Juvenile chillers
In my search for scary stories I located some oldies but goodies: R. L. Stine's Silent Night and Silent Night 2. I have such fond memories of the hours I spent with my beloved daughters reading his volumes aloud. I have to pitch one at least now and then. Thank goodness the man is prolific!
Reva, the central character in both books, is really hard to like. She's the spoiled and mean only daughter of a department store tycoon. Among other things she
*steals other girls' boyfriends as a challenge and immediately ghosts the boys when she captures them;
*takes delight in jokes that humiliate her peers;
*flaunts her wealth and judges others, even her cousin Pam, on their lack of;
and *takes advantage of being the owner's daughter to come in late and break all the rules when she works over Christmas vacation.
Despite her wealth and connections in the first book Reva is anxious. She has reason to be. It seems like someone is out to get her. First there's the needle in her lipstick. Then there are the mysterious packages she gets at work: a perfume bottle full of blood, a mannequin...
...and the corpse of her latest conquest with a knife protruding from between his shoulder blades.
Pam is in a world of trouble too. Desperate for Christmas cash, she's teamed up with two guys to rob her uncle's store. When the plan is foiled they end up with nothing. But someone is blackmailing her for part of the money he thinks they stole.
One thing for sure. Christmas Eve is going to be anything but a silent night.
Silent Night 2 takes place the next Christmas season. If you think Reva's traumatic experience have transformed her, you're wrong. She's still the same boyfriend snatching, irresponsible mean girl.
Only you might want to feel sorry for her because she's become the prey in a high stakes game. A trio has decided to acquire their Christmas cash by kidnapping her and demanding a ransom.
" The movies never showed the darkness. Never showed the panic that choked you, that made you gasp, that made your temples throb.
The movies never showed the horror of being helpless, of being at the mercy of someone who wanted to harm you.
To hurt you, to kill you maybe."
The trio can't agree on what to do after they get the ransom money. One wants to make sure she can never talk to the cops.
Stine knows his audience. His many books give most youngsters delicious but manageable levels of suspense.
Maybe some of today's kids reading his work will grow up to write scary stories of their own like my daughter, Amber.
On a purrrsonal note, it's Halloween morning. Night's blackness has just started to fade into a before daybreak grey. Purrrfect time for writing and posting this review, wouldn't you say? I have a big day lined up cosplaying as Cat in the Hat. I hope you have some fun in store whether or not you're celebrating. (Jules)
Hoping for some cat treats tonight. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all who feel the magic and enchantment of the night.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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