SOLVED. Tentacle comes out of the pool drain and snatches people/ conspiracy [s]

[Lily]

I'm pretty sure it was a Goosebumps book, (it was written like most of R.L. Stein's work)

A boy named Tad goes with his family to a tropical island vacation, where EVERYTHING is fish/aquatic themed. They even make the vacationers take on aquatic names once they arrive. (Tad becomes Tadpole, and his sister Poly becomes Polliwag) Tad's biggest secret is: He's terrified of water!

So the place has a saltwater pool that he has to take a swim test in, and nearly every time he gets in the pool, he hears a loud siren blaring, and then sees a tentacle reaching for someone. Eventually, his parents go missing (a suspicious note left on their door but not in their handwriting) And then HE gets grabbed by the tentacle while in the pool.

-His mom buys him some swim trunks: "...green volcanoes spewing orange lava."
- I think the swim race had a name for it, like "Sink or Swim race" or "Rocks and Jocks" (Sink like a rock or swim like a jock)
- The word "Guppies" is thrown around a lot, I think in reference to novice swimmers.
- Tad meets two other kids around his age who accompany him until they too disappear with a suspicious note on their door.
- the notes on doors keep claiming that the person went to an "early morning water aerobics class"

SPOILER:
In the end, it turns out that the events of the missing people and all, were a simulation of a game he was playing in the resorts arcade (A sequel to a game he had played before) But now everything is apparently back to normal, it's the last day of their vacation, and he goes to the pool for a swim race… and hears the sound of the horn signaling the tentacle.

-He was following a mysterious man with a bucket when he finds the arcade

I only ever remember this book on tape, and it had a lot of great sound effects to go with it.

[Tab]

Lily wrote: "I'm pretty sure it was a Goosebumps book, (it was written like most of R.L. Stein's work)

You were on the right track :)



The Creature from Club Lagoona

[Lily]

You were on the right track :)



The Creature from Club Lagoona[bookcover:The Creature from ..."

Thank you very much that was exactly it! Although why I could never find it when I typed in key words is beyond me.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Congrats on finding it so quickly Lily.

I've shelved it and moved this down to Solved for you.

[Lily]

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Congrats on finding it so quickly Lily.

I've shelved it and moved this down to Solved for you."

And thank you too. (I'm new to goodreads so I'm still kinda fumbling around)