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How I Got My Shrunken Head

(Goosebumps #39)

R.L. Stine (Goodreads Author)

3.53 · Rating details · 6,147 ratings · 185 reviews

Two Heads Are Better Than One!

What has two eyes, a mouth, and wrinkly green skin? Mark's shrunken head. It's a present from his Aunt Benna. A gift from the jungle island of Baladora.

Mark can't wait to show the kids at school his shrunken head. It's so ugly. So gross. So awesome. But late one night the head starts to glow. Because it's no ordinary head. It gives Mark a stra ...more

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Paperback, 119 pages

Published January 1996 by Scholastic

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· 6,147 ratings · 185 reviews

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Oct 21, 2018 ✨Sumi's Books✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

#39 "Heads up!"
Mark's aunt Benna just sent him a present from the tropical jungles of Baladora. A present that reminds him of one of his favorite video games. A shrunken head! But this isn't any normal shrunken head. This one has strange jungle magic inside it. Can Mark learn how to use the strange magic and save the island and his aunt?

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Dec 01, 2010 Danny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: comfort-books

Ahhh, the Goosebump days. I would borrow so many of these from the library they seriously considered extending my limit of books checked out at one time. R.L. Stine you were a reprieve from a harsh and dreary childhood in which my mind wandered far away from the troubles of the day. I stole books into my bed and read far into the night by the faintest of lights. I might have better eyesight were it not for you; however, I regret not one page or line.

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Aug 25, 2018 Ken rated it liked it · review of another edition

Mark visits he’s Aunt Benna in the jungle of Baladora after co-worker Carolyn had visited the family home with a small shrunken head.
As during that visit Mark noticed the head glowing, this means he has ‘Jungle Magic’.

A highly enjoyable action adventure style story in the series, plenty of fun cliffhangers involving ants, quicksand etc...
A fun Goosebumps book!

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Oct 17, 2016 Evan Macrone (Will Work For Books) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: I would rather pour acid into my eye sockets than recommend this shit

Shelves: dog-crap

(WARNING, REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS-as if you f***ing care)
Ok, so after seeing what an atrocity Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns was, I decided to revisit a bunch of randomly selected Goosebumps book that are collecting dust on my shelf. Anyway, on to the review.

I think a part of me died after reading this. This might just be the worst piece of trash book I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. I know that puts it up against competition like Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns and Leaving Fisher ...more

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May 31, 2020 Alex | | findingmontauk1 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

This installment in the Goosebumps series is an action-packed adventure in the middle of the jungle and it is WILD! It's not the typical horror that Goosebumps delivers, but at the same time, I cannot imagine being in the jungle searching for my family with tigers, shrunken heads, pits of quicksand, and more when being just a child. So.. yea, kinda scary still! This is also one of my favorite covers in the series - look at that shrunken head! 4 stars to this one!

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Dec 10, 2016 Evelyn Medina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I don't think I could ever give any of these books a bad review just because I'm SO ATTACHED to them! It was so much fun reading this and while of course it's not the best writing, I mean it's goosebumps...come on, it was still such a good time! Getting lost in this fun and lighthearted story was such a treat! I can't wait to re-read more of these!

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Mar 02, 2015 Carmen rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Kids; Parents

Shelves: horror, traditionally-published, children, fiction, published1995, he-says

Wow, this book was so COOL!!!!

I stared at a head.

A human head, wrinkled and leathery. About the size of a tennis ball.

The pale, dry lips were pulled back in a sneer. The neck was stitched closed with heavy black string. The eyes - solid black eyes - stared up at me.

A shrunken head. A real shrunken head.

Mark barely remembers his Aunt Benna. She has been working for the last 12 years on the jungle island of Baladora - he hasn't seen her since he was 4! But now a mysterious woman has come to the do ...more

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May 29, 2016 Williesun rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: books-by-men, from-the-library, mystery-thrillers-crime, adventure, 2016, middle-grade

I didn't just read this because I suddenly wanted to but for Snark Squad and it was my first Goosebumps book. I was more of an Enid Blyton reader as a kid which dampened my experience with this book a bit since I was surprised by how simple it actually was.

However, it was perfect for the purpose of blogging about it, so here's the link to the post: http://www.snarksquad.com/2016/07/goo... ...more

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Dec 22, 2017 itchy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: electronic

it's definitely getting better

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Nov 11, 2017 Rae Lake rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 08, 2018 Alexa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is really good. It makes you want to keep on getting more and more of this series. This book will also make you feel like you absolutely need to read it again. This book has a lit of juicy details that really makes the book interesting and pulls it all together. It has interesting parts when you want to ask questions to. You won’t want to put this book down. Probably my all time favorite book yet!!

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Jul 25, 2019 Invisible reader rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This I think is my favorite so far it makes me excited to continue with the Goosebumps books

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Jan 28, 2020 Chris Greensmith rated it liked it

Shelves: goosebumps

"Heads up!"

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Sep 11, 2018 Susan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile, goosebumps, 2018

Fun story. Really had a good sense of place (jungle) in this one. However, the big twist at the end really wasn't that big, at least for me. It just kind of petered out with no shock value per usual. Still enjoyable nevertheless.

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Oct 10, 2020 Shelby Ribel rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 30, 2019 Angel Gomez-Estrada rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The book “How I Got My Shrunken Head,” part of the Goosebumps series by R.L.Stine, was a good book that hooked me in and made me always want to turn the page to see what happened next to the characters. The book always painted a picture in my mind and gave me a clear thought on what the author was saying through the book. In the book, Mark, the main character really liked jungle games and in general, the jungle itself. One day, a lady named Carolyn brought a real head to Mark and he really liked ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 Joseph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Goosebumps How I Got My Shrunken Head is a very interesting book about a boy named Mark that has gotten a visitor from th jungle of Baladora. Mark is told to go to the jungle with Carolyn. When he is there he is told he has jungle magic and that his shrunken head does it. One day he reads his lost Aunt's diary and finds out two people are going to kill her so he decides to go off into the jungle to find his ant Benna. I would countinue but no spoilers. This was an amazing and interesting book th ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 joaquín rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who like REAL Goosebumps

Recommended to joaquín by: A kid in my class

Shelves: favorites, hidden-gems, read-for-class, reviewed

Usually the endings of Goosebumps books are random, stupid, and, quite honestly, totally ruin the entire rest of the book. Usually.

When I first started reading How I Got My Shrunken Head (or Como Consegui Mi Cabeza Humana Reducida, I was totally sure it was going to be one of the terrible Goosebumps books.

It had all the traits; a cool backstory, lots of super nostalgic moments, and something for the main character to obsess over. (in this case, it was Mark's computer game)

That's why I was sur ...more

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Nov 03, 2011 David Santos rated it really liked it

What kind of person would give a real shrunken head to a little boy? You might get arrested for that. And who in their right mind would let their child keep such an ugly little green thing? Anywho this is really hard to review without giving away spoilers, because the book starts off innocently enough with Mark being obsessed with a computer game. Then someone shows up at the door with a gift from his aunt. When you first look at the cover. You see the ugly green goop and read the title you thin ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Emily (Mrs B's Books) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: the-big-read, children

I never read the Goosebumps books as a kid and had to pick one for The BIG reads challenge and thought that this one sounded good.

The chapters were only 3 to 5 pages long and the entire book was only 119 pages so it didn't take me very long to read as the text was quite large.

The story is told through the point of view of a twelve year old boy who has a fascination with all things jungle. When someone comes to his house to take him to see his Aunt and gives him a shrunken head I did think "Reall ...more

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Feb 14, 2014 Maddie rated it liked it · review of another edition

My main purpose for reading this book was for the Snakes and Ladders Challenge because it has a green cover.
I liked this book because the chapters were really short (3-5 pages) and the length was short (119 pages) so it didn't take me long at all to read this book.
I liked the main character, Mark, because he's described as chubby and short, when normally the main character's hot and tall.
I thought it was stupid of Mark to trust (view spoiler) but if I was in his position ...more

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Jul 29, 2015 Connie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, read-in-2015, childrens-books, goosebumps

Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown

Title: How I Got My Shrunken Head
Series: Goosebumps #39
Author: R.L. Stine
Overall Rating: 3.8 stars

Mark owns a shrunken head, cool right? He's also obsessed with a game called Jungle King which simulates living in the jungle but when he gets the opportunity to visit his aunt in a real life jungle, he's never been so excited. However, things aren't always as they seem and Mark suddenly finds himself in a world of magic and conspiracy.

I actually loved ...more

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Oct 13, 2013 Glenn Smith rated it it was ok

Currently rereading my original Goosebumps collection

The idea of "Jungle Magic" was too farfetched for my liking. This book didn't really scare me and don't even get me started on the ending! Not one of the better books in the series.

Read from October 18, 2013 - October 18, 2013

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Jul 22, 2018 Krystal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kid-stuff, delayed-review

Yesssss this was one of the best Goosebumps from beyond #20! It was so bizarre and weird but had that creepy cool historical, ancient civilisation kinda vibe and it was pretty great.

Super weird and creepy, but great.

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Mar 08, 2019 M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, childrens-book, author-r-l-stine

This book could have been better, but it was still a pretty fun and creepy read.

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May 26, 2018 Tiffany Spencer rated it it was ok · review of another edition

How I Got My Shrunken Head
Plot: Kahleeah, is often the victorious catchphrase Mark uses in a burst of happiness when for example scoring high on his favorite video game "Jungle King". It's just a word he made up when he was smaller. Or so he thinks? Little does he know he's about to be smack dab in the middle of his own jungle adventure. And it all begins with a mysterious woman showing up that offers him a trip to see his aunt Beena, who's been working in the jungle making discoveries of rare p How I Got My Shrunken Head
Plot: Kahleeah, is often the victorious catchphrase Mark uses in a burst of happiness when for example scoring high on his favorite video game "Jungle King". It's just a word he made up when he was smaller. Or so he thinks? Little does he know he's about to be smack dab in the middle of his own jungle adventure. And it all begins with a mysterious woman showing up that offers him a trip to see his aunt Beena, who's been working in the jungle making discoveries of rare plants and species. The mysterious woman gives him a "special" gift and Mark eagerly hops on the chance to go see the aunt he hasn't seen since he was 3. But in the heart of the jungle, Mark soon makes a discovery himself and it's not the one he anticipated. Aunt Beena is missing and her assistant, another man, and his daughter are pressuring Mark to use his "jungle magic" to find her.

MY THOUGHTS:
*Who would give someone a ugly, behind, shrunken head as a "present"? I can't think of ANY kid (I know) who'd look at this and think COOL! They'd look at it and think oh okay. Why didn't she just send money or a video game? (CHAPTER 2)
*And then if you saw a head floating and glowing in the middle of the night, I'm sorry. First of all I would NOT have went back in the room with the thing and went to sleep because my nerves would have been shot and I wouldn't have even wanted to be in the same room with it. Much less would I have been able to go back to sleep without seeing what happened in my mind over and over. But in the morning, I would have either got someone to remove it from my room or removed it myself. Mark is braver than I ever would have been (CHAPTER 5)
*So this lady who just shows up at your door, "claiming" to know your sister, who you have no prior knowledge of (NONE) you let your son go off across the world with on a trip to the jungle? NAH! I THINK NOT! And look what happens. She turns out to be a psychopath. You do NOT let your kid's go off with people that just pop up at your door. I'm not even a parent and I see the stupidity in this. I would have told my kid NOPE! Not until I talk to your aunt or she comes to get you! (CHAPTER 7).
*Doesn't "Jungle Magic" just sound like a really hot, dark-skinned, stripper with dreads? Or is it just me "Gimme summa of dat jungle magic." (CHAPTER 9)
*"Jungle Magic" when you first read it sounds kind of lame and groan-worthy. Like ummm. But as we soon find out it's actually kind of cool when I saw it in effect I was thinking can I have jungle magic. I don't blame Mark for not wanting to give it up. Would you give it up if you had that kind of magic that got you out of ANYTHING! Oh HELL NAH! You ain't getting this!! Not that mind you I would EVER want to go to a jungle with all those mosquitoes. I can't think of one positive about a trip to a jungle I'd actually make me want to go. The closest I wanna get to a jungle is a stimulated one like in Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Cause I don't think there are any pycho's there trying to shrink and suck the magic out of your head.
*Did not trust Kareen from the beginning. You just have a feeling about these things. I was groaning like MAAAARK when he admits he has it to her.
*How was shrinking their heads going to get the magic Dr. Hawlings wanted? They still wouldn't have gotten it. Or was it one of those cases where if I can't have it you can't either (CHAPTER 27)
*And then what a let-down! Mark goes through all that and he STILL doesn't get to keep Jungle Magic. I mean why. The bad guys are gone! No-one else in world knows about it. Shouldn't he had gotten to keep it after all he went through in that jungle. BOOO Aunt Beena. You kinda suck!
*The end is FREAKY! I would have dropped that head so fast, kicked it, and ran the hell out of there when it told me it wanted to tell the part about the elephant. You can tell it all you want but I tell you what. I won't be there to hear it (CHAPTER 28)

Rating 61/2 Mainly because the jungle magic itself was pretty cool. It was cooler than the rest of the story itself. ...more

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Dec 29, 2018 Eric rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I started reading Goosebumps books when I was 6 and stuck with it until the bitter end (of the original series, at least) 4 years later. Even though I was younger than the main characters in these books for the entire time I was reading them (typical Goosebumps protagonist is 12), I distinctly remember pretty often rolling my eyes at their cowardliness. I don't mean I judged them for running away from legitimate danger; I mean these kids break into a cold sweat when their obnoxious (younger sibl I started reading Goosebumps books when I was 6 and stuck with it until the bitter end (of the original series, at least) 4 years later. Even though I was younger than the main characters in these books for the entire time I was reading them (typical Goosebumps protagonist is 12), I distinctly remember pretty often rolling my eyes at their cowardliness. I don't mean I judged them for running away from legitimate danger; I mean these kids break into a cold sweat when their obnoxious (younger sibling/older sibling/best friend/enemy), a character who is known for lying to them and playing tricks on them, makes the slightest suggestion that there is a ghost or something standing behind them. I even remember in one book a kid spends an entire chapter racing away from some shadowy danger only to get home and realize THERE WAS NOTHING THERE. Literally, nothing. Not a cat, not a bug, not a patch of mist--nothing. What a weenie. What a waste of my pre-adolescent time.

I say that to say this: How I Got My Shrunken Head is a rare book in the series that doesn't spend a number of chapters scrambling about for phony dangers and false cliffhangers. Most of the threats are legitimate and the events have weight. Maybe this is because the plot takes off pretty darn quickly: short and chubby Mark receives shrunken head, flies to jungle, searches for missing aunt, discovers Jungle Magic. Jungle Magic is, of course, a perpetual deus-ex-machina that comes in handy when Mark needs to conveniently get out of a nasty scrape, but I think Stine manages to play fair by the rules he establishes and keep the tension believable even as Mark starts to reach for the salvation of the shrunken head. There's even a nice bit of plotting as a seemingly throwaway event in the first few chapters pays off in the climax. That's more elegant structuring than one usually encounters in these practically stream-of-consciousness books that likely never made it past a first draft. Everything feels organic; nothing is clumsily handled. Even as the series seemed to become more and more absurd as it rattled along, the events in Shrunken Head feel well-motivated, with no ridiculous reveals or out-of-nowhere left turns.

In fact, this entry, at #39 in what would be a 62-book series, is probably a pretty good dividing point between what I think of as more "classical" Goosebumps entries, centered around genuine creepiness and familiar monsters like werewolves, ventriloquist dummies, and phantoms, with the conceptually oddball remainder of the series, trucking in concepts like egg monsters from Mars and children turning into chickens. (An argument could be made that the cartoonish Horror at Camp Jellyjam, six books prior, is a better and more distinctive jumping of the shark. That's the first Goosebumps book where I can remember looking at the cover and thinking, "What...? Is anybody even taking this seriously any more?" This is a sentiment with which I would greet many of the following covers and titles in the years to come...but maybe the truth is that the books were always just strange and silly and I did a lot of growing up between June and July of 1995 to finally be able to recognize it.)

I remember liking this one in particular as a young reader because of the more fantastical adventure elements. Deep Trouble was another standout for me, though the direct sequel to that one bombed pretty hard in my estimation.

Anyway, I'm not rereading the whole series as an adult (though I have been listening to a wonderful hilarious nostalgic recap podcast called Welcome to Deadcast which brings back a lot of the old feelings, positive and negative). I just picked this one up out of one of those take-a-book-leave-a-book mini libraries that people have in their front yard, as a lark. If you only plan on revisiting Goosebumps for one book, you could do a lot worse, certainly, than this one. ...more

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Dec 06, 2018 Julia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was actually better than I thought it would be. The book starts out with this kid who receives a shrunken head from some lady that comes to his door. He finds out the lady who delivered the shrunken head to him works in some jungle with his aunt Benna. That night something mysterious happens with the shrunken head that leads everyone to believe that he is crazy and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. In the morning while eating breakfast with his mom, sister, and the lady that gav ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Arkham Reviews rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog

How I Got My Shrunken Head was a bit of a forgettable addition to the series. While not actively a bad story, I did get to the end and feel that it had not really accomplished much. The story is very akin to the two "Mummy" stories, in that it felt like more of an adventure story than a horror story. Mark is whisked off to a remote jungle island by a complete stranger (his Mum really should ask more questions), has a brief evening of adventuring in the jungle, and saves the day using ill defined ...more

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Mar 26, 2020 Love rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hello I'm From Atlanta, USA I feel so joyful today because of
the help Dr OMOOGUN has rendered to me for getting my Husband back with his
spell. I have been married for 4 years and it has been so terrible because
my husband was cheating on me and was seeking for a divorce. But when i
came across Dr OMOOGUN Email, on the internet posted by a lady, i decided to
get in touch with him and i explained my situation to him and then seek his
help but to my greatest surprise he told me that he will help me wit ...more

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About R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine

12,491 followers

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 b ...more