The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena by R.L. Stine: A Review

Essay-like review of "Goosebumps" story. *Some spoilers, although not grand, are in the text*

Seeing the spine of the Goosebumps book at my local library reminded me of the better days when reading kid's books was something to enjoy--an activity to take in without worrying about having to do literary analysis for a mandated assessment once the reading was complete. No, this was for enjoyment. 

Thus, here is what I liked about one of Stine's fabled tales.

The style was very appealing. All of Stine's sentences where short. His pages were filled with short, one and two-sentence long paragraph clusters. Why? His books are designed for little kids in the fourth grade, give or take a year or two, or whatever elementary-level grade they happen to be in. Does that mean you have to be that age to read them? Not necessarily, no. In essence, there was nothing overly difficult about having to read the 120 pages of short, 1 and 2-sentence long paragraphs in bound print. They were as simple as could be expected, which made reading the story easy to handle. Those short sentences kept the reader's attention demands to a minimum. My eyes scanned the page, zipped along and didn't overthink anything. It was clear and concise language as a result.

Stine created simple, but recognizable characters. Jordan was the impulsive and prankster-oriented son. He didn't always think things through. On the other hand, every other thing he mentioned was something of a teasing joke, to his sister or Dad. Nicole was the level-headed, practical and logic-thinking daughter and sister, as was noted by the way her dialogue was written. Garry was the divorced father, zealously ambitious, naive and impulsive, driven-by-curiosity photographer. Arthur was the guide that was waiting for the family upon their arrival. He was the ultimate voice of reason who did not like non-locals coming into his village and pushing him around (when Jordan, Nicole and Dad arrived, they gave their thoughts on everything they liked and didn't in spite of Arthur's perspective). Kyle and Kayla were the bratty kids next door. The neighbors we all recognize, the ones we feel like hating, at times, and would love to humiliate, however we can, if allowed the opportunity, they are the ones we have to learn to tolerate because "that's how it goes." Everything about the characters, as simple as they are meant to be, is designed to put you, the dear reader, in a little world you easily see as your own with people you can recognize in their own, respective ways.

Everything about the story itself, simple as it was, flowed. 

Beginning. Middle. Twist at the End. End. And it was all due to creativity.

Simple, but straightforward, creativity was how the whole thing operated. And that's how it should have been, especially if you are catering to children's minds, as R.L. Stine has famously done. Whether through ideas presented in a crazy simple format or a story that is given some creative twist you really don't see coming, the story hooked the mind in ways "Goosebumps" does. 

The plot ideas were relatively easy to follow. The story followed Dad, our photographer, who was asked to go to Alaska to take photos of Alaskan wildlife, specifically (to attempt to) capture the Abominable Snowman for a Museum collection. His kids, Jordan and Nicole, got into a sissy cat-fight towards the beginning with the neighborhood and, to avoid getting in trouble, Dad dragged his kids along to Alaska. Simple, though not entirely enjoyable. Most kids probably wouldn't be so easily taken away from the sunny hills and days in Pasadena only to end up in the frigid, winter-like terrain of rugged Alaska. Nevertheless, that's how it went. 

The twists and turn of events are all the things that happen to them while they are there and return to Pasadena, where they've returned from the Alaskan village. Thus, the settings are kept to a minimum. Again, simple places to follow. Recognizable by most people reading the story, parents and kids alike. I enjoyed how the locations are provided, though not crazily specific. As a reader, I didn't have to know where exactly in Pasadena the family lived, just that the city, itself, is located in California, a little north of the LA area.

I have been to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and can tell you it's located a sunny, rather scenic and upscale part of southern California--the Rose Bowl almost mimics how the city itself looks and can be imagined. As it pertained to the Alaskan village, well, everything about it the reader needed to know was provided by Stine. Did I care how huge and vast the forests in the frozen areas of the Alaskan wilderness were? No. Did I need to know how freezing the snow can make the feet feel at dusk and night or the specific temperatures? Not necessarily. Was I provided enough, general, description to where the story made enough sense? Yes.

There are simple themes running throughout the pages; ones of tolerance, acceptance, obedience and courage. All those things we go through as young kids run rampant in those pages. There were moments when Jordan had to decide between listening to logical reasoning and courageously attempting to do something he knew he would, probably, regret, just to see if he could pull it off. It was the fear of getting caught in a situation he couldn't quite escape while enjoying the thrill of overcoming his fear and living to tell about it. Nicole was always the conscious one, never allowing herself to be tempted by something she knew she couldn't overcome. And when Dad had enough of stressful mingling's with his children, they obeyed his wishes. Only just.

And that was enough. The twist was clever enough. Sure. However, the story reminded me of how and why reading short, simple stories like R.L. Stine's were enjoyable enough to get into as a young kid and could be recalled so easily if reading them years later, when our grown-up minds tell us that reading "kiddy" stories isn't the thing to do. Sometimes, it's not such a bad thing. Sometimes, reading something from the past, something that was enjoyable, can be a great thing to remind you that all is not so stressful in a world that is full of demand, of noise and of great reward or dire consequence. Anyway, people, pick up a "Goosebumps" tale and rediscover what it means to be simple and fun again, if you have the time to spare. No real harm can come from it, other than a creative, creepy twist of a tale.