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Tales to Give You Goosebumps #5
More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps: Ten Spooky Stories
Includes:
- The Haunted Guitar
- Tune In Tomorrow
- Live Bait
- Something Strange About Marci
- The Ghost Sitter
- Fun with Spelling
- Matt's Lunch Box
- Stuck in 1957
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
- What's Cooking?
In a collection of spooky Goosebumps tales, Shana finds a pair of cat-eye glasses that send her back in time, Matt gets a cool-looking lunchbox full of monsters, and Mike and Ray house-sit for a monstrous ghost.
- The Haunted Guitar
- Tune In Tomorrow
- Live Bait
- Something Strange About Marci
- The Ghost Sitter
- Fun with Spelling
- Matt's Lunch Box
- Stuck in 1957
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
- What's Cooking?
In a collection of spooky Goosebumps tales, Shana finds a pair of cat-eye glasses that send her back in time, Matt gets a cool-looking lunchbox full of monsters, and Mike and Ray house-sit for a monstrous ghost.
132 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
5 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,590 books18.6k 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 23, 2022
Good mix of Goosebumps stories. Of note for me was the one about being stuck in 1957, which involved time travel, and the story about the murderous cook, Chop Suey, whose ghost could only be summoned by standing on tip-toes and saying her name 3 times. Too bad Mom decided to order that Chinese food 😆😆 Mirror Mirror was super creepy and inventive. and The Haunted Guitar one was also great, too. I really enjoyed all of the stories; but my fav special editions of the Goosebumps series were books #1, #2, and #4 so far . :) Plan on reading #6 around Christmas as the stories are tailored to that season!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2025
Last month I prioritised reading
Still More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
because it was October and the ten Goosebumps short stories were all Halloween themed. There doesn't appear to be a theme called out explicitly in More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps, but I did notice quite a few of them seem to involve Spring, so maybe I'm a few months early reading this. Still, the next book in this series appears to be Christmas themed, so I wanted to get this one read so I was ready to tackle that in December. I will say from the jump that More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps is the worst one yet, so let's break it down.
The Haunted Guitar
No prizes for guessing what this first short story is about. It feels so pedestrian, spending a few pages setting up the acquiring of the haunted guitar, then a few more pages establishing the haunting of the guitar, and then an ending that is lacking in the typical Goosebumps twist. It's a dull entry and not a great start to the book.
Tune In Tomorrow
The short stories in More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps that lean more towards sci-fi than horror are the better entries, such as this second entry. The concept to this one is really good, but the execution feels a little lacking. Unfortunately for the concept to work it does rely on some repetitiveness, which isn't ideal in a short story that only spans fourteen pages. The twist is ridiculous but in that Goosebumps way that I can't help but appreciate even if it does make me roll my eyes. I feel like this would be a good companion piece to the short story Click found in Tales to Give You Goosebumps .
Live Bait
It's pretty obvious where this is going right from the start. The sanitisation of some of the moments that have the potential to be grotesque result in this being rather nonsensical. There's a whiff of Pinocchio (1940) in places, but because the ending is so predictable it results in a rather tedious journey.
Something Strange About Marci
Okay, I will admit I did not see the twist coming - not because it's good, but more because it is so ridiculous that I'd be baffled by anyone who could predict it. There's a little bit more menace to this one which makes it intriguing, and so I did like the mystery of trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but the reveal is honestly ludicrous. I half respect the audacity, and I half despair at how bonkers this is.
The Ghost Sitter
Going from one twist that is mind-meltingly stupid to this twist which is so terribly predictable it feels like the book is trying to give me whiplash. This is a fairly standard haunted house story which we've seen elements of in plenty of other Goosebumps books (off the top of my head, Welcome to Dead House , The Ghost Next Door , The Headless Ghost ) so there isn't really anything new offered here. If anything there are moments here that feel a little rushed, but such is the nature of these short stories.
Fun with Spelling
I appreciate the pun of this title. That's about all I appreciate with this entry. There's a weird nastiness to this short that Goosebumps books typically veer away from. The escalation of events is tedious and the twist ending feels too deserved to pack any bite.
Matt’s Lunch Box
The concept to this short story is just a little too ridiculous to really work. There is an angle here that could have been played quite sinisterly, but instead it's just all a bit too silly and not even in a fun way. Predictable eye-roll inducing twist ending. This feels like a first pass at an idea that would've benefitted from some revision.
Stuck in 1957
This is my favourite short story in the collection. It's another one that leans more heavily into sci-fi than horror, with much inspiration seeming to have been taken from Back to the Future (1985), but it's just a really fun entry. There's absolutely nothing spooky here, but I appreciate how refreshing this story is as it does stand apart from the vast majority of Goosebumps stories.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
The ending feels a little weak and overall this is a totally serviceable Goosebumps short story. Doesn't attempt to do anything unexpected or new, just delivers on an okay concept with an okay story. And honestly, when it comes to Goosebumps, sometimes that is just about enough. At least it doesn't succumb to pure nonsense like Something Strange About Marci.
What’s Cooking?
More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps ends strong, with a fun short story that draws inspiration from some classic horror elements (Candyman (1992), for example) but filtered through a fun Goosebumps lens. There are some surprisingly brutal ideas here, but obviously these aren't dwelled upon. I enjoyed the ending too.
More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps isn't completely meritless, for there are some entries here which aren't terrible. But I do also think it is notable that the best short story here is the one that feels least like a Goosebumps story. Whilst there is some fun to be had here, the majority of what remains either play it so safe they become predictably tedious or veer into such ridiculous territory that they just become insufferably dumb. Sadly there is more bad here than good.
2/5
Tales to Give You Goosebumps Ranked
1) More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3.5/5
2) Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3/5
3) Still More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3/5
4) Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 2.5/5
5) More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps - 2/5
The Haunted Guitar
No prizes for guessing what this first short story is about. It feels so pedestrian, spending a few pages setting up the acquiring of the haunted guitar, then a few more pages establishing the haunting of the guitar, and then an ending that is lacking in the typical Goosebumps twist. It's a dull entry and not a great start to the book.
Tune In Tomorrow
The short stories in More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps that lean more towards sci-fi than horror are the better entries, such as this second entry. The concept to this one is really good, but the execution feels a little lacking. Unfortunately for the concept to work it does rely on some repetitiveness, which isn't ideal in a short story that only spans fourteen pages. The twist is ridiculous but in that Goosebumps way that I can't help but appreciate even if it does make me roll my eyes. I feel like this would be a good companion piece to the short story Click found in Tales to Give You Goosebumps .
Live Bait
It's pretty obvious where this is going right from the start. The sanitisation of some of the moments that have the potential to be grotesque result in this being rather nonsensical. There's a whiff of Pinocchio (1940) in places, but because the ending is so predictable it results in a rather tedious journey.
Something Strange About Marci
Okay, I will admit I did not see the twist coming - not because it's good, but more because it is so ridiculous that I'd be baffled by anyone who could predict it. There's a little bit more menace to this one which makes it intriguing, and so I did like the mystery of trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but the reveal is honestly ludicrous. I half respect the audacity, and I half despair at how bonkers this is.
The Ghost Sitter
Going from one twist that is mind-meltingly stupid to this twist which is so terribly predictable it feels like the book is trying to give me whiplash. This is a fairly standard haunted house story which we've seen elements of in plenty of other Goosebumps books (off the top of my head, Welcome to Dead House , The Ghost Next Door , The Headless Ghost ) so there isn't really anything new offered here. If anything there are moments here that feel a little rushed, but such is the nature of these short stories.
Fun with Spelling
I appreciate the pun of this title. That's about all I appreciate with this entry. There's a weird nastiness to this short that Goosebumps books typically veer away from. The escalation of events is tedious and the twist ending feels too deserved to pack any bite.
Matt’s Lunch Box
The concept to this short story is just a little too ridiculous to really work. There is an angle here that could have been played quite sinisterly, but instead it's just all a bit too silly and not even in a fun way. Predictable eye-roll inducing twist ending. This feels like a first pass at an idea that would've benefitted from some revision.
Stuck in 1957
This is my favourite short story in the collection. It's another one that leans more heavily into sci-fi than horror, with much inspiration seeming to have been taken from Back to the Future (1985), but it's just a really fun entry. There's absolutely nothing spooky here, but I appreciate how refreshing this story is as it does stand apart from the vast majority of Goosebumps stories.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
The ending feels a little weak and overall this is a totally serviceable Goosebumps short story. Doesn't attempt to do anything unexpected or new, just delivers on an okay concept with an okay story. And honestly, when it comes to Goosebumps, sometimes that is just about enough. At least it doesn't succumb to pure nonsense like Something Strange About Marci.
What’s Cooking?
More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps ends strong, with a fun short story that draws inspiration from some classic horror elements (Candyman (1992), for example) but filtered through a fun Goosebumps lens. There are some surprisingly brutal ideas here, but obviously these aren't dwelled upon. I enjoyed the ending too.
More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps isn't completely meritless, for there are some entries here which aren't terrible. But I do also think it is notable that the best short story here is the one that feels least like a Goosebumps story. Whilst there is some fun to be had here, the majority of what remains either play it so safe they become predictably tedious or veer into such ridiculous territory that they just become insufferably dumb. Sadly there is more bad here than good.
2/5
Tales to Give You Goosebumps Ranked
1) More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3.5/5
2) Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3/5
3) Still More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 3/5
4) Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps - 2.5/5
5) More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps - 2/5
Read
April 15, 2015Ratings of the short stories, on a five-star scale:
1. The Haunted Guitar | *** (3 stars: Not bad. Pretty average. Good atmosphere in the opening section.)
2. Tune in Tomorrow | **** (4 stars: A well-executed tale. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's good at what it does.)
3. Live Bait | * (1 star: This story is really awful! It's terrible in every way! ALL CAPS MAKE THINGS MORE EXCITING!)
4. Something Strange About Marci | *** (3 stars: Well done for what it is, but what it is really doesn't make sense. Sort of amusing, though.)
5. The Ghost Sitter | *** (3 stars: Eh. Doesn't do a very good job with atmosphere, but the end is good.)
6. Fun with Spelling |
7. Matt's Lunch Box |
8. Stuck in 1957 |
9. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall |
10. What's Cooking? |
1. The Haunted Guitar | *** (3 stars: Not bad. Pretty average. Good atmosphere in the opening section.)
2. Tune in Tomorrow | **** (4 stars: A well-executed tale. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's good at what it does.)
3. Live Bait | * (1 star: This story is really awful! It's terrible in every way! ALL CAPS MAKE THINGS MORE EXCITING!)
4. Something Strange About Marci | *** (3 stars: Well done for what it is, but what it is really doesn't make sense. Sort of amusing, though.)
5. The Ghost Sitter | *** (3 stars: Eh. Doesn't do a very good job with atmosphere, but the end is good.)
6. Fun with Spelling |
7. Matt's Lunch Box |
8. Stuck in 1957 |
9. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall |
10. What's Cooking? |
September 21, 2024
Definitely better Tales books out there, but I really liked stories such as Tune In, Live Bait, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall and The Haunted Guitar. But the other stories were either mid or fucking terrible. Here’s my ratings:
The Haunted Guitar - 8/10
Tune In Tomorrow - 10/10
Live Bait - 9/10
Something Strange About Marci - 2/10
The Ghost Sitter - 5.5/10
Fun With Spelling - 5.5/10
Matt’s Lunch Box - 8/10
Stuck in 1957 - 8/10
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - 10/10
What’s Cooking? - 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10
The Haunted Guitar - 8/10
Tune In Tomorrow - 10/10
Live Bait - 9/10
Something Strange About Marci - 2/10
The Ghost Sitter - 5.5/10
Fun With Spelling - 5.5/10
Matt’s Lunch Box - 8/10
Stuck in 1957 - 8/10
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - 10/10
What’s Cooking? - 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10
October 13, 2018
I really enjoyed the short goosebumps story concept I hope I can read More tales to give you goosebumps soon!
I read them un no particular perder son it felt More light
They were really good stories that have a lot of re-reading material, an others... Well... They were there lol.
So here are my opinion of them from worst to best (cause I love praising as much as I love ranting)
Fun with spelling:
Ok, this one was oficially writen by a ghost writer, and it kinda shows.
The main character doesnt have a personality besides bullying Lisa through out spells, she Is really bland, she doesn't even have a name! And the story Is really Boring, i didn't care about the spells really, it wasn't interesting at all. The idea kinda had potential but it totally got wasted
0.5 stars for this one
The ghost sitter
Other bad one, this one was also Boring and really forgettable, the Situation wasn't interesting and the ending didn't surprised me at all.
0.5 stars
The haunted guitar
Ok this one Is waaay to similar to piano lessons can be murder.
Acutally original y that book was going to be called guitar lessons can be murder.
But I mean the concept even if it has been done before can Work ir it's done in a different way, and a good one as well. This isn't case.
Yeah it's different to the piano couterpart, but it's a really weird story, and it was Boring as well, it tooked me 3 days to finish reading it, and the ending was really cruel without no reason.
0.5 stars
Love bait
Ok i didn't like this one but i'll have to admite that it was one of the creepiest.
I'm not afraid of Fisher, but i'm afraid of deep and dark Walter so it dos scared me a little bit.
The ending even though i think was undeservingly cruel was really creepy.
2 stars
Tune in tomorrow
Well this one was ok.
It was kinda scary but the ending kinda ruined it. It wasn't cruel, just dissapointing.
2.5 stars
What's cooking?
This one was good.
It was the creepiest one the villain was really creepy, it scared me a lot lol .
But it wasnt that good, it was just good lol
3 stars
Mary's lunchbox
This one was pretty cool, the lunchbox concept was really well excecuted and the ending was pretty funny.
But the monsters really really pissed me off, i suppose that was the intention but I was really angry with them lol
Btw after reading this i really needed a snack
4 stars
Something strange about Marci
Oh yeah let's beggin with the good stuff
This story was simply perfectly builded up, that ending oh my god, i didn't excpected it but was soooo worth it.
Hilarious.
5 stars
Mirror, mirror on the wall
You know this was the first story i read and i don't regret it at all, it was the perfect start.
And even the was this story beggin Is perfect.
The story has it all, Is creepy, it funny, Is intriguing, i love it, i would re-read this book only to read again this and the next story.
5 stars
Stuck un 1957
Funny enough this was the last story i read, and i didn't dissapoint!
And you know, the Titles that catched More my attention ended to being my favorite stories.
But anyways
Ok, i might have a vías throwing this story because it's in the 50s... But I don't care!
I love it, i love it, i love it.
I want this story yo ve a full book.
The ambientación was really good.
And i kinda relate yo Shanna and her hair lol. I would totally do what she does un the ending of the story.
My personal fave 5 (if not More) stars
I read them un no particular perder son it felt More light
They were really good stories that have a lot of re-reading material, an others... Well... They were there lol.
So here are my opinion of them from worst to best (cause I love praising as much as I love ranting)
Fun with spelling:
Ok, this one was oficially writen by a ghost writer, and it kinda shows.
The main character doesnt have a personality besides bullying Lisa through out spells, she Is really bland, she doesn't even have a name! And the story Is really Boring, i didn't care about the spells really, it wasn't interesting at all. The idea kinda had potential but it totally got wasted
0.5 stars for this one
The ghost sitter
Other bad one, this one was also Boring and really forgettable, the Situation wasn't interesting and the ending didn't surprised me at all.
0.5 stars
The haunted guitar
Ok this one Is waaay to similar to piano lessons can be murder.
Acutally original y that book was going to be called guitar lessons can be murder.
But I mean the concept even if it has been done before can Work ir it's done in a different way, and a good one as well. This isn't case.
Yeah it's different to the piano couterpart, but it's a really weird story, and it was Boring as well, it tooked me 3 days to finish reading it, and the ending was really cruel without no reason.
0.5 stars
Love bait
Ok i didn't like this one but i'll have to admite that it was one of the creepiest.
I'm not afraid of Fisher, but i'm afraid of deep and dark Walter so it dos scared me a little bit.
The ending even though i think was undeservingly cruel was really creepy.
2 stars
Tune in tomorrow
Well this one was ok.
It was kinda scary but the ending kinda ruined it. It wasn't cruel, just dissapointing.
2.5 stars
What's cooking?
This one was good.
It was the creepiest one the villain was really creepy, it scared me a lot lol .
But it wasnt that good, it was just good lol
3 stars
Mary's lunchbox
This one was pretty cool, the lunchbox concept was really well excecuted and the ending was pretty funny.
But the monsters really really pissed me off, i suppose that was the intention but I was really angry with them lol
Btw after reading this i really needed a snack
4 stars
Something strange about Marci
Oh yeah let's beggin with the good stuff
This story was simply perfectly builded up, that ending oh my god, i didn't excpected it but was soooo worth it.
Hilarious.
5 stars
Mirror, mirror on the wall
You know this was the first story i read and i don't regret it at all, it was the perfect start.
And even the was this story beggin Is perfect.
The story has it all, Is creepy, it funny, Is intriguing, i love it, i would re-read this book only to read again this and the next story.
5 stars
Stuck un 1957
Funny enough this was the last story i read, and i didn't dissapoint!
And you know, the Titles that catched More my attention ended to being my favorite stories.
But anyways
Ok, i might have a vías throwing this story because it's in the 50s... But I don't care!
I love it, i love it, i love it.
I want this story yo ve a full book.
The ambientación was really good.
And i kinda relate yo Shanna and her hair lol. I would totally do what she does un the ending of the story.
My personal fave 5 (if not More) stars
February 20, 2025
I did like a good few stories from this book but there are a couple that are completely terrible.
My reviews for each story:
The Haunted Guitar - 1/10
About as bland as the title, feels like a shorter and worse version of the Piano Lessons Can Be Murder episode adaptation.
Tune in Tomorrow - 8/10
Didn't love this story, not because it's bad but it personally isn't my cup of tea.
Live Bait - 10/10
This is an incredibly fun story.
Something Strange About Marci - 1.5/10
Genuinely great set up with a horrible twist ending.
The Ghost Sitter - 5/10
Simple haunted house story, didn't care for it.
Fun With Spelling - 7/10
Feels like a better version of Revenge R Us.
Matt's Lunch Box - 6.5/10
Liked the concept, would've been better if the main antagonists weren't extremely annoying.
Stuck in 1957 - 7/10
Good time travel story, the least horror focused story of the book.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - 10/10
Great story, feels like a combination of I Am Your Evil Twin and Ghost in the Mirror.
What's Cooking? - 9.5/10
A bit darker than the other stories in this book, the ending brings it down a bit.
Overall: 7/10
My reviews for each story:
The Haunted Guitar - 1/10
About as bland as the title, feels like a shorter and worse version of the Piano Lessons Can Be Murder episode adaptation.
Tune in Tomorrow - 8/10
Didn't love this story, not because it's bad but it personally isn't my cup of tea.
Live Bait - 10/10
This is an incredibly fun story.
Something Strange About Marci - 1.5/10
Genuinely great set up with a horrible twist ending.
The Ghost Sitter - 5/10
Simple haunted house story, didn't care for it.
Fun With Spelling - 7/10
Feels like a better version of Revenge R Us.
Matt's Lunch Box - 6.5/10
Liked the concept, would've been better if the main antagonists weren't extremely annoying.
Stuck in 1957 - 7/10
Good time travel story, the least horror focused story of the book.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - 10/10
Great story, feels like a combination of I Am Your Evil Twin and Ghost in the Mirror.
What's Cooking? - 9.5/10
A bit darker than the other stories in this book, the ending brings it down a bit.
Overall: 7/10
February 16, 2025
There's a few interesting stories in here that could have been full-length novels, but they all have disappointing endings. There was really only one that stood out to me, Mirror on the Wall. The rest were mediocre or had great concepts that were wasted. The final story was the only one I'd call bad, mostly for the vaguely racist concept of a ghost lunch lady named Chop Suey.
December 24, 2020
2.5. Some of these were just so bad.
November 8, 2022
The "Marci" story was by far my favorite one in this collection!
January 29, 2025
This books wasn’t that bad I personally didn’t like the stories “tune in tomorrow” and “live bait” but the rest weren’t that bad, my personal favorites were “the haunted guitar” and “stuck in 1957”
May 18, 2025
A good read for a sick day
September 10, 2023
finished: 03/09/2023
I quite liked most of them. For There's something about Marci, I sort of saw the ending coming. I liked the time-slip in Stuck in 1957
I quite liked most of them. For There's something about Marci, I sort of saw the ending coming. I liked the time-slip in Stuck in 1957
September 4, 2016
Ten spooky stories by R.L. Stine. The book talks about ten scary stories that will be sure to give you nightmares. The characters in this book were very brave and adventurous. My favorite character in one of the stories was named Robert. He was in a story called, What's cooking. He was my favorite character because he was very adventurous and brave to face the evil ghost who was out to haunt them. Overall all the stories were very entertaining and sure will give you goosebumps.
March 27, 2008
pokoknya 10 cerita syeereeem ini bisa bikin kamu ketakutan semalam suntuk.. (buat yg penakut seeeh..iya..hihihi..^_^)
July 4, 2008
this book is awesome especially because I LOVE scary books!=]
October 18, 2008
I don't think it was this one, but these were the hit in elementary school! Haha, fun times
July 16, 2015
I liked the book except the stories should have continued they made you wonder what's gonna happen next
July 28, 2016
The stories weren't that all interesting
March 9, 2009
i like it it was a relly good book you should read it!!!!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews