Book Review: "Goosebumps: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes"

By R. L. Stine

“Goosebumps: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” is one of the original 62 Goosebumps book from the 1990s. If you don’t know what Goosebumps is, it’s a children’s horror anthology series, which means that each book is a stand-alone story about different characters and monsters. “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” is about a boy named Joe Burton whose father buys a lot of lawn ornaments. He’s also a jokester/prankster, so when his father buys some garden gnomes that come alive at night to cause trouble, he gets the blame for it. And when he tries to convince people it’s the garden gnomes, no one believes him. Because of course they don’t; he’s known for making things up for pranks, and who would believe in living lawn ornaments anyway? Will Joe be able to clear his name? Or is he doomed to be grounded forever?

“Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” has two major flaws. Flaw number one: you don’t actually get to see the lawn gnomes do their mischief until more than halfway through the book. Sure, they’re the ones obviously framing Joe, but the cliffhanger reveals at the beginning of each chapter are always someone else sneaking up on Joe. Joe doesn’t confront the gnomes until way late in the book, and the story is only 119 pages long. Flaw number two: it’s not scary. R. L. Stine can be a master of fright, as “The Haunted Mask” proves, but I wasn’t afraid during a single moment of “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes.” Granted, I am not between ages 7 and 12; I am a 33-year-old man, but I didn’t read these books as a kid. I’ve only read them as an adult, and other Goosebumps books are scary. “The Haunted Mask” for instance. “The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb” is another favorite of mine. “The Ghost Next Door” is another good example of a good Goosebumps book. “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” isn’t even funny, despite all the practical jokes pulled. It’s easy to finish because the cliffhangers keep the momentum going and because it’s short. Every time I got bored with it, I’d see how much longer it was and go “eh, I might as well. I can finish this in an afternoon.” Joe himself isn’t a miserable main character to follow, so there is that, but he’s not a great one either. So there isn’t much going for “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes.”

I don’t even know what revenge the lawn gnomes are supposed to be getting. Why is it called “Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes” when they weren’t getting revenge on anybody?

If you want to be a completionist about reading all the Goosebumps books or if you have nostalgia for it, then definitely read it, but you’re not missing much if you skip it.