The Secret Bedroom

Fear Street #13

by R.L. Stine

Lea Carson can't believe it when her family moves into the creepy, old house on Fear Street. Most creepy of all is the secret room up in the attic.

The room has been locked and boarded up for at least a hundred years. A murder was committed in that room, the story goes, and it has been closed up ever since.

Lea knows she should stay away. But she thinks she hears footsteps inside the secret room. And voices.

Someone—or something—is waiting for Lea in there.

Should she open the door?

Can she resist?

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fiction, Thriller, Childrens, Mystery, Teen

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Robert 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...

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aquí tienes todos los elementos de una buena historia de terror.
*Un lugar embrujado.
*Una persona dispuesta e inocente.
*Un espíritu furioso en busca de venganza.
*Un lugar plagado de temores e historias igual de terribles que rodeará a todo de aun más misterio.

De la seria de la calle del terror, La Habitación Secreta es una de mis historias predilectas, tiene una trama intensa, elementos muy bien jugados y muchos hilos que se saldrán de sitio para llevarte a otros más oscuros, donde la verdad que se guarda es tan negra como las intenciones que al principio parecían las más dulces.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised in how much I enjoyed this one. Didn't think I would rate any of the fear street book more than 3 stars but this was definitely spooky fun. It's not very unique but was the perfect read right now

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

I loved that! Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't! As I neared the end I just couldn't stop reading and I felt my eyes widen in horror. I mean it is Fear Street and YA but still, had me hooked.

[Grace Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So if you ever move into an old run-down "fixer-upper" home with your folks that has has a door up in the attic that is boarded up, and the realtor tells you there's a legend that someone was murdered in there, and it's been boarded up for over 100 years...UMM MAYBE DON'T OPEN IT??

Welllll our protag Lea starts hearing noises up there late at night, and voices 😱😱😱 So....she goes up and prys open the door I MEAN WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. I wont tell you what's in there but none of it is good.

Random musings:

-Lea is new to Shadyside, and her only friend is Deena Martinson...from "The Wrong Number"!! It was fun to revisit her here 🙌🏼

-It's 1991 and Lea wears tan corduroy slacks and a yellow Benetton sweater. Excuse me while I go pull this out of my closet now as a homage to her.

- And of course in 1991, she reads Sassy magazine, and we are privy to her reading the article "20 Intriguing Things to Say on a 1st Date". Hey Lea, share those enlightening tips with us too, will ya?

- There is a scene where she is watching the movie "Ghost" on VHS. Her 3rd time watching it maybe her 4th. And she utters the best lines in the book: "Patrick Swayze is a real babe. He can come haunt me anytime." Same, Lea, same.🤣💖👻

4 out of 5 creepy whispers imploring you to open the door coming from behind the boarded-up door in the attic. LEA GIRL. JUST DON'T DO IT 💀💀💀

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie. I loved this one even though the lead (Lea) is awful. I mean she just sits around and mopes and wants a boyfriend and gets mad when a boy who keeps asking her out (but who has a girlfriend) turns into a jellyfish when confronted about what he is doing. I really wanted to yell at her to choose herself. Throw in a ghost and she has some serious problems going on. I did like it though since Stine plays around a bit with things allowing Lea to wonder if she really is going through what she thinks she is when she find the so-called "Secret Bedroom" in her new house on Fear Street. Only reason why I gave this 4 stars is that Lea is kind of responsible for something that happens and it just seems that it's a bit glossed over.

"The Secret Bedroom" follows Lea Carson. Her parents tend to move a lot and then also like to buy homes and fix them up. They sound even more annoying than the fixer upper couples I see on HGTV. Lea isn't happy about moving and finds the house on Fear Street creepy. When her parents, the realtor, and Lea find a boarded up door (seriously ya'll nope) in the attic above her bedroom, the realtor says it's been locked up for 100 years. While Lea tries to fit in at school with has made a new friend (Deena from "Wrong Number") she still feels lost cause she doesn't really have anyone else or a boyfriend. Matters don't get better when Lea starts to hear noises above her during the night and even when she's awake. She starts to wonder about what is going on in the secret bedroom.

Lea is kind of awful. There I said it. I saw some other reviewers noted it, but I actually have to laugh cause Stine has had a lot of his books follow some awful teens like in "Broken Hearts" and "Silent Night" and doesn't shy away from the fact that his characters whether antagonist or protagonist can be kind of awful.

The flow is a bit slow though. I think it's because Lea kept obsessing over a boy and the whole thing was embarrassing to read about it even though this was fictional. Things get moving when Lea finally opens up the secret bedroom.

The ending though I felt we get that Lea is left off a bit since we know at that point what happened. I don't think she appears in any of the latter books. But since not all are in print anymore, I have no idea if I am correct.

Great installment in the Fear Street series, plus it's book 13.

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just totally love this one.

[BetweenThePages · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full Review Coming Soon

All I can say right now is damn was the main character unlikable! I am also realizing a lot of these Fear Street books would make for some good B-horror movies.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another milestone for me.

My first YA Fear Street read ever! Having made my first Point Horror (Trick or Treat) read last year and an adult Stine read (Superstitious) I decided to start 2020 with a R.L. Stine YA Fear Street tale.

It tells the story of young Lea moving in to an old house on Fear Street (I don’t think I would ever want to live on a street named Fear!) with her parents and discovering a bordered up door in the attic. There are noises coming from behind this door and Lea hears a voice.

Lea becomes more curious and the door is opened to reveal “The Secret Bedroom” and its ghostly inhabitant. The terror starts on Fear Street!

The spooky, creepy and scary story progresses as Lea begins to see what evil she has released, as twists are revealed.

Maybe I would like to live on Fear Street after all!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sorry to see that R. L. Stines' Fear Street series came to an end many years back. While aimed toward younger audiences, although thankfully not as young as Goosebumps, the books held tantalizing little stories that showcased a deep imagination. The covers were a delight as well, and there was just something addictive about the whole series. Some, of course, were better than others. Of just the basic "Fear Street" series, there were 52 books in total.

Here the story is groan-inducing for the adult, but as a young teen it should prove delightful. A big twist with the supernatural and a plot turn that shows not all is as it seems to be, and even one death, the ending wraps everything up with a 'small twist surprise.' Pace wise it moves along well, from the trials of moving to the dealing of ghosts. It's a simple story overall, but the premise of a hidden room and what it contains, as well as the one revelation that actually did surprise me toward the middle-end (hint for those who've read it: where the really she saw really was) make up for the uncomplicated tale.

Character wise Lea is easy to emphasize with and understand, even if she's a little one-dimensional and over naive. I can see her falling for a trick once, maybe - just maybe twice, but then again? I couldn't get her attraction to the main love attraction, either, as no backbone is never a good thing. The villain was the better done character, with slightly dramatic dialogue but a plausible thought process and cleverly twisted psyche.

Stine writes with a light hand, not using advanced vocabulary and keeping it straight. I wouldn't recommend this one for adults unless you're wanting to revisit memory lane. If you're looking to read what your teens and youngsters do to supervise their books, as long as you know what to expect you should be able to fly through this one with true interest. It may bore youngsters those looking for a bigger adventure and more substance, but for the reader wanting a quick fix, this should do in a pinch.

[Cassidy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Of course these Fear Street books are silly and corny, but THIS ONE is ridiculous. And not in fun way. The ending is a Russian nesting doll of confusion. I was hoping the odd events in the first 2/3 of the book would have a cool explanation, but nah.

5/30/23
Scrolling through my “read” shelf, I noticed that it was this time last year that I went on an R.L. Stine Fear Street/Point Horror bender. A year ago yesterday, to be exact. So I decided to pick this one up and see if I can’t start a little tradition!

This copy is a first edition, and I’m fairly certain it’s never been read! 👀

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite unfortunately.

From the very beginning the book was a super slow burn. I usually appreciate the build up to suspense in books but with this, it felt like it was all build and no pay off whatsoever. When we FINALLY got to the twist at the end it felt like we hit a high, it died down (no pun intended) completely and just stayed dead. I did really enjoy the fact that two characters (Deena and Jade) from a previous Fear Street book make an appearance in this one! That was fun! All in all a very lackluster ending that was very satisfying at all.

2 stars for me.

[Roberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember I read this book when I was younger and it was creepy.
Now I found it again and my little cousin wanted me to read to her. So I decided to put on my best sinister voice and it worked! Scared her a bit yet she giggled occasionally at the comedic moments (which were a few).
R.L. Stine made me shiver when I was little; now I think it's just funny. Oh well... still a good novel with interesting plot twists.

[Pedro Plasencia Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo terminé de un tirón, la ambientación con el desván y la puerta entablada es buenísima, la idea de que esa parte de una casa sea siniestra no es nueva, lo sé, pero Stine maneja esos miedos básicos como un maestro porque todos sentiríamos exactamente lo que él describe. ¿Quien no querría descubrir el misterio que se oculta tras una puerta que ha sido sellada?¿Quién no se pondría de los nervios al escuchar pisadas o voces en el techo, en un sitio que tendría que estar vacío y silencioso? Esta novela de Fear Street no tiene tantos giros como otras, ni una galería extensa de sospechosos, pero es que tampoco le hacen falta esos elementos, porque en esta ocasión la trama no sigue ecaxtamente el camino de los thrillers o de los slashers. No voy a contar más, leedlo si tenéis la ocasión.

ENGLISH
I finished it in one sitting, the setting with the attic and the boarded door is great, the idea of ​​that part of a house being sinister is not new, I know, but Stine handles those basic fears like a master because we would all feel exactly the same that he describes. Who wouldn't want to discover the mystery hidden behind a door that has been sealed? Who wouldn't get nervous hearing footsteps or voices on the ceiling, in a place that should be empty and silent? This Fear Street novel does not have as many twists as others, nor an extensive gallery of suspects, but it does not lack those elements either, because this time the plot does not exactly follow the path of thrillers or slashers. I'm not going to say more, read it if you have the chance.

[Daniel Stalter · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the scariest Fear Street books were always the supernatural ones. Those were the ones that got in my head, under my skin, and occasionally into my nightmares. The Secret Bedroom ticks all the right boxes on this point. The plot builds slowly in a way that I enjoyed, with the creepy old house setting the perfect atmosphere for building that kind of tension. Lea’s high school drama felt relatable, although her enemy Marci felt a tad over the top. Her love interest Don was believably spineless. I’ve met that guy before. The blending of supernatural elements with petty high school bullshit was a nice touch, and it made for a pretty brutal death scene. There were a few glaring holes that the plot that the otherwise solid story relied on, like why the hell wasn’t Lea’s parents more interested in the boarded-up bedroom in their attic? I also had some spoiler-laced questions about how a few things happened. Overall, I liked this more than I didn’t. The Secret Bedroom, while not perfect, made for one of the more interesting books in the Fear Street series so far.

Score: 3.5

For a detailed recap with memes, snark, and spoilers... check out the full post on my blog:
https://www.danstalter.com/the-secret...

[Latasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

first of all, dear Mrs. Thomas (Suki's mom) you failed at handling the details of the secret room but it was awesome lol. I like you! This one made me happy. We have a ghost, possession and a ghost killing. And Lea actually lives on fear Street.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a huge R.L. Stine fan in my early teens! I loved all the fear street books! They are what got me into reading again! :)

Having fun now rereading all of these again but now with my daughter, however this one is not as good as I remembered it when I was younger.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to reread some of the Fear Street novels, since I enjoyed them so much when I was younger. I've found that now they're a super quick, fun read.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl, if a ghost is trying to talk you into unlocking a boarded up murder room in your attic, you know it’s a bad idea.

[Lu ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Para empezar, este me ha parecido uno de los libros más feos de la colección, comenzando con el hecho de que siquiera siento que encaje con ésta, sino con la de La Casa del Terror.

Tiene una historia un poco hueca, sin buena trama y con personajes sosos. Lea, la protagonista se me ha hecho hasta tonta en algunas ocasiones: se cuestionaba mucho sobre cosas que eran tan obvias que me enojaba el hecho de que no se diera cuenta.

No hay personajes además de ella, ya que los únicos que aparecen, son completamente de relleno.
La trama del libro no se conoce hasta más de la mitad en realidad, ya que lo que se nos cuenta antes son detalles pequeños, pero la verdadera historia se nos muestra corta y el clímax de la historia realmente dura nada más que un solo capítulo.
Desde el comienzo no esperaba mucho, ya que cuando suelen contener un poco más de fantasía, estos libros no me gustan mucho y ya con la sinopsis pude darme cuenta de ello.

[J.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lea's parents love to buy and fix up old houses. But when they move to Fear Street, things become stranger than usual for Lea. She keeps hearing footsteps in the attic and a voice coming from behind a boarded up door that she just can't seem to stay away from.

Lea's about to find out that some secrets are better left alone.

It was cool to see Deena, from Wrong Number, make a reappearance.

The MC, Lea, however, got on my nerves a bit in this one. She kept agreeing to meet up with a boy who she already knows has a girlfriend, then getting mad when their 'dates' didn't work out.

Story wise, this was actually a pretty good one. It had a slower start but had some good twists added in.

[Geraldine O'Hagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book expects me to believe in a world where two adult human beings would look around a house, be shown a boarded-up room in the attic and told that it’s supposedly the site of a murder, and decide to buy the house anyway and not open the room ‘cause it isn’t their business…
There’s no saving that as a plot.

Also, that isn’t a secret room. It’s a famous room, if anything. I’m not sure Stine knows what secret means. He also doesn’t really understand what ghosts are, which is a problem in this book and many others. And of course he absolutely despises women, and his misogyny is clearly visible here. So not much to recommend it to anyone, really.

[Shari Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Secret Bedroom" by R. L. Stine is a paranormal YA mystery.

Lea’s parents buy an old house on Fear Street. The house comes with ghostly secrets, and Lea finds herself haunted at home by a ghost named Catherine and terrorized at school by a bully named Marci. The ghost and human worlds collide with deadly results.

Short chapters set a fast pace. Tension builds as events between Lea and Marci, as well as Lea and Catherine, intensify. Catherine is a ghost with a dark background. Can a ghost be trusted? Can it be an ally? R. L. Stine blurs the line between paranormal and possible reality by creating doubt through dreams, which aids in the mounting suspense.

A fun read.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5/5 Stars 🌟

I'm still slowly working through the vintage lot of Fear Streets novels I purchased last year but I'm still enjoying them a bunch! This one was really enjoyable, I loved it except maybe some parts of the ending and Lea's tendency to put herself in embarrassing situations regardless of how obvious they are. I wouldn't say Lea is a bad lead character either, she's fine! I just think she should've moved on from Don after the first time?? That's a TAKEN boy, even if he's dropping hints!

[Uuttu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ajantappokirja hotellilla. Ihan perusteinikauhua.

Tässä tosin oli paras kolmiodraama pitkään aikaan:
Marci seurustelee Donin kanssa. Don pyytää Leaa (päähenkilöä) treffeille kahdesti. Marci vetää tästä kilarit, koska hän seurustelee Donin kanssa. Lopputulema: Marci on mulkero ja Don on väärinymmärretty reppana.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lea doesn’t believe the rumors about the old house her and her parents have just moved into - that is until she hears the voices coming from the attic.

Fast-paced and spooky, with actual supernatural elements, which might be a first for the series.

[Jennifer Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yessss. This was terrifying. Not the best writing quality, I’ll admit, but still I couldn’t look away. 🫣 I definitely need to read more of these Fear Street books.

Recommended if you like:
▫️haunted houses
▫️vengeful ghosts
▫️nostalgic horror

[Liliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

This book... it was... it was a book. One I didn’t enjoy too much, tbh. I liked the mystery behind the secret door and what was behind it, but we don’t really get to the door until the second half of the book. The first half of the book was full of romance I did not care about. And embarrassment, so much embarrassment...

This book just gave me serious secondhand embarrassment. Lea’s actions sometime’s were just... why?! Why would you do that? I just didn’t understand and I felt so embarrassed for her. Lol. But it was all because of a GUY who already has a GIRLFRIEND! This drove me insane! Literally the first half of the book was just Lea briefly wondering about the mysterious door in her attic, and mostly about this guy Don asking her out then breaking the dates because of his already-existing girlfriend. Number one, Lea is an absolute idiot for falling for this guy (who I admit was nice in the beginning) who keeps breaking the dates. Girl, you need to get over him because he’s already with someone else. Which brings me to number two, he is already with someone else! WTF are you doing asking another girl out? Break up with your current girlfriend first, you dick! And third, Don’s girlfriend Marci is a bit mean to Lea, but I actually get it! Homegirl over here is trying to steal her man! I totally get it! I was so over Don! He needed to get his shit together and either drop Marci or leave Lea the hell alone. I just didn’t care and it was so frustrating, especially since it took up the 1st half of the book.

And then she finally opens the freaking door. What’s inside? The ghost of a little girl. She freaks out, understandably, but after the initial fear dies down Lea decides that she want to use this ghost girl to scare Marci for all the “awful” things she did to her. Keeping in mind that this is a Fear Street book and that ghost is most likely evil. And guess what, it turns out that the ghost is evil! Sigh. They go visit Marci and the ghost scares her a bit, but then Marci has an accident and she dies! I knew it was going to happen! Lea doesn’t know whether the ghost killed her on purpose or not, but Lea thinks that if she did, then it would be her fault! I hate to break it to you Lea, but whether or not the ghost killed Marci on purpose, it’s your fault either way, you idiot!

One thing I really liked about this book was that one of Lea’s good friends (her only friend, if I'm being honest lol) is Deena Martinson from The Wrong Number ! She is more than just a mention or an Easter Egg, she’s actually a side character... well, at least in the first half of the book. But anyway, I really enjoyed that! I love Deena and I loved seeing her in this book! And it was really funny because at one point Lea is freaked out, home alone, and she calls Deena to come over and...

“I hate Fear Street!” Deena exclaimed. “Why do you have to live on Fear Street? I had a horrible experience on Fear Street last year!”

Yes, yes she did. Lol. After what happened in The Wrong Number, I don’t blame her for not wanting to go back to Fear Street. Lol.

And speaking of Easter Eggs, Deena’s best friend Jade (also from The Wrong Number) is mentioned a couple of times. And Suki’s (from The Overnight ) mom, Mrs. Thomas, was the realtor who sold Lea and her family the house! That was pretty cool!

“People make up these stories,” Mrs. Thomas said, brightening. “I don’t know why. As I said, there’s a horror story for every house on Fear Street. Yet the people I’ve met who live on this street are all nice as can be.”

Yeah right. Lol. Ricky Schorr from The Overnight also made a very brief appearance. As did Cory Brooks from The New Girl and Gary Brandt also from The Overnight!

Overall, this book was... fine. I liked the mystery and the fact that there was a supernatural element to this book—that was awesome! I loved Deena being in this book too! But I wasn’t the biggest fan of our main character Lea and the dumb plot that was going on with Don and Marci.



The Fear Street connection: Lea, unfortunately, just moved to Fear Street.

So the house is big and ramshackle and a wreck. That doesn't make it evil.
Even if it’s on Fear Street.

Well...



Lol.

[Araceli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siempre me encuentro fascinada con las historias de R. L. Stine más que nada por la nostalgia que estas me brindan.

[Olen 😻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were several unexpected twists in this & for such a short book they were some creepy ass moments! 👀🙈

[Mandy Ban. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick creepy read. Enjoyed it!