Don’t Close Your Eyes! by R.L Stine

Horror

Evaluation of Book

Is poor Max, destined to stay awake forever? In this book by R. L. Stine Max a black ink ghost called Inkweed floats from the pages of a book being read by Tara and settles in his body. If Max falls asleep, Inkweed will cover his body in ink and he will sleep forever!

Stine poses a riddle in this book that Max, Tara and Nicky need to solve in order to rid Max from Inkweed’s spell. This bit of mystery woven into the story makes it appeal to even more readers. The solution we are told is to find the darkest place on the darkest night. This characters are busy trying to figure out where this darkest spot might exist.

This book happens to be number eight in the series but it didn’t seem to affect the reading of the story. Stine does a nice job providing just enough information about the characters that this book is actually able to stand alone. However, I might need to read the first seven.

Another thing this author does well for young readers of horror novels is add humor. The story is creepy but still has the reader laughing in just the right spots. The best part is when poor Max has to try to stay awake during the assembly about fire hydrants. That has to be the most boring assembly ever and yet so funny.

Response

The Goosebumps collection has been around for many years and I have never been a fan. However, I didn’t mind this particular story. In fact I read it at about the same time the latest Stranger Things season was released on Netflix. I like Stranger Things and realized that I actually didn’t mind this story either.

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I felt that it was important that I read a Goosebumps book because I have many upper elementary students who do enjoy the series in my school. I wanted to be able to say that I had read one of Stine’s novels recently so that I could make a connection with these students.

Conclusion

This story is both creepy and humorous. The likable character, Max, will be loved by all readers. It is probably best to begin with the first book in the series. However, I would definitely recommend this book on its own.

Citation

Stine, R. L. (2008). Don't close your eyes. New York: Delacorte Press.