Module 8: Goosebumps Horror Land Creep from the Deep

Book Summary

Siblings Billy and Sheena are spending their vacation with their uncle, Dr. D, on his boat, a sea lab. They locate a sunken pirate ship with a reputation for being haunted. The three descend in a mini-submarine only to be taken into a haunted cloud down to the ship. When they emerge from the cloud Dr. D. is gone, and Billy and Sheena are surrounded by pirates who pound on the submarine.  They barely escape back up to the surface and swim to a deserted island, only to discover that it is inhabited by the ghost/zombie pirates. Their leader, Captain Ben, says they will return Dr. D. when he gets back what is his. Thinking Captain Ben means the treasure, they find it, return it, but that isn’t what he wanted. Billy has been carrying around a piece of what he thought was driftwood for a walking stick. It turns out that that is what Captain Ben wanted; it is his leg. All three are saved and return to normal…except that when Dr. D. tries to radio home, the pirates’ voices can still be heard chanting.

APA Reference of Book

Stine, R. (2008). Goosebumps horror land: Creep from the deep. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Impressions

This book is a fun read for young readers. Though the theme isn’t deep, it deals with bravery and people not being what they seem. The characters are not complex, but the character of Billy is somewhat developed as a boy with imagination and courage. The plot moves swiftly through imaginary settings with implausible twists and turns to keep young readers excited and engaged. This could be used as a gateway or pleasure book to get reluctant readers engaged with the text.

Professional Review

R. L. Stine's tale (Scholastic, 2008) opens with Billy and his sister Sheena spending time with their uncle on his hi-tech research boat where they discover that they are near the wreckage of a long-lost pirate ship. The three wedge themselves into their uncle's deep-sea submarine to search for the ruins. No sooner do they discover the ship than things start to go horribly awry. The undead skeletons' chant is unnerving and spine-chilling, and a suggested beheading (only in a character's imagination) seems excessively violent. This creepy, ghostly adventure is not for the faint of heart.

Verbrugge, J. (2009, June). Goosebumps horrorland #2: Creep from the deep. [Review of 

       the book Goosebumps horrorland #2: Creep from the deep, by R.L. Stine]. School     

       Library Journal, 55(6), 64. Retrieved from www.slj.com

Library Uses

This would be a good book to read for a Halloween book talk in the library. I would choose several lower level chapter books to talk up in the hope that some of my reluctant readers would then choose to check them out and read.