The Girl Who Cried Monster is basically R.L. Stine‘s Goosebumps take on the classic Aesop’s Fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, only this time, it features monsters and a surprise ending that I didn’t expect, though I’m not sure it entirely fit the story.
Lucy likes to tell monster stories. She’s told so many that her friends and family are sick of it. Then one day, Lucy discovers a real, live monster: the librarian in charge of the summer reading program. Too bad Lucy’s told so many monster tall tales. Too bad no one believes a word she says. Too bad the monster knows who she is…and is coming for her next.
When I think of the overall series of Goosebumps books, I know they are a classic and fun collection of middle grade horrors. For the most part they were well crafted in the 1990s and still hold up today. However, there are a select few that I scratch my head at and The Girl Who Cried Monster is just one of those stories.
The idea of taking the classic fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and adding a horror spin to it was clever. Lucy’s constant teasing of her brother with stories about monsters gave the tale a modern update and surely pulled in the intended audience during its original publication.
Lucy, the protagonist, is an especially irritating Goosebumps character who loves to torment her brother. Mr. Mortman was weird, which I am guessing was the plan, but something I just couldn’t get attached to. While the characters are not my favorite, the biggest disappointment lies in The Girl Who Cried Monster‘s ending. It was certainly surprising, but also felt rushed and oddly dismissive, as if everyone simply moved on without much reaction. When you read this story, I feel you’ll understand where I am coming from.
The Girl Who Cried Monster is R.L. Stine’s modern take on the Aesop’s Fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Unfortunately, it’s a slow and boring Goosebumps tale with an odd ending that didn’t quite work for me. While most of these short horror stories are good, this one fell just below.
The Girl Who Cried Monster is available at bookstores everywhere from Scholastic Press. The audiobook, narrated by Emily Lawrence, is available via Libro.fm!
