Classic Goosebumps Book #8: Say Cheese and Die

Veteran voice actor Heller gives a fun, enthusiastic reading of this classic Goosebumps tale. Greg and his friends Michael, Bird, and Shari live in the fictional town of Pitts Landing (in an unspecified state). One day, looking to enliven another boring afternoon, the quartet decides to break into the creaky, abandoned Coffman house. Inside Greg finds an old-style instant-picture camera. He soon discovers that the pictures the camera takes show (or cause) terrible future events. One shows the family’s shiny new car wrecked, soon before it is totaled in a traffic accident. Heller is in fine form as he narrates this fast-paced tale of R.L. Stine spookiness. His larger-than-life characterizations fit perfectly with the story’s heightened reality. He understands the material and the younger audience it is geared toward. His energetic delivery strikes a fine balance between humor and chills. This is a perfect book for young readers to read along with or sit back and simply listen to, though maybe not at bedtime. Ages 8–12. A Scholastic mass market paperback. (Aug.)