Module 8: A Shocker on Shock Street

Bibliography: Stine, R.L. (1995). A Shocker on Shock Street. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Summary:  This story follows the adventure of two young children, Erin and Marty, as they take a personal tour of the brand-new Shocker Studio Tour ride.  Events proceed normally until the duo are forced to leave their broken-down tour tram.  As they try and find a way out of the studio park they confront giant grasshoppers, zombies, werewolves, and all manner of other creatures from the popular Shock Street films.  The entire time Erin and Marty wonder if the creatures are simply robots run amok or real beings.  At the end of the journey a terrible secret about the two is revealed.

Impressions: Standard Goosebumps fare.  Young readers may be impressed with the cheap scares and sensationalized writing in this book but older readers will likely not enjoy it.  I find it hard to believe that I enjoyed these books as a child since reading A Shocker on Shock Street quickly sent me into a reading induced stupor.  The twist at the end of the book was painfully obvious from the beginning but young readers should enjoy the revelation of Marty and Erin’s true nature.

Reviews:

(NOTE: The following review is based on the version of the story told as retold with illustrations.  A professional review for the original version could not be located.)

The Goosebumps trademark has fascinated young readers since it began in the 1990s. Originally told descriptively with words, this book gives life to the descriptions through the retelling of these tales as a graphic novel. The second story, “A Shocker on Shock Street,” begins with the protagonists Josh and Erin watching the movie Shocker VI in the theater. Erin’s father, creator of high-end robots for movies, decides to give the kids a ride through a new theme park that goes through the streets and towns where the movies are filmed. Josh and Erin experience many adventures on their quest through the theme park, all while growing suspicious that the attractions may not actually be robots. In the end, Erin’s father comes out and turns his two faulty, robotic children, Josh and Erin, off.  - Jonathan Hodges (Children’s Literature)

-          Hodges, J. (2007). A Shocker on Shock Street Review. Children’s Literature. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search

Suggestions for Use in a Library:

This book is a good resource to use with a Halloween style program in a library’s children’s center.  The can accompany a narration of the story with appropriate sound effects played on a tape or cd.