As part of my winter/holidays reading list I finally picked up Goosebumps’ Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine. This one has been on my too read list for quite sometime, well I should to re-read list as I remember reading it as a younger lad. However, what we get is an uneven story that is not one of the better Goosebumps tales.
No melting allowed! Jaclyn used to live with her aunt Greta in Chicago. But not anymore. They’ve moved to a place called Sherpia. It’s a tiny village on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Jaclyn can’t believe she’s stuck out in Nowheresville. No movie theaters. No malls. No nothing. Plus, there’s something really odd about the village. At night there are strange howling noises. And in front of every house there’s a snowman. A creepy snowman with a red scarf. A deep scar on his face. And a really evil smile…
The season aspect of Beware, the Snowman really is what draws you into this story. Snowman are one of those winter things that can either be fun and jolly, al la Frosty the Snowman, or something like this story. So, I was intrigued to say the least. The setup and opening chapters set us on a promising start, but what happens in the latter half of the story was a bit of a let down.
Jaclyn’s move to Sherpia from Chicago with her aunt Greta as well as the death of her parents was well-written and surprisingly dark for a middle grade story. The eeriness and unease of Jaclyn noticing all the odd looking snowmen on peoples front lawns and in random spots is where the great part of the book starts to decline. Once the secrets of the village are revealed, things are just not as interesting and finale doesn’t quite pay off.
As with nearly every Goosebumps book, the characters in Beware, the Snowman are super unlikable. When it comes to Jaclyn, she has this entitled and selfish mindset and it’s what causes the most issues. This can be fun sometimes, but in this one it just made me angry with her.
Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine has all the aspects of what makes Goosebumps books what they are, but really falls off in the second half of the story. The winter theme and setting made for a great read during the colder months, but was not my favorite in the series by far.
Beware, the Snowman is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic. The audiobook, narrated by Alexa Elmy, is available via Libro.fm!
