Book Review: Bad Hare Day (Goosebumps #41)
Hey Bookworms!
It’s time for another book review!
This time I read Bad Hare Day (Goosebumps #41) by R.L. Stine.
I bought a copy of this one at a local thrift store and I didn’t remember reading it as a kid, so I thought I’d give it a go. Let’s see how it went!
Series Review Links
Book Review: Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps #1)
Book Review: Let’s Get Invisible! (Goosebumps #6)
Book Review: Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #7)
Book Review: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps #14)
Book Review: One Day at Horrorland (Goosebumps #16)
Book Review: Attack of the Mutant (Goosebumps #25)
Book Review: How I Learned to Fly (Goosebumps #52)
Book Review: The Curse of Camp Cold Lake (Goosebumps #56)
Blurb
PICK A SCARE. ANY SCARE.
Trick cards, floating scarves, disappearing doves. Tim Swanson loves magic tricks. Someday he wants to be a real magician. Just like his all-time favorite hero, Amaz-O.
But then Tim goes to Amaz-O’s show. And he finds out his idol is really just a total grump. That’s when Tim decides to steal the bag of tricks. Amaz-O’s bag of secret tricks. Scary tricks.
Like the one with the multiplying red balls.
And all those hissing snakes….
GoodReads
Amazon
***Brief disclosure***
I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase.
The Review
This Goosebumps read was a little bit of a letdown.
Tim loves performing magic shows for his classmates, but his little brat sister Ginny always ruins the surprise. Obsessed with a local magician Amaz-O, Tim lucks out and scores some tickets to a late night show. But when he attends and is included in the show, he learns that the truth behind Amaz-O is more bizarre than he could ever imagine. Desperate for greatness, Tim steals some property of Amaz-O’s, but soon learns that if you play with magic you might just get burned.
I liked the premise of this read. I mean, who doesn’t love a good magic trick? Tim’s tale is a cautionary one warning of the greed for greatness that can come with a hobby.
Tim as a main character is imaginative and bossy. I would have liked to see a softer side to him to root for him more, but through his actions he seems really selfish. Part of that is explained with his jealousy of Ginny’s karate skills, but I wanted a little more out of the characters.
The lead up to the spooks was fun and read easily from page to page. I liked the humor Stine incorporated, and once things really hit the fan the story has a whimsical fantasy touch to it that I appreciated. However, near the end of the story things fall apart. I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a time jump of sorts that doesn’t explain certain events and left the story feeling unfinished. I think if the story would have explored the fantasy element in more depth so the reader understands how it works on a more basic level it would have been much more satisfying.
In the end, I think this story is skippable if you’re looking for the best Goosebumps stories.
That’s A Wrap!
Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!
Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!
Have a great day!
Join My ARC & Street Review Team | Subscribe
Facebook | GoodReads | Bookbub | Instagram| YouTube
I’m a huge Goosebumps fiend. I had nearly every book growing up (sadly many were lost through various moves), and I’m working on rebuilding my collection – with original artwork, of course. This one was always a “meh” for me as well. I love Stine’s work, and I love this series, but I always kind of look at this book as something of a throw-away or space marker. I’ll re-read it whenever I buy it, but it’s not one I can say I missed. That cover, though… talk about some childhood nightmare fuel.
me too! Goosebumps defined me as a kid growing up in the 90s, and I’ve been doing thrift store visits for the past year trying to find as many as I can. Yeah, this one didn’t make the cut, so I’ll probably give it away to some kid for Halloween or something. maybe they’ll appreciate it more than I did.
I love thrifting for books, too! I have found true gold in some of the stores I’ve been to. Goosebumps was key in developing my horror loving mind and making the author I am today, so it will always stay high on my list.
Go us! Yeah, I found another one last weekend Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb I believe. And some of them really hold up well to the test of time. 90s nostalgia is a huge pull for me.
That is one of the best! Have you read his adult horror novel “Red Rain?”
Oh, then I look forward to reading that one soon! I can never remember which ones were better. No, I hadn’t heard of that one! What did you think?
I just finished it Sunday night. It’s very interesting. The storyline is strong and I love the character development. Very much what I would hope for from him.
Yeah he doesn’t really do adult books so I’m curious what it would be like.