. It wasn’t actually horrible but it just wasn’t good. It didn’t draw me in, none of the characters were interesting and I found the story pretty boring. Except the ending, I actually thought that was really well done and not just because it was finally over.
October 24, 2018
#52 "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... kid?"
Poor Jack, he gets picked on and made to feel like a total loser all the time. But things begin to change for Jack when he finds a really cool book called Flying Lessons. It's supposedly teaches humans how to fly. And Jack is learning quickly. But maybe he's in over his head this time.
Poor Jack, he gets picked on and made to feel like a total loser all the time. But things begin to change for Jack when he finds a really cool book called Flying Lessons. It's supposedly teaches humans how to fly. And Jack is learning quickly. But maybe he's in over his head this time.
September 3, 2024
This one is DEEP. Not scary in the traditional sense, but man… horrifying in its own right. I cannot help but wonder if Stine wrote this to help work through his emotions about becoming a household name almost overnight…
December 31, 2021
I spent a month re-reading all 62 original Goosebumps books to see if they still hold up today, you can check out my 3.5 hour vlog here: https://youtu.be/2C73xc1FS5o
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books where I review them from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books where I review them from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
May 22, 2016
This book is enjoyable. R.L. Stine's way of storytelling is amazing. But it isn't really the "scary" kind of Goosebumps everyone knows. Not even the part where the main character was in a mysterious house was giving me chills. This book could easily be a debut of a new series if you cross the "Goosebumps" title off. But still, this book is great. 5/5. And also, the ending is a happy ending, unlike most other Goosebumps.
February 26, 2025
Title : How I Learned To Fly
What I thought about this book as a kid: I remember a good friend of mine getting me this book from the book fair and it was inside this double pack thing and it came with Chicken Chicken.I remember being grateful but not super excited to read either of them because they didn't look super intresting.I eventually did though one day while pretending to be sick from school.I rememberd the flying,the government people being after Jack and I remember the dog floating in the air.Ultimitly though I didn't love this book as a kid.I even disliked it I'm pretty sure,mostly because it wasn't scary.Years later I discovered that quite a few people enjoyed it and I kinda got on board but I knew I needed to reread it agian.My copy also had the book mark and trading cards that are sadly now gone.
Plot: The story follows Jack Johnson.He is always competing with this kid named Wilson.No matter what he does Wilson has an answer for it.If Jack blows a bubble Wilson can blow one bigger.Things get especially competitive when it comes to Mia a girl that both kids like.One day Mia invites both kids over to a birthday party.Jack is excited to show off what he got her,it's a cd from her favorite band,only Wilson gets her tickets to the actual band.Jack flips out and leaves and goes and runs away to this abandoned beach house and crashes to the basement of this house and he finds this mysterious book.The book is called Flying lessons.He ends up stealing the book on accident after leaving in a hurry.He flips through the book and at first doesn't belive the book but he thinks if he can fly he can surly beat Wilson now.After doing some exercises reciting some weird words and making this yeast combination with some mysterious powder,Jack does indeed learn to fly,but only after his dog gets into it first.Jack goes up and saves his dog and after this is spoilers so that's as far as I'll go.
What I thought about this book as an adult:I'll be honest,I overhyped this book quite a bit.My biggest issue was some of the scenes were pretty repetitive,mostly when Jack wants to go flyung and it's raining, so he cant go and I also thought Jack was kind of a brat.He cant beat this guy so he runs away and makes a birthday party about himself.Some things I didn't remember was the dad being a talent agent and the kids swarming Jack's car.I do think the ending is brilliant though.I give How I Learned To Fly a three out of five stars.
What I thought about this book as a kid: I remember a good friend of mine getting me this book from the book fair and it was inside this double pack thing and it came with Chicken Chicken.I remember being grateful but not super excited to read either of them because they didn't look super intresting.I eventually did though one day while pretending to be sick from school.I rememberd the flying,the government people being after Jack and I remember the dog floating in the air.Ultimitly though I didn't love this book as a kid.I even disliked it I'm pretty sure,mostly because it wasn't scary.Years later I discovered that quite a few people enjoyed it and I kinda got on board but I knew I needed to reread it agian.My copy also had the book mark and trading cards that are sadly now gone.
Plot: The story follows Jack Johnson.He is always competing with this kid named Wilson.No matter what he does Wilson has an answer for it.If Jack blows a bubble Wilson can blow one bigger.Things get especially competitive when it comes to Mia a girl that both kids like.One day Mia invites both kids over to a birthday party.Jack is excited to show off what he got her,it's a cd from her favorite band,only Wilson gets her tickets to the actual band.Jack flips out and leaves and goes and runs away to this abandoned beach house and crashes to the basement of this house and he finds this mysterious book.The book is called Flying lessons.He ends up stealing the book on accident after leaving in a hurry.He flips through the book and at first doesn't belive the book but he thinks if he can fly he can surly beat Wilson now.After doing some exercises reciting some weird words and making this yeast combination with some mysterious powder,Jack does indeed learn to fly,but only after his dog gets into it first.Jack goes up and saves his dog and after this is spoilers so that's as far as I'll go.
What I thought about this book as an adult:I'll be honest,I overhyped this book quite a bit.My biggest issue was some of the scenes were pretty repetitive,mostly when Jack wants to go flyung and it's raining, so he cant go and I also thought Jack was kind of a brat.He cant beat this guy so he runs away and makes a birthday party about himself.Some things I didn't remember was the dad being a talent agent and the kids swarming Jack's car.I do think the ending is brilliant though.I give How I Learned To Fly a three out of five stars.
January 3, 2016
The book is about commpition is and how some one can be so mean just to win. I like this book because it has so much detail in the book and a lot of charters I n the setting also feels like its actually in real life I recommend this book to 6 grader because of the book charters are different and have this good side and a mean side so a 6 grade will read this fun book and know what to do.
October 6, 2023
This is a reread but still have the same thoughts about this book, This doesnt feel like a Goosebumps book and it does it in a good way, although the writing style makes it familiar. I mostly like it because of the ending, the book throughout is still good but it is corny at some points but I think some of it are cool. the themes displayed in it is a wow.
September 23, 2021
Two boys in a pissing contest about everything under the sun. They learn to fly. They begin their pissing contest in the air. One boy realizes he does not want this kind of life and gives it up while the other becomes a spectacle. The end. Not sure how this is a Goosebumps book as it lacked a ton of spooks.
June 4, 2015
I love writing Goosebumps book reviews XD. They are truly amazing books that leave you hanging for more, even though the story has finished, however this is the intention in having the reader imagine the rest. “How I learned to fly” by R.L. Stine, is one of my favorite books of the series ( haha I always say that, they are all my favorite). the genre is Adventure, comedy, and horror (not that scary, more intense levels) and fantasy. The story is in 1st person view, its generally focused on the main character.
The story is about a boy named Jack Johnson, Jack cant seem to win anything in life, as he is always in a competition with Wilson Schlamme, who is a better-looking, smarter, more athletic type of guy. He beats Jack in everything, especially in wooing Mia, a very pretty girl that both Jack and Wilson like. A major event leaves Jack humiliated he runs away, there he finds an abandoned beach house. Which he discovers a book on Flying Lessons and decides to try it out, so he could impress Mia and finally beat Wilson. The book instructed Jack to make some magic dough, that he has to consume in order to fly. Jacks dog consumes half of the dough an starts floating towards the sky, jack panics and eats the other half, making him fly as well. Jack then makes a plan to meet Mia and Wilson, which was delayed by the rain. But when the day arrived, Jack swooped up in the the air, Mia is delighted. However Wilson is flying also?! he told jack that he took the book and learnt how to fly as well, which caused Jack fall to the ground. Wilson organizes a race between Jack and invited everyone to watch only to trick Jack in the wining the race. The word spread and soon scientists showed up, they tried to kidnap Jack but thankfully he escapes. The boys were famous, Wilson got his own TV show and Jacks parents market him off to a car dealer, they however werent able to see Mia that often. A huge race was then organized and the winner would receive a million dollars, Wilson and Jack prepare to fly off into the sky when Jack suddenly can't fly. He falls off the platform as Wilson soars in to the sky. Wilson wins again and Jack is left back to his normal life. With Wilson being hounded by army scientists and obsessive fans, he was unable to have his normal life back, he drops out of school and moves away, Jack gets to spend more time with Mia and secretly retain his ability to fly. He only pretended to lose his ability to escape being a celebrity. For once, Jack won what he wanted. Wilson got the burden of flight and fame and Jack got Mia.
I believe the author intended to write a moral which was the burden of being famous. Overall this story was amazing and I truly wanted to fly like Jack. ahaha I would recommend this book to anyone who always wanted to fly, like me. I would rate this 5/5
January 3, 2024
Just a really fun book 9/10
May 21, 2013
Whoa. Goosebumps huh. I started collecting these upon chancing one at a book sale when we went home to my dad's hometown for the holidays. And ever since, I got the impulse to just collect em all. I have over 34 books of the original series and I recently found this one.
Right. How I learned to fly. This story story is actually quite different in a way with the other Goosebumps books. One, flying is not scary at all (*spoiler ahead*unless Jack somehow transformed into a real bird from gulping the secret recipe which did not happen, weird) and two, there were no twist endings. This actually peculiar and uncharacteristic of Stine since he never fails to manipulate horror symbols and come up with a mystery attached to every thing.
The house where Jack got the book, the freakish rats who acted insane and carnivorous, and the twist ending that I was expecting. All of these were opportunities for Stine to unleash his trademark I got ya good scares. But surprisingly, this book did not possess those elements but instead gives you a lesson. That Jack is wacko for not wanting fame and autographs. Kidding!
It was a fun read nevertheless.
Right. How I learned to fly. This story story is actually quite different in a way with the other Goosebumps books. One, flying is not scary at all (*spoiler ahead*unless Jack somehow transformed into a real bird from gulping the secret recipe which did not happen, weird) and two, there were no twist endings. This actually peculiar and uncharacteristic of Stine since he never fails to manipulate horror symbols and come up with a mystery attached to every thing.
The house where Jack got the book, the freakish rats who acted insane and carnivorous, and the twist ending that I was expecting. All of these were opportunities for Stine to unleash his trademark I got ya good scares. But surprisingly, this book did not possess those elements but instead gives you a lesson. That Jack is wacko for not wanting fame and autographs. Kidding!
It was a fun read nevertheless.
September 19, 2024
Βαρετό, ανούσιο, με παντελή έλλειψη ψυχογραφήματος και καμία απολύτως προσπάθεια να χτίσει ο συγγραφέας μία πλοκή η οποία να φαντάζει κάπως λογική, όσο μπορεί, τουλάχιαστον, στα πλαίσια μιας τέτοιας ιστορίας. Ηλίθια κίνητρα, μηδενικό σασπένς, εύκολες αιτιολογήσεις και τελικά, ένα βιβλίο το συνολικό ύφος του οποίου δεν νομίζω πως ταιριάζει στην συγκεκριμένη σειρά.
March 1, 2022
This is far from Stine’s best Goosebumps book. It takes a ridiculous concept that is in no way scary and never tries to make it scary. The point of Goosebumps was to give kids goosebumps. This one gave me bored yawns as a kid and still manages the same now.
March 12, 2024
Ich fand's toll ich war auch bisschen neidisch da ich auch gerne fliegen würde 😂 das Buch war sehr toll und sehr spannend
November 21, 2015
2.75 stars. I really enjoyed the message and how this one played out. Review to come!
July 15, 2024
Goosebumps - How I Learned to Fly by R.L. Stine is Goosebumps book 52 in the original series order. How I Learned to Fly is an interesting book as it takes if a person found out to fly and it happened what would the world do? Would they get fame? Would scientists want to poke and prod to get to this mystery? In this book all things happen this book is more a cautionary tale of overnight fame. The fear in the book comes out of the notoriety of fame. In this book, I was surprised a couple of times with the direction the story went. The ending was a better one for most of the Goosebumps series with a decent twist This book is the first book where two rivals fight for the attention of the girl they like. There are a couple of twists in the story, but no horror. The horror in this book is more of the mind, the fear of scientists doing experiments on you, the fear of being lost, the fear of losing your dog, and the fear of losing your identity. How I Learned to Fly was published on February 1, 1997.
Plot Summary: Jack Johnson likes a neighbor girl girl but he keeps always coming in second to Wilson a neighborhood kid that he just can't beat at anything. After he gets beat at gift-giving to the girl he and Wilson both like, he runs away and finds a mysterious book about human flight and he thinks this is a way he can finally beat Wilson. He has to do flying exercises and make a meal that includes a special sprinkling of flying powder from a packet found in the book. He does everything and nothing works then his dog takes a bite and is off towards the sun. Jack must figure flying out to save his dog, and not care who sees him.
What I Liked: The twists and turns in the story were written pretty well. One twist in the middle where I was just as shocked as Jack was at what happened. The competition was fun and reminded me of Quidditch from Harry Potter as the race had light shoves. The parents and their flight reaction was great. The ending had one of the better twists for the character and a really happy ending.
What I Disliked: The neighbor girl switched her mind on flying without provocation. She went from I want to fly to I don't think you should fly so fast. Though I liked that the story went in a direction I didn't think the story could have been put together better, I feel the part with the scientist studying Jack should have included Wilson.
Recommendation: How I Learn to Fly is interesting but could be better if it falls in the middle of Goosebumps as of ranking. This is one of the rare Goosebumps books with no scares. I will not recommend this book to followers.
Rating: I rated How I Learned to Fly by R.L. Stine 3 out of 5 stars.
Ranking: Here's my full ranking of the 52 Goosebumps books that I have read in order from my favorite to least favorite: 1) A Night in Terror Tower, 2) Stay Out of the Basement, 3) The Headless Ghost, 4) Ghost Beach, 5) Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, 6) The Haunted Mask, 7) Ghost Camp, 8) The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, 9) One Day At Horrorland, 10) Night of the Living Dummy, 11) Welcome to Camp Nightmare, 12) A Shocker on Shock Street, 13)The Phantom of the Auditorium, 14) Beware, the Snowman, 15) It Came From Beneath the Sink, 16)Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, 17)The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, 18) Say Cheese and Die, 19) Let's Get Invisible, 20) The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, 21) Welcome to Dead House, 22) Monster Blood II, 23) The Beast From the East, 24) The Girl who Cried Monster, 25)Deep Trouble, 26) The Ghost Next Door, 27) Say Cheese and Die - Again! 28) Night of the Living Dummy 2, 29) My Hairiest Adventure, 30) Be Careful What You Wish For..., 31) Return of the Mummy, 32) Why I'm Afraid of Bees, 33) The Haunted Mask II, 34)How I Got My Shrunken Head, 35) How to Kill a Monster, 36) Attack of the Mutant, 37) Go Eat Worms!, 38) Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, 39) The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, 40) Bad Hare Day, 41) Cuckoo Clock of Doom, 42) Vampire Breath, 43) How I Learned to Fly, 44) Monster Blood, 45)Night of the Living Dummy III, 46) The Barking Ghost, 47) Egg Monsters from Mars, 48) The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, 49) You Can't Scare Me!, 50) Legend of the Lost Legend, 51) Calling All Creeps! and 52) Monster Blood III.
Plot Summary: Jack Johnson likes a neighbor girl girl but he keeps always coming in second to Wilson a neighborhood kid that he just can't beat at anything. After he gets beat at gift-giving to the girl he and Wilson both like, he runs away and finds a mysterious book about human flight and he thinks this is a way he can finally beat Wilson. He has to do flying exercises and make a meal that includes a special sprinkling of flying powder from a packet found in the book. He does everything and nothing works then his dog takes a bite and is off towards the sun. Jack must figure flying out to save his dog, and not care who sees him.
What I Liked: The twists and turns in the story were written pretty well. One twist in the middle where I was just as shocked as Jack was at what happened. The competition was fun and reminded me of Quidditch from Harry Potter as the race had light shoves. The parents and their flight reaction was great. The ending had one of the better twists for the character and a really happy ending.
What I Disliked: The neighbor girl switched her mind on flying without provocation. She went from I want to fly to I don't think you should fly so fast. Though I liked that the story went in a direction I didn't think the story could have been put together better, I feel the part with the scientist studying Jack should have included Wilson.
Recommendation: How I Learn to Fly is interesting but could be better if it falls in the middle of Goosebumps as of ranking. This is one of the rare Goosebumps books with no scares. I will not recommend this book to followers.
Rating: I rated How I Learned to Fly by R.L. Stine 3 out of 5 stars.
Ranking: Here's my full ranking of the 52 Goosebumps books that I have read in order from my favorite to least favorite: 1) A Night in Terror Tower, 2) Stay Out of the Basement, 3) The Headless Ghost, 4) Ghost Beach, 5) Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, 6) The Haunted Mask, 7) Ghost Camp, 8) The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, 9) One Day At Horrorland, 10) Night of the Living Dummy, 11) Welcome to Camp Nightmare, 12) A Shocker on Shock Street, 13)The Phantom of the Auditorium, 14) Beware, the Snowman, 15) It Came From Beneath the Sink, 16)Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, 17)The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, 18) Say Cheese and Die, 19) Let's Get Invisible, 20) The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, 21) Welcome to Dead House, 22) Monster Blood II, 23) The Beast From the East, 24) The Girl who Cried Monster, 25)Deep Trouble, 26) The Ghost Next Door, 27) Say Cheese and Die - Again! 28) Night of the Living Dummy 2, 29) My Hairiest Adventure, 30) Be Careful What You Wish For..., 31) Return of the Mummy, 32) Why I'm Afraid of Bees, 33) The Haunted Mask II, 34)How I Got My Shrunken Head, 35) How to Kill a Monster, 36) Attack of the Mutant, 37) Go Eat Worms!, 38) Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, 39) The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, 40) Bad Hare Day, 41) Cuckoo Clock of Doom, 42) Vampire Breath, 43) How I Learned to Fly, 44) Monster Blood, 45)Night of the Living Dummy III, 46) The Barking Ghost, 47) Egg Monsters from Mars, 48) The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, 49) You Can't Scare Me!, 50) Legend of the Lost Legend, 51) Calling All Creeps! and 52) Monster Blood III.
July 21, 2021
Gosh, reading these books is so darn nostalgic!
I read Goosebumps as a kid in the 90's, and this book reminded me of how I used to look up at the sky and wonder what it would be like to fly.
If you were that kid growing up, this is definitely the book for you!
This book follows our protagonist Jack. His nemesis Wilson constantly has to outdo him at everything and embarrass him publicly. That all changes when Jack finds a book in an old house that claims he can learn how to fly. Is this some stupid joke, or could he finally have a way to show Wilson and especially his crush Mia that he's better?
This book was quite a bit different from most of R.L. Stine's other Goosebumps books. It's not necessarily creepy, but is an intriguing, cautionary tale nonetheless. A lot of the elements really worked for me.
Jack as a protagonist was great. I think this is because there are a lot of similarities to myself as a child that I could really connect with. Jack loves superheroes and sketches them in his spare time. He's also trying to show the world that he's worth something, which is admirable for a young teen. He is a bit self-centered, but that's how kids are when going through puberty, so I thought that was realistic.
Wilson was a formidable nemesis. He always has the one up on Jack, and he apparently also has the luxury of wealthy parents that buy him pretty much whatever he wants. He targets Jack pretty relentlessly throughout, constantly making him feel bad about himself. He's a jerk through and through, and I've known quite a few individuals like him throughout my life, so he seemed realistic as well.
Could the characters been a little more three dimensional? Sure, but I wasn't very disappointed.
The plot was super fun! I mean, learning to fly? How awesome is that? It was easy to root for Jack along his journey, and though the process by which he learns to fly seemed a little too easy, it was still a lot of fun. I liked how part of the story went into fame and its pitfalls. It's definitely a 'be careful what you wish for' situation, and I think a lot of young kids could benefit from that, especially given how the world is today.
All in all, this was a solid Goosebumps read. It may not be scary, but it was very entertaining throughout. Can't wait to reread more of these gems!
I read Goosebumps as a kid in the 90's, and this book reminded me of how I used to look up at the sky and wonder what it would be like to fly.
If you were that kid growing up, this is definitely the book for you!
This book follows our protagonist Jack. His nemesis Wilson constantly has to outdo him at everything and embarrass him publicly. That all changes when Jack finds a book in an old house that claims he can learn how to fly. Is this some stupid joke, or could he finally have a way to show Wilson and especially his crush Mia that he's better?
This book was quite a bit different from most of R.L. Stine's other Goosebumps books. It's not necessarily creepy, but is an intriguing, cautionary tale nonetheless. A lot of the elements really worked for me.
Jack as a protagonist was great. I think this is because there are a lot of similarities to myself as a child that I could really connect with. Jack loves superheroes and sketches them in his spare time. He's also trying to show the world that he's worth something, which is admirable for a young teen. He is a bit self-centered, but that's how kids are when going through puberty, so I thought that was realistic.
Wilson was a formidable nemesis. He always has the one up on Jack, and he apparently also has the luxury of wealthy parents that buy him pretty much whatever he wants. He targets Jack pretty relentlessly throughout, constantly making him feel bad about himself. He's a jerk through and through, and I've known quite a few individuals like him throughout my life, so he seemed realistic as well.
Could the characters been a little more three dimensional? Sure, but I wasn't very disappointed.
The plot was super fun! I mean, learning to fly? How awesome is that? It was easy to root for Jack along his journey, and though the process by which he learns to fly seemed a little too easy, it was still a lot of fun. I liked how part of the story went into fame and its pitfalls. It's definitely a 'be careful what you wish for' situation, and I think a lot of young kids could benefit from that, especially given how the world is today.
All in all, this was a solid Goosebumps read. It may not be scary, but it was very entertaining throughout. Can't wait to reread more of these gems!
January 5, 2019
They're baa-ack! Make way for the bestselling children's series of all time! With a fresh new look, GOOSEBUMPS is set to scare a whole new generation of kids. So reader beware--you're in for a scare!
He's got his head in the clouds. For real . . .
Wilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark. Trying to hide from Wilson.
But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. It's called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.
Poor Jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary. . . .
He's got his head in the clouds. For real . . .
Wilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark. Trying to hide from Wilson.
But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. It's called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.
Poor Jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary. . . .
March 31, 2023
This did not feel like a typical Goosebumps book. I was already bored with the unnecessary competition by the first few pages. And it’s almost like it wanted to introduce more monster blood just to keep the story going.
January 28, 2020
"It's a bird! It's a plane!...It's a kid?"
Read
August 13, 2020That Wilson! Kind of a lame, no frights story but with a great ending.
January 16, 2023
Read our review on our blog.
It is a fun read.
https://blujeansbooks.co.za/goosebump...
It is a fun read.
https://blujeansbooks.co.za/goosebump...
January 17, 2023
I got so over the parts with Wilson. Got over him real quick lol I probably would have gave it a 4 star if he wasn't so anoying. It was still a great story and a fun theme though and would recommend the read.
November 5, 2024
This was actually pretty good— it had me chuckling.
June 3, 2021
Nothing really scary in this one, but I still had a fun time reading it!
June 30, 2022
Jack loves drawing superheroes and playing with his dog and wants to be someone special for Mia, a girl in his class. But his neighbor Wilson somehow always bests him in everything. One fateful day, Jack is invited to Mia's birthday party where Wilson again humiliates him, and he runs off and hides in an abandoned house. There he finds a book that contains a secret formula that will allow anyone to fly. Jack thinks he finally has what he needs to beat Wilson and win the attention of Mia. But flying turns out not to be all it's cracked up to be.
This wasn't really a scary story, more of an adventure gone wrong kind of tale. It was a smooth read, but was just a slightly better than average GB book.
This wasn't really a scary story, more of an adventure gone wrong kind of tale. It was a smooth read, but was just a slightly better than average GB book.
August 29, 2009
Easily one of the best Goosebumps books, though one couldn't exactly call it scary in the traditional sense. There is some unsettling stuff when the adults keep trying to use Jack for their own purposes. His parents seem especially inept at pimping their son out -- they have him advertise for a car dealership? The kid can fly, and that's the best gig they could hook him up with?
The ending is great.
The reader can empathize with Jack. A fun light fantasy from Stine. Definitely worth a read.
The ending is great.
The reader can empathize with Jack. A fun light fantasy from Stine. Definitely worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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