Slappy Birthday to You

Goosebumps SlappyWorld #1

by R.L. Stine

Goosebumps available soon on Disney+! The evil dummy comes to life to tell his own twisted tales and scary stories!It's bad enough Ian Barker has to spend his twelfth birthday with his sister and their two annoying cousins. The four of them can't ever hang out without getting into trouble. Vinnie and Jonny always want to play with Ian's stuff. They take extra turns and break everything they touch. Even Ian's new birthday presents are up for grabs. But when Ian gets a Slappy dummy from his dad, things go from bad to worse. When Slappy's in charge, you don't fight over him, he fights over you!

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Thriller, Audiobook

139 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2017

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

[megs_bookrack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slappy Birthday to You is the first book in the Goosebumps Slappyworld series by R.L. Stine. This book was first published in 2017 and features Stine's iconic ventriloquist dummy character known as Slappy.

I decided to pick this one up because ventriloquist dummies, well actually, all dolls scare me. I wouldn't be able to sleep in a room that had a doll in it, for example. That doll would find themselves shoved in a closet on the far side of the house. Preferably, a closet with a lock on it.



In this story, we meet Ian Barker, who is gifted Slappy on his 12th-birthday. He has wanted a ventriloquist doll for a few years now and can't believe he finally has his very own.

We get the story behind Ian's fascination with the dolls and then we follow what it's like for him as the proud new owner of Slappy. Spoiler Alert: it doesn't go well.



What do we know about Goosebumps? It's nostalgic, it's formulaic and it can be a lot of fun.

I decided to listen to the audiobook for this story and I do recommend that option. Slappy provides the Introduction, the Epilogue and some fun little observation sections in between. His voice is really well presented on the audio. It definitely sounds like it could be him.

It's eerie and high-pitched and if I ever saw and actual doll talking I would die and then be resurrected so I could die again. So, thank goodness, so far, that has never happened.



Unfortunately, for me, Slappy is more slapstick than scary at this point. He tries to be witty and snarky, but mainly his bad puns and ill-timed one-liners are anything but funny.

That's the thing that sort of irks me about this. I love the humor in Children's and Middle Grade stories, and I feel like it is something that those stories in general should have. Stine's humor just feels so out-dated and frankly, not good.

I'm not trashing him. He's a freaking icon and we cherish Goosebumps, Fear Street and basically anything else he has touched over his decades-long career.



However, perhaps he should have someone help him with the jokes, cause these aren't landing.

There were some fun, creepy moments in this and I did genuinely enjoy the ending. I thought it was clever and definitely gave me a little lift of the brow. It was good.

I will probably be picking up the next couple books in the series, there are 19 total, just to see if they get more engaging for me. I am actually interested to see how we transition into the next tale as far as Slappy's character goes.



I would recommend checking out this series for hardcore Goosebumps fans, if you haven't gotten to it already. For newbies, I recommend starting with the original series.

I could be biased, formulating opinions based solely on nostalgia, but so far, nothing touches those originals for me. Overall though, I always have fun picking up a Goosebumps books and will continue doing so for years to come!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Slappy is one of my favorite characters from the original Goosebumps series. I absolutely adored the fact that these books are essentially "hosted" by him. If you consume these books in any specific format, I would recommend checking them out on audio. The voice actor for Slappy is absolutely perfect and captures his personality in a fun and unique way. It is my assumption that each book in this series will follow a similar format in which Slappy introduces creepy stories. This specific story focuses on Ian Barker and the Slappy doll that he gets for this birthday. Of course as with all Slappy stories, trouble ensues as soon as he "meets" the rest of the family. What's always interesting about Goosebumps is that the parents are complete trash. They're never anywhere to be found when trouble happens and they act like complete trash when the kids come and ask them for help. Overall, this was an exciting first installment in the series with a fun twist that I didn’t see coming and I can't wait to continue.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun read! I liked how Slappy was a host of sorts, it reminded me very much of Tales From the Crypt and I really liked that. - Richard

[Justin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notable because this is the first Goosebumps I've read with a flashback and point of view switch! The new series rehashes old plots, but I like the Twilight Zone structure with Slappy as our host. I can envision the TV show already!

[Michael Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading this with six-year-old Nolan. We originally checked this out from the library... but we now own it. As he went running by one day, his super-hero cape sent a glass of beer flying. The book absorbed the damage and, inasmuch as the library would most likely frown on a craft beer aroma additive, it is now ours. He loved the mischievous tone of the book, and it got him away from YouTube and Fortnite for whole blocks of time... so, win-win.

[Books on Stereo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly, fun romp.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who would have thought a villain who has already starred in so many books could be a breath of fresh air? In some ways Slappy the ventriloquist dummy is exactly that in this introduction of another Goosebumps sub-series, SlappyWorld. Slappy hosts the story of his latest reign of mayhem, and doesn't limit himself to a few comments before the narrative starts. He intrudes occasionally in the middle when he wants to deliver snide remarks and mean-spirited jokes. Slappy is more powerful than ever, and he's ready to ruin lives after Ian Baker's father gives him to Ian for the boy's twelfth birthday. The dummy was mailed to Ian's father anonymously, and knowing his son's desire to try ventriloquism, he put hours into fixing Slappy up for him. Repairing damaged dolls is his job, and this one wasn't in good shape. But while quarreling with his cousins (Vinny and Jonny) at the birthday party, Ian gets the feeling something's not right about Slappy. There's a legend that Slappy is evil, and comes to life if certain magic words are read over him. Ian isn't sure he wants this doll of dubious origin.

As usual, Slappy proceeds to multiply his mischief by framing the kid who owns him for the nasty stuff he does. Who would believe a wooden dummy is causing trouble? Not Molly, Ian's little sister. No amount of sincerity from Ian can convince her he's not the one harming her refurbished doll, Abigail, and pulling other dirty tricks on the family. Ian's parents don't buy his explanation either, and Vinny and Jonny want revenge on Ian for what Slappy does to them. Ian needs to catch Slappy in the act for anyone to believe him, but the doll's powers have grown dramatically since his first appearance in Night of the Living Dummy. Is there any eliminating the wicked little insult comedian?

Slappy Birthday to You has strengths that deserve mention, which make it worth one and a half stars. The tension caused by Slappy's shenanigans is pretty good, though not as intense as the earliest books, when even we weren't sure he was actually alive. The plot lacks logic, but longtime fans will enjoy seeing Slappy in action. For new fans, I recommend starting with the first two Slappy books from the original Goosebumps series; they were arguably the best, though he was great in the Horrorland sub-series that began in 2008. After so many Slappy books it must be hard to keep readers guessing, but I like seeing him pop up now and then. If he's used to his full potential in the SlappyWorld series, it could be something special.

[Steph's Romance Book Talk · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG, this is why I am not a fan of horror books, movies, or TV shows!! This was super creepy and I am not sure that I would actually let my 10yr old read this story. He is not a fan of scary things like me and I can keep them separated but I don't think he could.

This specific video will be included in the October 2018 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Rom Book Talk.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know who decided that since it's children's fiction it's allowed to read like it was written by a computer program.

Firstly, it makes light and a joke of abuse. Protagonist Ian literally gets punched in the nose so bad it bleeds (on his birthday, no less) and there are no repercussions to the little shit who punches him. Same little shit breaks his sister's doll, again with no consequences (vaguely described away as that character having a tough time because his mother is recuperating and therefore it's okay that he and his brother physically abuse their family members) even though they commit all their crimes in front of adults.

It's weird to read this as an adult. To believe that Ian's parents don't care that he's been assaulted by his cousins is very unsettling. Creepier than anything with Slappy, that's for sure. I always remember that dummy freaking me out when I was a kid. Sure isn't creepy in this iteration. Just an unpleasant dummy with weird powers who, despite being telekinetic (he closes a garage door) and being able to run, still needs to be carried around by people. And no one seems to be able to figure out how to stop the dummy.

It also ends in that terribly cliche and overused goosebumps (and horror in general) trope of everything seems to be fine, only to find the curse has transferred to something/someone/somewhere else and therefore continues.

But, I did read this in the waiting line for a Covid test (which was negative, in case you're curious) so... something to be said for that.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the talents of Joe Fria and Lucien Dodge, Slappy the mad ventriloquist's dummy is more unhinged, terrifying, and ridiculous than ever in this audio edition.

Here's the thing about Goosebumps. The faults that people find with the series are in large part what makes it not only appealing to kids but actually good for them.

Are the books formulaic? Yes. But the formula teaches readers critical skills - they learn to look for the twist, they predict the doofus adult refusing to believe the kid, and they anticipate the double ending.

Are words and phrases repeated in a way that seems ham-handed to the professional reader? Also yes. But these are words like "hurled" - medium vocabulary words that add spice to our reading. Repeating them once or twice ensures that the kid gets the full meaning.

R.L. Stine has written upwards of 250 of these bad boys. You have to imagine he knows what he's doing.

[Cassandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like classic Stine, but alas,
meh.

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was actually pretty creepy.

[Opal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I begin my review, I just want to state I am a full grown adult who grew up with the classic lineup of Goosebumps books. Reading the newer ones has been a bit strange, and this one is the perfect example of why. The continuity around Slappy has changed significantly. What can and can't harm him is reversed from the old books, and his powers are totally different. His appearance has even changed, though that's not too big of a deal. I feel like there could totally be an in-universe reason for all these changes that, as an older fan, I desperately want, but there is none as far as I am aware.

As far as the story goes, it's pretty solid. It suprisingly does not follow all the usual Night of the Living Dummy tropes that literally all of the previous ones I read have (even including Son of Slappy and Slappy New Year). If you're like me, reading the new GB books to see what's up with the franchise and/Slappy, this book is quite refreshing from a storyline perspective, though the lore changes might be a bit shocking. I mean, the plot isn't radically different, but the execution of it feels new. There was even some rather creepy scenes involving Slappy himself. It's impressive. He has NEVER been scary to me, even as a child, but as a full grown ADULT? Chapter 21 managed to actually creep me out--it reminded me a little of the movie Magic (featuring Anthony Hopkins, about a maybe living, definitely evil ventriloquist dummy), which might be ON PURPOSE, since the main character from the movie is referenced by name.

The characters are pretty enjoyable, and even the non-Slappy antagonists (here, the annoying family members) are not PAINFULLY horrible. That can sometimes bring a GB down for me, but not this time.

The fact that Slappy acts as the "host" of this story--like the Crypt Keeper or Svengoolie--threw me off really bad in the beginning, but almost immediately I began turning each page with the hopes he had something else to comment on. Unfortunately, he only "interrupts" the story a couple of times, mainly to transition the reader to a different time or viewpoint, and of course he introduces the story and closes it off.

The only downside to this book, which almost made me give it three stars and definitely keeps it from earning five, is how much I found myself actually cringing at some of the dialogue, particularly when anyone insults someone else (Slappy as well as literally everyone else in the book; this cast loves to dish it out). Usually, Slappy is extremely low-brow (in a child friendly way of course), but he usually earns a shocked laugh from me at how legitimately mean he could be (and sometimes, he is plain funny). Here, I didn't laugh at all, I just started reading past the dialogue faster so my eyes didn't have to behold it for long.

All in all, if you love Slappy, this book is really great (if you're cool with the changes). He's still Slappy, but cranked up to eleven and with kind of reversed strengths and weaknesses. As a GB book, it has some legitimately spooky scenes. There are somethings I personally didn't like, but maybe it won't be as bothersome to others. I recommend it!

[Derek Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long time Goosebumps fan, I was excited to receive an ARC of this book, the first in a new series!
A Goosebumps series centered around the most iconic Goosebumps character, what's not to be excited about?
Unfortunately, after reading this book, I was disappointed. As a Goosebumps fan, I thought this book would have a cool new story that added something new to Slappy. But I think this book is just like every other Slappy book. It seems especially similar to Night of the Living Dummy II.
But even though it was a basic Slappy book, I do have to say, it's slightly different because this book changes points of view
Overall, I don't see this series adding anything new to Goosebumps. However I'll still be reading them and I look forward to Attack of the Jack

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AN ARC FROM SCHOLASTIC.

R.L. Stine is one of my favorite authors, and I loved Goosebumps as a kid and Fear Street as I got older, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. I have to say that I was kind of disappointed in this one, possibly because I think that Slappy has been taken a bit too far with this new spinoff. He's still pretty true to form Slappy but with a few differences that might just have come from time or from the natural changes that a character goes through as an author writes of him or her.
In my opinion, kids will still enjoy this, but it just can't seem to compare to the original series.

[Hew La France · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, out of the four post-Goosebumps 2000 books that center around Slappy (Those being Revenge of the Living Dummy, Slappy New Year!, Son of Slappy, and Slappy Birthday to You), I think I'd have to rank this one as tied for favorite with Slappy New Year. It shook up the formula just a smidge by having more people involved in Slappy's attempts to enslave them, and... I don't know. I just really enjoyed reading this one. It didn't try to hard. The only thing that bother's me is... *Spoiler*

They use the words that bring Slappy to life to put him back to sleep... And I'm pretty certain Stine established in earlier books that those words wont do that.

[Emmely B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Goosebumps Slappyworld Slappy Birthday to you was a great book. When I was younger I loved to read the Goosebumps books, they were my favorite and this has got to be one of my favorites ones from R.L Stine he is such an amazing author.This book showed creativity and it doesn’t seem scary but that’s because it hasn’t actually happened. I bet if there was a walking dummy coming at you and scaring you into doing things you would probbably think that the book was scary. It was kinda creepy for me because i dont like dolls or anything like that, their eyes just stare ar you. I will definetley read this book again and I give this book a four out of five stars.

[Diego Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHARACTERS:Ian Barker, Mr. and Mrs. Barker, Vinny, and Jonny Harding
ABOUT: This is another one of R.L. Stine's horror book when Ian Barker gets Slappy, a ventriloquist dummy for his birthday, and it turns out the dummy is alive because of his two annoying cousins said these magic words to make him alive so this turns Ian Barker's life into a nightmare.
OPINION: So this was a good book. I like the originality in this story. The end was a bummer because it wasn't how I expected it, and it seemed to be a classic ending. I would've liked something else.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Goosebumps books as a kid. And my daughter has been obsessed with the Goosebumps shows for years, so we decided to read this one together after finding it for 50 cents at the library bookstore. She loved it! We loved reading in Slappy's voice. She wants to get all of these books now. It was just like I remember! Creepy in an entertaining way and not too scary.

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Details:
Narrated by Joe Fria and Lucien Dodge
Unabridged

Gosh, what bratty cousins. I could not stand them.
This was such a creepy fun read. Super fast, but a lot of fun.

Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[♡ sam ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tht ending was unexpected !!!! Surely different from all the other endings of slappy books !!!

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s Halloween without a goosebumps? Y this so the first book in the slappyworld series.

[Pekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS GREAT

20/10/2023

[Nicole Canosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Story by R.L. Stine is a story about a puppet who comes to life and does horrible stuff to his “owner” (Ian), and he causes a lot of mischief and commotion. Something happened in the end that I don’t want to spoil. This book is on the slightly better scale of goosebump books for various reasons. It was probably the most original story in goosebumps and it is so known it has multiple movies with it! It has a lead that seems to be very normal but as time progresses, it get weirder and weirder. This is a good book, but nothing can top “Deep Trouble,” which I really recommend if you would like to read a goosebumps book! Overall, this story is great and it is one of the best ever created!

[Sarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never read these books when they first came out. I was already a young teenager and not into "kids books" however now as an adult I love getting lost in this crazy world R.L. Stine has created. I didn't think this was a truly captivating read but it was fun!

[Jeff B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I am, a 51 year old man reading my first Goosebumps book on Halloween. It works, but it's for a younger crowd. It's about Slappy, a ventriloquist dummy that comes to life and keeps getting the kid who got him for his birthday blamed for Slappy's crude jokes and other hijinks. I like the prose style swell done with lots of short chapters that always end with a minor cliff-hanger that makes you want to keep reading. I also enjoyed the character dynamics of this family. And there were

I was inspired to read this book by R.L. Stine's intro to The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror, Vol. 1. As a result, I expected something similar to the old EC comics. In some ways it was similar, but was much more sanitized for a younger audience. There was no murder and most of Slappy's transgressions involved telling crude jokes.

It does build up over the chapters with some twists and turns along the way. It was pretty good, might be a better fit for a younger audience.

[Zoey De Leon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 / 5

The first book in the now end of the era, Slappyworld is just good enough, It's mainly similar to the NOTLD books but in comparison to the modern itteration is just played in a boring way, It could have made the book much more better paced by having more Dummy actions like in the original books but what I got towards the middle and last half is good enough. plus, most of these modern books lacks in the scares and atmosphere which made more of the earlier NOTLD books more great.
As a book overall, this isn't that bad, towards the end there's an element I liked which is very rare in Goosebumps books which is switching character perspectives, so that's one good redeeming prize for this book I guess.

[theperksofbeingmarissa ;) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were too many fatphobic jokes in this book. (I could go on a whole rant how deeming fatness as a joke or bad starts young based on tons of children’s books, but I’ll stop here.)

Slappy is at it again lol He was a funny character. The talent show reminded me of an earlier Slappy book, so it sounded a bit repetitive to me. I haven’t read the other Slappy books, so I’m unsure if that’s a bit or not .

[Yaritza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Stine knows how to spook even an adult. I just don't like the idea of a talking dummy coming to life let alone a whole bunch of dolls. Another perfectly written story that will scare anyone. Becareful of your next birthday present because it might come to life.

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

بعد از چند ماه، دوباره استاین خوندم😆
و خب باشه،باید بگم بازم دوسش دارم.
کوتاه بودن فصلها خیلییی پوئن مثبتی بود=)))
خسته کننده نبود اصلا
پایان خفنی داشت
و همچنان برای ۱۰ تا ۱۵ ساله ها توصیه میکنم این کتاب رو ( شما مثل من متعصب نباشید😂)
خلاصه که کلی لذت بردم من کلی=)