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Goosebumps HorrorLand #15
Scommessa con la morte
Jessica Bowen and Ryan Chang bring home a two-headed "joke" coin from the HorrorLand souvenir shop. A simple coin toss transports them to a world of terror. They find themselves back in time, being chased by guards who accuse them of beheading the prince. Unless they can avenge him and reunite him with his head, their own heads will be on the chopping block!
Start the summer the Goosebumps way, with the third book in the newest seven-book HorrorLand arc. Every book begins in the HorrorLand Gift Shop, owned by Jonathan Chiller, who invites unsuspecting kids to "take a little horror home!" Little do they know what terrors await them!
Start the summer the Goosebumps way, with the third book in the newest seven-book HorrorLand arc. Every book begins in the HorrorLand Gift Shop, owned by Jonathan Chiller, who invites unsuspecting kids to "take a little horror home!" Little do they know what terrors await them!
Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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1411 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 56 reviews
September 12, 2021
Year of New Authors
Jessica and Ryan are two best friends and amateur magicians. Fascinated by the many false bottomed boxes, tricks cards and fart putty pots of the Horrorland magic shop, the pair unwittingly buy a two headed coin that can perform a far greater trick than cheating at bets. A simple coin toss to outwit a bully lands the pair in another place, in another time, where they fall head first into being suspects of regicide.
In another attempt to recapture the childhood of reading I passed over to watch the dirty stuff on late night chanel 4 past my bedtime, I have now finally read the infamous and prolific children's horror writer R.L Stine. And it was good. Utterly disposable, yes, but enjoyably consumed as I tried to put off my more miserable to-reads.
It had some atmosphere, some gruesome scenes and two quite likeable leads, but it also suffers the usual issues with pulp for kiddies. The bully is a fat lumbering moron after lunch money, with a personality as nuanced as a salt flat; several cliff hangers are immediately resolved in the first sentence of the next chapter, and there were far too many unnecessary '!'s for my liking.
It's also very mean spirited, as with the exception of Jessica's father and a shopkeeper, every adult the pair encounter are mean, bloody thirsty, authoritarian or unnervingly insane, and almost no one listens to reason. If nothing else, it perfectly sums up a child's reaction to hearing the exasperated 'Because I said so!', encapsulating all the confusion and lack of context that makes adults appear mean or unjust for the sake of gleeful cruelty.
Will I be reading more? I think sadly that ship has sailed, and I'm far too old to be depriving a ten year old from more of these macabre romps by using up a library reservation. However, I still fully reccomend this nasty tale to adults, because even though I lack the rosy tinted lenses of your likely nostalgia, it's still simple fun.
Jessica and Ryan are two best friends and amateur magicians. Fascinated by the many false bottomed boxes, tricks cards and fart putty pots of the Horrorland magic shop, the pair unwittingly buy a two headed coin that can perform a far greater trick than cheating at bets. A simple coin toss to outwit a bully lands the pair in another place, in another time, where they fall head first into being suspects of regicide.
In another attempt to recapture the childhood of reading I passed over to watch the dirty stuff on late night chanel 4 past my bedtime, I have now finally read the infamous and prolific children's horror writer R.L Stine. And it was good. Utterly disposable, yes, but enjoyably consumed as I tried to put off my more miserable to-reads.
It had some atmosphere, some gruesome scenes and two quite likeable leads, but it also suffers the usual issues with pulp for kiddies. The bully is a fat lumbering moron after lunch money, with a personality as nuanced as a salt flat; several cliff hangers are immediately resolved in the first sentence of the next chapter, and there were far too many unnecessary '!'s for my liking.
It's also very mean spirited, as with the exception of Jessica's father and a shopkeeper, every adult the pair encounter are mean, bloody thirsty, authoritarian or unnervingly insane, and almost no one listens to reason. If nothing else, it perfectly sums up a child's reaction to hearing the exasperated 'Because I said so!', encapsulating all the confusion and lack of context that makes adults appear mean or unjust for the sake of gleeful cruelty.
Will I be reading more? I think sadly that ship has sailed, and I'm far too old to be depriving a ten year old from more of these macabre romps by using up a library reservation. However, I still fully reccomend this nasty tale to adults, because even though I lack the rosy tinted lenses of your likely nostalgia, it's still simple fun.
October 28, 2023
My sister absolutely loved this and honestly it was a pretty fun read for me to read to her
July 11, 2024
This was such a fun book. One of the best modern GB's I've read.
Read
December 26, 2022I read all 25 Goosebumps HorrorLand and Hall of Horrors books in one movie-length vlog on YouTube, check it out: https://youtu.be/DsKCfCAAt7g
January 15, 2016
What an excellent book! (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!)
Jessica and Ryan were walking around town when a magician asked them if they wanted to see a magic trick. So the kids did and went into the building where the magician had all of his gear. Not only that but when the magician performed the trick, Ryan disappeared and then Jessica was worried so she told the magician to make her disappear, so he did. After Jessica disappeared, she was in a gift shop that Ryan was in.Then Jessica and Ryan left the gift shop and explores the village when in the distance they see a big castle in the distance. They start heading towards the castle when Ryan thought about getting some items that will protect and kill if necessary so they turned around and walked to the blacksmith stand. Once they arrived to the stand they were approached by a villager who said to them that they no longer have a blacksmith. So Jessica and Ryan walked towards the castle again.Jessica and Ryan went to the castle to go talk to the king of the village. Once Jessica and Ryan were done talking to the king, they went to go and explore to see if they could find their way back home. So they went back into the village to see if there was a door that goes home. However there was no door that leads them back home so they had to look for any keys for where to go. As they passed by the old blacksmith stand Jack notices that his senses were tingling. So they went into the blacksmith stand and fell in a mysterious hole that lead them back to the magician. Once they made it back, their parents, the police and the magician were talking to each other about what they should do. So then Jessica and Ryan appeared from the mysterious hole and went to their parents and went home.
Jessica and Ryan were walking around town when a magician asked them if they wanted to see a magic trick. So the kids did and went into the building where the magician had all of his gear. Not only that but when the magician performed the trick, Ryan disappeared and then Jessica was worried so she told the magician to make her disappear, so he did. After Jessica disappeared, she was in a gift shop that Ryan was in.Then Jessica and Ryan left the gift shop and explores the village when in the distance they see a big castle in the distance. They start heading towards the castle when Ryan thought about getting some items that will protect and kill if necessary so they turned around and walked to the blacksmith stand. Once they arrived to the stand they were approached by a villager who said to them that they no longer have a blacksmith. So Jessica and Ryan walked towards the castle again.Jessica and Ryan went to the castle to go talk to the king of the village. Once Jessica and Ryan were done talking to the king, they went to go and explore to see if they could find their way back home. So they went back into the village to see if there was a door that goes home. However there was no door that leads them back home so they had to look for any keys for where to go. As they passed by the old blacksmith stand Jack notices that his senses were tingling. So they went into the blacksmith stand and fell in a mysterious hole that lead them back to the magician. Once they made it back, their parents, the police and the magician were talking to each other about what they should do. So then Jessica and Ryan appeared from the mysterious hole and went to their parents and went home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2019
Jessica and friend Ryan seemingly time travel back to the era of castles... And the chopping off of heads... I rather liked it (the adventure part anyways).
Goosebumps Scary Level for Kids: 4/5
(Due to the headless Prince who sends the kids off in search of his head, which is just laying around somewhere. Yuck. And the fact that the kids about get beheaded themselves. Gasp! Oh, and also the hundreds of rats...)
Goosebumps Scary Level for Kids: 4/5
(Due to the headless Prince who sends the kids off in search of his head, which is just laying around somewhere. Yuck. And the fact that the kids about get beheaded themselves. Gasp! Oh, and also the hundreds of rats...)
February 9, 2016
i recommend this book because the book is sooo good that you cant put it down!!!!
July 29, 2017
I loved it! I'm hopefully going to read weirdo Halloween next.
March 16, 2017
Awesome book! Must read!!!
March 28, 2023
I really enjoyed this one so much!
April 28, 2021
This book reminds me quite a lot of A Night in Terror Tower from the original Goosebumps series. In both stories, kids time travel back to Medieval times and face execution. Though the plots are a bit different, they are very similar in tone and atmosphere. Night in Terror Tower is a pretty solid book that is hurt by the twist being one of the most telegraphed twists in the entire series.
Heads You Lose is a pretty interesting book itself. Ryan and Jessica get a two-headed coin at HorrorLand. Somehow, it makes them travel back in time to a kingdom where they are accused of beheading the prince. It gets a bit weird at points. Despite not having a head, the prince is still alive and is able to communicate. What follows is imprisonment, a prison break, discovering a head that does not belong to the Prince, and finding out a planned coup. Quite wild!
I like the twist that comes here. The kids try to escape punishment by using their coin again. But the Duke was wise about their plan, having already lost a bet to the trick coin. It is revealed that he switched the coins to a two-tailed coin. Luckily, the Prince's head was hiding and heard the entire plot to overthrow him, pardoned the kids, and sentences his evil advisers to death.
This is a pretty good story. I like the twists and the ambiance is pretty cool. There aren't a ton of scares throughout and some of the plot points really need to be fleshed out a bit more (the prince staying alive, what the kingdom actually is, etc). But overall, it was enjoyable.
1. Revenge of the Living Dummy
2. Escape from HorrorLand
3. Who’s Your Mummy
4. When the Ghost Dog Howls
5. Say Cheese and Die Screaming
6. Creep from the Deep
7. Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
8. My Friends Call Me Monster
9. Help! We Have Strange Powers
10. Heads You Lose
11. The Streets of Panic Park
12. Monster Blood for Breakfast
13. The Scream of the Haunted Mask
14. Welcome to Camp Slither
15. Little Shop of Hamsters
Heads You Lose is a pretty interesting book itself. Ryan and Jessica get a two-headed coin at HorrorLand. Somehow, it makes them travel back in time to a kingdom where they are accused of beheading the prince. It gets a bit weird at points. Despite not having a head, the prince is still alive and is able to communicate. What follows is imprisonment, a prison break, discovering a head that does not belong to the Prince, and finding out a planned coup. Quite wild!
I like the twist that comes here. The kids try to escape punishment by using their coin again. But the Duke was wise about their plan, having already lost a bet to the trick coin. It is revealed that he switched the coins to a two-tailed coin. Luckily, the Prince's head was hiding and heard the entire plot to overthrow him, pardoned the kids, and sentences his evil advisers to death.
This is a pretty good story. I like the twists and the ambiance is pretty cool. There aren't a ton of scares throughout and some of the plot points really need to be fleshed out a bit more (the prince staying alive, what the kingdom actually is, etc). But overall, it was enjoyable.
1. Revenge of the Living Dummy
2. Escape from HorrorLand
3. Who’s Your Mummy
4. When the Ghost Dog Howls
5. Say Cheese and Die Screaming
6. Creep from the Deep
7. Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
8. My Friends Call Me Monster
9. Help! We Have Strange Powers
10. Heads You Lose
11. The Streets of Panic Park
12. Monster Blood for Breakfast
13. The Scream of the Haunted Mask
14. Welcome to Camp Slither
15. Little Shop of Hamsters
June 5, 2024
A kids horror book about coin flipping that actually turned out to be great surprise. Lemme just say I was not expecting the route this story took just from the cover and the first 30 pages, but I was very pleased. The plot is just so different from Goosebumps that it’s quite refreshing. It’s also really fun and the characters are pretty good. There were some really disturbing moments, like the Prince’s reveal and the dungeon scene, as well as a lot of clever writing. I love the idea of these two kids unexpectedly getting involved with an ancient mystery that is really tough to get out of. The coin is way cool; love how much it’s used in the book. The medieval themes were nice. The climax is well done and is a good way to wrap up this long tale. The twist villains were good characters already, and I liked that they were the real villains. This story was really darn good—but the first 30 pages, or literally everything the two kids get transported to this place, is kinda rough. Also, I didn’t like the little bit of filler that was thrown in. Overall, 9/10. What a fun book.
April 20, 2020
Ryan & Jessica are best friends. Jessica's father is a magician & shows magic tricks in birthday parties. They buy a 2 headed gold - coin in Jonathan Chiller's souvenir shop. They tossed it once to win a challenge with Boomer, a stout boy who takes money from other children which they bring for lunch. After that unlucky toss they find themselves in a strange land. The head of the prince of that land was chopped by the Earle of Dike & Henway. The prince's magic kept him alive. As Henway was the royal wizard, he taught the prince magic. But, the prince's magic was stronger than the wizard's. So they weren't able to destroy it. After a long & exciting journey they found the head, gave it to the prince & went home.
October 1, 2023
It all began in the magic shop at Horrorland. That’s where Jessica finds a two-headed coin that’ll guarantee you will win every time. Heads, I win. Tails, you lose.
One flip of the coin sends two kids flipping back through time to a royal castle. Having been caught by the guards, they were blatantly accused of killing the prince. Uh-oh, that can’t be good. But the thing was that the prince was not even dead. He was headless, but not dead. Now, the kids were at the mercy of an angry prince, who demanded to know where his head was and wanted it back. Will these kids lose their heads, too? The kids will have to use every magic trick they know to get out of this one.
A fun read!
One flip of the coin sends two kids flipping back through time to a royal castle. Having been caught by the guards, they were blatantly accused of killing the prince. Uh-oh, that can’t be good. But the thing was that the prince was not even dead. He was headless, but not dead. Now, the kids were at the mercy of an angry prince, who demanded to know where his head was and wanted it back. Will these kids lose their heads, too? The kids will have to use every magic trick they know to get out of this one.
A fun read!
September 7, 2017
This book was okay because it was not interesting till the middle and then is started to get good. Really anybody could who likes scary shows are movies could read this. I compared it to mystery and I think it had a little mystery because they went to into this thing that took them to a evil world. At the end these two little kids flip a coin and they guessed heads are they going to win or lose....
March 14, 2019
I think it’s very AWESOME because it’s so boring that I makes you read more and more and so on!
It’s so cool and I highly recommend it.
It’s about (so far) how that when Jessica and Ryan like magic tricks. And then they are taken to a gift shop where a guy called Jonathan Chiller gives them a
two headed coin that always wins a bet. When the flipped the coin many times, it happens to them! Then, when they go over a wall, they see a castle and they are in the medieval times!
It’s so cool and I highly recommend it.
It’s about (so far) how that when Jessica and Ryan like magic tricks. And then they are taken to a gift shop where a guy called Jonathan Chiller gives them a
two headed coin that always wins a bet. When the flipped the coin many times, it happens to them! Then, when they go over a wall, they see a castle and they are in the medieval times!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2019
One and a half stars.
A pretty okay-ish story, but what made me mark it down as one star is the throwing one's voice trick Stine seems to abuse quite a lot in his stories. We get it Stine, you love ventriloquism, now move on.
A coin toss tosses a girl and a boy into the past, now maybe it will take a coin toss to bring them back.
A pretty okay-ish story, but what made me mark it down as one star is the throwing one's voice trick Stine seems to abuse quite a lot in his stories. We get it Stine, you love ventriloquism, now move on.
A coin toss tosses a girl and a boy into the past, now maybe it will take a coin toss to bring them back.
September 18, 2023
this is a good book like all the other goose bumps books. my favorite part is chapter 15 all the way until the last chapter because that's when the book get good. but this is a good book and I recommend this book
January 19, 2025
I feel like the execution for this book was good but the concept could have been better. There’s so many possibilities with a magic two-headed coin, but I feel like this one was too out there. It felt like a hallucination, but I will say the way it was carried out wasn’t done horribly.
September 28, 2017
lexile 400
April 26, 2018
I know these aren't written for me, but BOY! are they formulaic.
November 30, 2021
Not my favorite, but not the worst either.
June 28, 2022
very interesting read, completely different from what I was expecting. It's a really crazy book. And I think that you will enjoy it
August 8, 2022
۱۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰۰ عااااااالیییییییییییییی
October 19, 2023
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
February 24, 2024
Just for fun!
June 11, 2024
Just a darker version of a night in terror tower
March 27, 2025
I really loved this story! It was unique and adventurous and captivating. Really great story!
October 10, 2011
As the overarching plan for this second group of Horrorland books begins to be revealed, the quality of each entry in the series has, in my opinion, improved along with that increasing revelation. So much of what happens in the first two books that deals with the master scheme of Horrorland shop owner Jonathan Chiller can be confusing just because we don't yet know the whole story. By the end of this third book, though, it's becoming quite clear that Jonathan Chiller's plan calls for the abduction of a large group of kids, and that he is putting each of them through a terrifying and life-threatening situation before recalling them to Horrorland to pay for the special item that they had previously purchased there. Why Jonathan Chiller is doing these things is anyone's guess at this point, but the mystery has certainly has caught my attention.
Jessica and Ryan aren't like many of the main characters in Goosebumps books. They're armed with some unusual skills that will serve them well in the ordeal they're about to face, skills that could end up saving their lives. Jessica's father is a professional performing magician for kids' birthday parties, and he's taught many of his trade tricks to his daughter and her best friend, Ryan. Both kids can manipulate coins and perform convincing feats of close-up magic; they also know some secrets of ventriloquism, including the art of throwing one's voice. In their normal lives, these are just fun party tricks good for a few laughs or maybe to impress someone, but when the two kids are mysteriously transported centuries into the past, much more than entertainment will end up riding on their ability to perform these simple tricks.
Jessica and Ryan are pretty smart, but it's hard to think clearly when everything you know has changed in the blink of an eye. They have the feeling that the reason for their sudden time travel is the strange coin that Jonathan Chiller sold them when they were in Horrorland, but they have no real idea how to get back home, or even if there is a way to return. Worse, almost immediately after turning up in this land from the Middle Ages, Jessica and Ryan are quickly captured by the guards of a nearby castle, where they are brought to the royal court and accused of murdering the prince. It will take a lot more than luck to get Jessica and Ryan out of this deadly mess. If only they could figure out the key to using the coin that brought them here in the first place...
I'd say that this third book in the second stage of the Horrorland series is arguably the best of the first three. The characters are interesting and show more bravery and resourcefulness than usual for Goosebumps characters, even under some of the most traumatic stress to which any of them have ever been subjected. Jessica and Ryan keep their cool under really intense pressure, and if it ends up being them versus Jonathan Chiller when this series reaches its climax, I wouldn't bet against them finding a way to make it out alive. All told, I would consider giving two and a half stars to this book.
Jessica and Ryan aren't like many of the main characters in Goosebumps books. They're armed with some unusual skills that will serve them well in the ordeal they're about to face, skills that could end up saving their lives. Jessica's father is a professional performing magician for kids' birthday parties, and he's taught many of his trade tricks to his daughter and her best friend, Ryan. Both kids can manipulate coins and perform convincing feats of close-up magic; they also know some secrets of ventriloquism, including the art of throwing one's voice. In their normal lives, these are just fun party tricks good for a few laughs or maybe to impress someone, but when the two kids are mysteriously transported centuries into the past, much more than entertainment will end up riding on their ability to perform these simple tricks.
Jessica and Ryan are pretty smart, but it's hard to think clearly when everything you know has changed in the blink of an eye. They have the feeling that the reason for their sudden time travel is the strange coin that Jonathan Chiller sold them when they were in Horrorland, but they have no real idea how to get back home, or even if there is a way to return. Worse, almost immediately after turning up in this land from the Middle Ages, Jessica and Ryan are quickly captured by the guards of a nearby castle, where they are brought to the royal court and accused of murdering the prince. It will take a lot more than luck to get Jessica and Ryan out of this deadly mess. If only they could figure out the key to using the coin that brought them here in the first place...
I'd say that this third book in the second stage of the Horrorland series is arguably the best of the first three. The characters are interesting and show more bravery and resourcefulness than usual for Goosebumps characters, even under some of the most traumatic stress to which any of them have ever been subjected. Jessica and Ryan keep their cool under really intense pressure, and if it ends up being them versus Jonathan Chiller when this series reaches its climax, I wouldn't bet against them finding a way to make it out alive. All told, I would consider giving two and a half stars to this book.
February 16, 2017
Heads, You Lose By:R.L.Stine. I love[d] this BOOK!This book is about 2 kids that are friends and their
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