Hello, again! We’re back on our trip down Goosebumps memory lane, and this time, we’re making a pit stop at the library. The Girl Who Cried Monster stars a young girl named Lucy who loves to tell monster stories and scare people. It’s practically all she’s doing on her boring summer break. This comes back to haunt her when she discovers the local librarian, Mr. Mortman, is a real monster, and no one will believe her. Lucy spends the rest of the story trying to prove she’s telling the truth by proving old Mr. Mortman is the real deal without getting caught. As the title suggests, it’s a take on the “boy who cried wolf” cautionary tale with all the Goosebumps charm.
My thoughts from memory:
I have very clear memories of this one. This was around the point when I stopped getting the books from the Scholastic book order forms at school and started getting them at the store. I would tag along with my mom to K-Mart (another classic of the 90s), and she would buy me the new books as they came out. I remember getting this one, going home, plopping onto my bean bag chair (like I said…90s), and reading the whole book in one sitting. I loved this one, and I cited it as my favorite Goosebumps book for quite a while. This is one of the few that I did still remember the twist ending, even all these years later, and I was looking forward to revisiting.
How does it hold up?
It’s still pretty great. Lucy is obnoxious as all hell, but that’s not unusual for these books. What really stuck out to me this time was how well Stine delivered the gross out scenes with monster Mr. Mortman (including one scene involving turtles that mildly bothered me…I like turtles). The suspense doesn’t really hold up all that well. For the most part, Lucy is the only character ever at risk of the monster, and you always know she’s going to make it out. Not that any of the child characters don’t survive in Goosebumps books (unless they are already dead…foreshadowing), but when there’s a broader cast of main characters, the suspense feels a little more palpable. As always, no spoilers, but the ending twist is a classic.
Does it crack the rolling top 10?
I still really like this one, and I’m pushing it all the way up to number two! I still give the edge to Stay out of the Basement, but The Girl Who Cried Monster is a close second.
That’ll do it for this entry in Goosebumps Revisited! Come back next time as we take our first (of several) trips to camp, in Welcome to Camp Nightmare!
Great stuff! Brings back memories. Thanks for sharing!