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Carmen's Reviews > Stay Out of the Basement
Stay Out of the Basement (Goosebumps, #2)
by
by
Carmen's review
bookshelves: children, fiction, horror, traditionally-published, he-says, published1992
May 21, 2014
bookshelves: children, fiction, horror, traditionally-published, he-says, published1992
What if a loved one began acting strangely? Quite unlike their normal self? At first you think they are just stressed, or perhaps you worry that they are sick. Until some strange things start happening. Things that make you question if your loved one is even really the person they seem to be.
Margaret Brewer and her younger brother Casey live in sunny California. They're spending their days going to school, playing with friends, and teasing each other. But then their father, the botanist Dr. Brewer, gets fired. He's now home all day. But he never plays with the kids. In fact, he barely sees them at all. He's spending all his time down in the basement - a place the kids are forbidden to go. What is he doing down there? Why won't he answer any questions about his work? Why has he suddenly started wearing a baseball cap at all times? Margaret begins to have her suspicions....
I liked this book a lot better than WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE. The writing is better, the characters are actually a bit developed, and the storyline itself is more compelling. Who didn't enjoy being creeped out by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS?
This book had a lot of scary elements in it. The kids go from loving and worshipping their dad to being unable to trust him and even being afraid of him. This kind of slow realization that your loved one is 'changed' is very frightening (I see this all the time in real life with Alzheimer's). Dr. Brewer looks the same and sounds the same, but something's off.
Some scary moments were: Margaret coming up on her father quietly and discovering him devouring plant food by the handful over the sink. Margaret discovering that the reason her dad started wearing a baseball cap all the time is because all his hair has been replaced by leaves. Margaret and Casey venturing down into the basement and discovering plants that move at animal speed and moan.
Margaret is a strong female character. Why do I say this? She exhibits an agency and an intelligence I rarely see in books aimed at teens. She is especially effective in the book's climax, when she shows amazing strength, decision-making, and intelligence. I was impressed. Of course, Stine is writing books which have protagonists who are too young to have discovered the opposite sex, and I think this makes it easier. A girl (not yet interested in boys and what they think of her) can be more easily written as confident, self-assured, and willing to save herself. Once boys are in the picture, authors seem to feel like they have to focus on that to the exclusion of all else.
The ending - both the climactic scene and the parting few lines - are brilliant and well-executed. Stine does a great job of creeping us out. And he does so with sun, tropical heat, and bright colors. This is not a dreary or dark horror, and that makes it all the more terrifying.
Margaret Brewer and her younger brother Casey live in sunny California. They're spending their days going to school, playing with friends, and teasing each other. But then their father, the botanist Dr. Brewer, gets fired. He's now home all day. But he never plays with the kids. In fact, he barely sees them at all. He's spending all his time down in the basement - a place the kids are forbidden to go. What is he doing down there? Why won't he answer any questions about his work? Why has he suddenly started wearing a baseball cap at all times? Margaret begins to have her suspicions....
I liked this book a lot better than WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE. The writing is better, the characters are actually a bit developed, and the storyline itself is more compelling. Who didn't enjoy being creeped out by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS?
This book had a lot of scary elements in it. The kids go from loving and worshipping their dad to being unable to trust him and even being afraid of him. This kind of slow realization that your loved one is 'changed' is very frightening (I see this all the time in real life with Alzheimer's). Dr. Brewer looks the same and sounds the same, but something's off.
Some scary moments were: Margaret coming up on her father quietly and discovering him devouring plant food by the handful over the sink. Margaret discovering that the reason her dad started wearing a baseball cap all the time is because all his hair has been replaced by leaves. Margaret and Casey venturing down into the basement and discovering plants that move at animal speed and moan.
Margaret is a strong female character. Why do I say this? She exhibits an agency and an intelligence I rarely see in books aimed at teens. She is especially effective in the book's climax, when she shows amazing strength, decision-making, and intelligence. I was impressed. Of course, Stine is writing books which have protagonists who are too young to have discovered the opposite sex, and I think this makes it easier. A girl (not yet interested in boys and what they think of her) can be more easily written as confident, self-assured, and willing to save herself. Once boys are in the picture, authors seem to feel like they have to focus on that to the exclusion of all else.
The ending - both the climactic scene and the parting few lines - are brilliant and well-executed. Stine does a great job of creeping us out. And he does so with sun, tropical heat, and bright colors. This is not a dreary or dark horror, and that makes it all the more terrifying.
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Reading Progress
May 21, 2014
–
Started Reading
May 21, 2014
– Shelved
May 21, 2014
–
0.63%
"Something's waiting in the dark...
¡No bajes al sótano!
Algo te acecha en la oscuridad...
Algo inquietante nos espera en la oscuridad..."
page
1
¡No bajes al sótano!
Algo te acecha en la oscuridad...
Algo inquietante nos espera en la oscuridad..."
May 21, 2014
–
1.25%
"Dad hadn't been the same to her, either. In fact, he spent so much time down in the basement, he barely said a word to her. He doesn't even call me Princess anymore, Margaret thought. It was a nickname she hated. But at least it was a nickname, a sign of closeness."
page
2
May 21, 2014
–
1.88%
"It was all Dad's fault, Margaret realized. Things had been so tense ever since he started working at home. Down in the basement with his plants and weird machines. he hardly ever came up for air.
And when he did, he wouldn't even catch a Frisbee.
Or spend two minutes with either of them."
page
3
And when he did, he wouldn't even catch a Frisbee.
Or spend two minutes with either of them."
May 21, 2014
–
2.5%
"Having Dad home has made Mom really tense, too. She pretends everything is fine. But I can tell she's worried about him.
"Lucky catch, Fatso!" Casey called.
Margaret hated the name Fatso even more than she hated Princess. People in her family jokingly called her Fatso because she was so thin, like her father. - What a horrible nickname. Poor kid. :("
page
4
"Lucky catch, Fatso!" Casey called.
Margaret hated the name Fatso even more than she hated Princess. People in her family jokingly called her Fatso because she was so thin, like her father. - What a horrible nickname. Poor kid. :("
May 21, 2014
–
4.38%
"She knew they probably shouldn't disturb their father, but her curiosity got the better of her. he had been working down there for four weeks now. All kinds of interesting equipment, lights, and plants had been delivered. Most days he spent at least eight or nine hours down there, doing whatever it was he was doing. And he hadn't shown it to them once."
page
7
May 21, 2014
–
5.0%
"They were halfway down when their father appeared at the foot of the stairs. He glared up at them angrily, his skin strangely green under the fluorescent light fixture. He was holding his right hand, drops of red blood falling onto his white lab coat.
"STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT!" he bellowed, in a voice they'd never heard before.
Bothe kids shrank back, surprised to hear their father scream like that."
page
8
"STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT!" he bellowed, in a voice they'd never heard before.
Bothe kids shrank back, surprised to hear their father scream like that."
May 21, 2014
–
6.88%
"Even though it was two weeks later, his right hand, the hand that had been bleeding, was still heavily bandaged."
page
11
May 21, 2014
–
11.88%
"She could hear breathing sounds, and the seemed to be coming from the tall, leafy tree."
page
19
May 21, 2014
–
14.37%
"The free-for-all was brought to s sudden halt by a low moan from across the room. All three kids raised their heads and stared in the direction of the sound.
The large basement was silent now except for their heavy breathing.
"What was that?" Diane whispered.
They listened.
Another low moan, a mournful sound, muffled, like air through a saxophone.
The tendrils of a treelike plant suddenly drooped..."
page
23
The large basement was silent now except for their heavy breathing.
"What was that?" Diane whispered.
They listened.
Another low moan, a mournful sound, muffled, like air through a saxophone.
The tendrils of a treelike plant suddenly drooped..."
May 21, 2014
–
15.0%
"Tendrils moved, like human arms shifting their position. They could hear breathing again, slow, steady breathing. Then a sigh, like air escaping."
page
24
May 21, 2014
–
21.25%
"The tendrils held on.
They didn't squeeze him. They weren't trying to strangle him. Or pull him back.
But they didn't let go.
They felt warm and wet against his bare skin. Like animal arms. Not like a plant."
page
34
They didn't squeeze him. They weren't trying to strangle him. Or pull him back.
But they didn't let go.
They felt warm and wet against his bare skin. Like animal arms. Not like a plant."
May 21, 2014
–
22.5%
"They stared up at him expectantly, waiting for him to move, to unball his fists, to relax his hard expression, to speak. But he glared down at them for the longest time."
page
36
May 21, 2014
–
23.13%
"His expression was totally flat, almost robotlike, revealing no emotion at all."
page
37
May 21, 2014
–
23.75%
"This wasn't like him. Not at all. He was always a very direct person, Margaret thought. If he was angry, he said he was angry. If he was upset, he'd tell them he was upset.
So why was he acting so strange, so silent, so...cold?"
page
38
So why was he acting so strange, so silent, so...cold?"
May 21, 2014
–
25.0%
"She felt better until the next morning when she awoke early and went downstairs to make some breakfast. To her surprise, her father was already at work, the basement door was shut tight, and a lock had been installed on the door."
page
40
May 21, 2014
–
26.25%
""No, Mom," Margaret replied. "Dad. He's wearing a Dodgers cap. He never takes it off."
"Really?" Mrs. Brewer sounded very surprised.
Margaret laughed. "We told him he looks really dorky in it, but he refuses to take it off.""
page
42
"Really?" Mrs. Brewer sounded very surprised.
Margaret laughed. "We told him he looks really dorky in it, but he refuses to take it off.""
May 21, 2014
–
27.5%
"Dr. Brewer appeared to be eating something. With one hand, he was holding a bag on the counter beside the sink. As Margaret watched in surprise, he dipped his hand into the bag, pulled out a big handful of something, and shoved it into his mouth.
Margaret watched him chew hungrily, noisily, then pull out another handful from the bag and eat greedily.
What on earth was he eating? she wondered."
page
44
Margaret watched him chew hungrily, noisily, then pull out another handful from the bag and eat greedily.
What on earth was he eating? she wondered."
May 21, 2014
–
28.13%
"She pulled open the sink cabinet, reached into the trash, and pulled out the crinkled-up bag.
Then she gasped aloud as her eyes ran over the label.
Her father, she saw, had been devouring PLANT FOOD."
page
45
Then she gasped aloud as her eyes ran over the label.
Her father, she saw, had been devouring PLANT FOOD."
May 21, 2014
–
30.0%
""So what are you trying to say?" Casey asked. "That Dad is out of his tree? That he's gone totally bananas?"
"I - I don't know," Margaret answered in frustration. "Watching him gulp down that disgusting plant food, I - I had this horrible thought that he's turning INTO a plant!""
page
48
"I - I don't know," Margaret answered in frustration. "Watching him gulp down that disgusting plant food, I - I had this horrible thought that he's turning INTO a plant!""
May 21, 2014
–
31.25%
""What's it like having a mad scientist for a dad?" Diane asked suddenly."
page
50
May 21, 2014
–
31.87%
""My dad said that your dad was fired from PolyTech because his experiments got out of control, and he wouldn't stop them," Diane confided..."The university told him he had to stop whatever it was he was doing, and he refused. He said he couldn't stop...""
page
51
May 21, 2014
–
33.13%
"At first, Margaret thought her father's hair had turned green.
But then she clearly saw that it wasn't hair on his scalp.
his hair was gone. It had all fallen out.
In place of hair, Dr. Brewer had bright green leaves sprouting from his head."
page
53
But then she clearly saw that it wasn't hair on his scalp.
his hair was gone. It had all fallen out.
In place of hair, Dr. Brewer had bright green leaves sprouting from his head."
May 21, 2014
–
35.63%
""Not exactly," their father said, lowering his voice. "I'm doing something a little more unusual. I really don't want to go into detail now. But I'll tell you that what I'm trying to do is build a kind of plant that has never existed and COULD never exist. I'm trying to build a plant that's PART ANIMAL.""
page
57
May 21, 2014
–
36.88%
"But, as Margaret made her way into the house, she found herself troubled by what her dad had said. And even more troubled by what he HADN'T said."
page
59
May 23, 2014
–
37.5%
"What must it feel like? Green leaves pushing up from your pores, uncurling against your head.
Yuck. Thinking about it made her itch all over. She knew she'd have hideous dreams tonight."
page
60
Yuck. Thinking about it made her itch all over. She knew she'd have hideous dreams tonight."
May 23, 2014
–
Finished Reading
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message 1:
by
Michelle
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Jun 15, 2017 08:16AM
I know- for some reason, it was heart-stopping for me.
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Michelle wrote: "I know- for some reason, it was heart-stopping for me."It was a pretty good book, I liked it. :)
Great review, Carmen! I remember one of my daughters reading tons of these books, one after the other. That's really nice this one had some depth and was well written. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Donna wrote: "Great review, Carmen! I remember one of my daughters reading tons of these books, one after the other. That's really nice this one had some depth and was well written. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)"Thank you, Donna! Stine has his ups and downs, but I liked this one!
