The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
This book was actually scary!Jodie and her brother Mark spend every summer on their grandparents' farm. But this summer, things are different. Instead of just one scarecrow in the fields, there are over a dozen. Stanley, the hired hand (who around here would be called one can short of a six-pack), has been avidly struggling through a superstition book and sees signs of good luck and bad luck everywhere. Not only do the kids' grandparents look older and more defeated, but they've been acting weird. Grandpa refuses to tell scary stories anymore. Grandma claims she's forgotten how to make her famous, delicious chocolate-chip pancakes. They're baking cherry pie instead of apple pie - even though Grandpa's allergic to cherries! What's going on?Jodie looks out the window one night and sees the scarecrows twitch. "It's just the wind," she thinks, until she realizes that they're all twitching in unison, shuddering as they pull themselves off of their stakes and start marching towards the house......Wow. This book was creepy. It was a horror-mystery! I always enjoy Stine's Goosebumps books more when he goes to a fun, different location. The farm was perfect for this! Running in terror through the corn fields, being isolated, having things like barns and horses that can play into the horror - it was a perfect set up!Also, Stine tackles something a bit more serious in creating Stanley, the hired hand who is mentally slow. (view spoiler)[ He is also the bad guy. He used the superstition book to raise a scarecrow army. He told the grandparents that he would put the army to sleep - if they obeyed his every command! Bwahahahahahaha! That's why they are so careful not to make him upset or angry. They bake only his favorite foods and desserts, Grandpa stopped telling scary stories, and Grandma stopped baking chocolate-chip pancakes. But, Stanley either doesn't understand the book or is doing the spell wrong because although he THINKS he put the scarecrows to sleep - they're still alive! And walking! The scarecrows walk at midnight! (hide spoiler)]
The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight is an odd Goosebumps book. Maybe it's because I've never viewed scarecrows as frightening but this book isn't one of the scariest stories in the series. However, it is really enjoyable and would actually make a pretty decent movie. The main story is two kids go to visit their grandparent's farm for the Summer. Unfortunately, everybody is acting weird. Grandpa isn't telling ghost stories and Grandma isn't cooking all their favorite dishes anymore. And Stanley keeps talking about a book. Stanley turns out to be one of my favorite Goosebumps characters. He continually says "the book said so" about random superstitions. Stanley is one of the most hilarious characters in the series.What I loved about this book (aside from the great Stanley) is that the scarecrows are a constant fixture in the story. Too often, the villains aren't revealed until the end of the story. While scarecrows don't especially scare me, it is nice to see them cause some havoc throughout.At the end of the day, the lack of scares knocks this down a bit. It is one of the most enjoyable Goosebumps books, but not necessarily one of the best.1. One Day at Horrorland2. Night of the Living Dummy3. Say Cheese and Die4. Welcome to Dead House5. The Werewolf of Fever Swamp6. The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight7. Deep Trouble8. The Haunted Mask9. Welcome to Camp Nightmare10. Stay Out of the Basement11. Monster Blood12. The Ghost Next Door13 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb14. Let's Get Invisible15. The Girl Who Cried Monster16. You Can't Scare Me17. Piano Lessons Can Be Murder18. Be Careful What You Wish For19. Why I'm Afraid of Bees 20. Monster Blood II
What do You think about The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight (2003)?
http://www.davidasantos.com/I almost didn't get through the book. I think my ADD kicked in overdrive before I even opened the book, because I didn't understand a single thing until page 10. I think the books excitement was ruined right off the bat when Stanley admits to something early in the book. Two things that annoy me are zombies and scarecrows, their not scary. Aside from walking funny they don't do anything, kind of like supervisors! I hate it when characters in books and movies act so scared. You know they won't hurt you, just grab something and start hitting them. I, unlike other reviewers, will not give this a low rating because I hate scarecrows. I am a fair rater. The book itself takes awhile to get going, but lots of buildup, but fun and interesting buildup. The book was alright in my opinion as a reader. Not my favorite of the Goosebumps books, probably one of my least favorites, but for scarecrow lovers, it's good.
—David Santos
Another great book. It's amazing how R. L. Stine can create such amazing stories using always the same type of character (a 12-year-old kid usually with younger brothers) without making them boring or repetitive.I had forgotten how addictive these books are. You just can't stop reading them. You have to know what's going to happen next and when you finish one, you feel the need to know how the next story will be.I don't know what I'm going to do with my life once I finish this series (maybe start it again from the beginning). Yes, maybe I'll read "Welcome to Dead House" for the 500th time. It never gets old.
—Rute
"They won't obey me!" -- Reading that line gave me chills!When two children spend a summer vacation on their grandparent's farm where the corn is growing poorly, they never imagined having to figure out how to stop the coming onslaught of a dozen scarecrows with malevolent intent!Yes, Goosebumps is kid-friendly writing, but this short story was still a fun read since scarecrows ARE scary!Being from this series, it was apparent to me that the story's plot was definitely designed for the 10 and under audience, which should be clear for other adults as well... so I am curious why so many of them make complaints about the unexplained incidents in this story when it should just be enjoyed for what it is -- firstly as engaging to help children learn the enjoyment of reading, then secondly as savoured nostalgia for young adults who grew up reading Goosebumps or for anyone who genuinely appreciates juvenile "horror" reading. Really, no one is ever too old to enjoy reading a story for fun.I really enjoyed the creepy moments in this story like the one describing scarecrows waving their arms and legs in the moonlight, trying to get down off the stakes they're pinned up on.If you enjoy the terror of scarecrows coming to life, check out The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight!
—Sydney Squidney
