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Goosebumps #30: It Came from Beneath the Sink Paperback – September 1, 2003
- Reading age8 - 13 years
- Print length144 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.25 x 7.75 inches
- PublisherScholastic
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2003
- ISBN-100439568374
- ISBN-13978-0439568371
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Product details
- Publisher : Scholastic; Reissue edition (September 1, 2003)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 144 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0439568374
- ISBN-13 : 978-0439568371
- Reading age : 8 - 13 years
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 3.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.25 x 7.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,842,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,885 in Children's Spine-Chilling Horror
- #31,442 in Children's Humor
- #1,133,574 in Literature & Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Why is Tim Jacobus R.L. Stine's favorite illustrator? Maybe because they've done so many scary books together. Tim did the cover paintings for more than 80 Goosebumps books, as well as the six amazing Amazon books. Recently, the two of them got together and asked the questions they've always wanted to ask each other...
~~~~
TIM (the illustrator) asks R.L. STINE (the author):
TIM: When I illustrate, I can "see" the image in my head before I start to draw. Do you "hear" a story when you write?
R.L.: I hear kids when I write. I try to hear the voice of the boy or girl who is telling the story. I visit schools a lot and talk with kids so I can keep up with what they are saying these days and what real kids sound like. Then I try to hear their voices tell the story as I write it.
~
TIM: You've written so many books I can't do the math, but I bet you've used millions of words. What's you favorite word?
R.L.: Someone once got in an elevator with a very witty author named Noel Coward and said, "Say something funny." And Coward said, "Kangaroo." Kangaroo has been a favorite word of mine ever since I heard that story. But as a horror writer, I guess my favorite word is SCREAM!
~
TIM: Where is the strangest place you have come up with an idea for a story?
R.L.: An empty movie theater. My wife and I went to see a scary movie in a big, old movie house-- and we were the only ones in the theater. It was kind of creepy. Then about halfway through the movie, I turned around and saw that the back row was filled with people sitting straight and still. Suddenly, I thought-- They are zombies! I'm trapped in a dark zombie theater! And that's where the idea for the book Zombie Town came from.
~
TIM: If you couldn't write-- and you possessed all skills-- what would you like to do for a living?
R.L.: I drew comic strips from the time I was in 4th grade, and I always dreamed of being a cartoonist. You can imagine my shock when the other kids told me how bad my art was. They were right. I stunk! I got over my extreme disappointment by starting to write. But if I had the skill, I would love to do what you do, Tim.
**********
R.L. STINE (the author)asks TIM (the illustrator):
R.L.: If you couldn't be an artist what would you like to be?
TIM: I would like to be a "Snowmaker" at one of the big ski resorts, out west, like Mammoth Mountain in California. You work at night when everyone goes home. Set up the snow guns, cover the slopes, and groom them with the Sno-Cat track machine. It's kinda like a snow tank! Then, you get to ski for free! I love that snow!
~
R.L.: When we were kids, my brother and I used to go to a horror movie every Saturday. We loved them all. The covers on our six Amazon books look like movie posters to me. Were you also influenced by horror movies? If so, which ones?
TIM: I was a complete "chicken" as a kid. I couldn't sit through any horror movie. The first scary movie I saw was on TV. It isn't really a horror movie. It was the Hunchback of Notre Dame-- the black-and-white version with Charles Laughton. That movie freaked me out! The mutant, Quasimodo, was something that REALLY could exist. Black-and-white movies, black-and-white photos—they all seem more "real" than full color to me.
~
R.L.: You have painted so many great covers. I think your scariest Goosebumps cover was for The Barking Ghost. And the black cat on The 13th Warning is really creepy. Do you have a favorite cover? Is it a scary one or a funny one?
TIM: It's hard to pick a favorite. But you gotta love the blue bathroom blobs in Monster Blood IV. That one is a little creepy and WAY funny. For just outright scary, I love the ticket taker in Zombie Town!
~
R.L.: What was the weirdest thing someone ever asked you to draw?
TIM: Oh, I have drawn a lot of weird stuff. One time, I had to paint a pimple! You know... acne! It was a medical illustration. Gross. When I first started illustrating, I painted pictures of food. My food illustrations were used in the Sunday newspaper for the local supermarket. I painted every food you can imagine. I can draw a pretty mean potato!
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Plot: When Katrina Merton and her family move to a new house, she and her little brother, Daniel, find a sponge under the sink. Katrina really likes it (for some reason) and wants to keep it but unfortunately for her, the Grool starts reeking havoc amongst both the Merton family and their friends. Will Katrina and Daniel be able to stop the Grool? You'll have to find out for yourself.
What I Liked: I like how much graphic violence there is in this book. I mean, sure, Goosebumps had tons of bloody and graphic scenes in some of the previous books but this is probably the closest we've got to a kid-friendly version of Happy Tree Friends. Daniel's friend, Carlo, steps on a nail which causes him to bleed out (reader beware, you're in for tetanus!), the teacher (forgot her name) breaks her fingers and Katrina accidentally cuts her hands wide open with a pair of sisters on her desk. Jesus. Stine really didn't sugar-coat how much bad luck the Grool wasn't going to cause and it damn well shows. I also thought that the Grool was a very good, scene-stealing villain. Katrina is a likable and relatable protagonist and I felt bad for her because she had to miss her birthday because of the rain. I also liked Daniel because, while he can get a bit annoying at times, he isn't that bad compared to most Goosebumps younger siblings. I also like the cover art for book. Very spooky and scary. Plus, while predicable, I thought that the twist ending (won't spoil it for you) was pretty clever.
What I Disliked: While I will admit that the twist was clever, I thought it was very predictable and I could see it coming a mile away. Carlo was unlikable as he wanted the Grool for himself despite knowing very well what it does. In addition, this book is also a blatant rehash of Welcome to Dead House (first book of the original series and the first Goosebumps book in general) and Say Cheese and Die! (book four of the original series): Welcome to Dead House and It Came from Beneath the Sink both revolve around a family moving to a new house and all hell breaking loose when they get there. In addition, both the family dogs get lost at one point (Petey the dog from Welcome to Dead House and Killer the dog from It Came from Beneath the Sink). Say Cheese and Die used the same concept of bad luck except instead of an evil camera, It Came from Beneath the Sink has an evil sponge that causes bad luck instead of a camera. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've just seen these moments before a long time ago and I don't feel like seeing them again.
Overall: If you get rid of all the bad qualities I've listed above, It Came from Beneath the Sink is a great entry in the Goosebumps series. On a scale of one to ten, I give It Came from Beneath the Sink and 8/10.
I recommend this book. This Goosebumps book was one of my favorite Goosebumps books.
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これを見つけるなり吠えまくる飼い犬。うーむ、どうして犬が大騒ぎするんだろう。こんなの、どこの家庭にも置いてあるただの丸型のスポンジじゃないか。
ところがどっこい、気付いたところでもう手遅れ。なんと、そいつの正体は、所有者に様々な不幸を呼び寄せる呪いのスポンジだった!!?
煮ても焼いてもぜったいに滅ぼせないスポンジ型クリーチャーGroolの恐怖、果たしてその呪われし魔の手から逃れる術はあるのだろうか??
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いやあ、B級ホラーまっしぐら。設定は好きなんだけどなぁ。
しかしあまり強烈な個性をもった登場人物も出てこなかったり、展開にも意外性が薄かったりで、そそる設定だった割には、手堅くこじんまりまとまってしまった印象が強い。
最後まで読ませる筆力はさすがだが、「面白い!」とまでは言えなかった。