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Fear Street #22
Bad Dreams
Every night Maggie Travers has the same horrible dream. Every night she is forced to watch the same murder. And every night the girl in her dream cries out for help. Maggie is afraid to go to sleep again. But when the terrifying dream starts to come true and the gruesome accidents begin, staying awake is the real nightmare!
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,520 books17.2k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
June 14, 2020
Bad Dreams is a modestly engaging mystery, but the concept of a haunted four-poster canopy bed is what makes it a worthy contribution to eerie literature. Few items of furniture evoke better gothic atmosphere, and devoting an entire novella to such a concept is not a waste. Frankly, I would have preferred lengthier descriptions of the bed's wood carvings, the frills of the pink canopy, and feelings conjured while resting within.
As it is, we don't get much more than this: "There it stood. A beautiful, old-fashioned four-poster canopy bed. Dark, polished wood. And with a pink canopy on top."
To be fair, the four-poster bed is so iconic--so instilled in our minds--that describing one more fully might contradict the reader's fantasy image. I certainly had no trouble picturing a bed of wild grandeur based on this measly description plus reaction from characters. And Stine does have plot to get to. There's actually a lot going on in this one.
The story opens with an intriguing issue, high class North Hills sisters must relocate to a ratty house on Fear Street after the death of their father. High income versus low income dilemmas are frequent in the Fear Street universe. The Silent Night series is a notable example of the greedy mentality of the wealthy.
Dead dad and a drop in social class turn out to be just background noise, however, because the real issue eventually becomes clear: the two sisters don't get along. They're constantly at each other's throats over the smallest things. Tensions really escalate when they discover the four-poster bed left behind in one of the girl's rooms.
After a fight over who gets to sleep in the fancy bed, it's quickly revealed that the bed seems to be haunted. Whenever Maggie sleeps in it she has a reoccurring nightmare. A nightmare with origins to the house's unfortunate past...
The reader is then left to wonder if Maggie is mentally unstable because of an upcoming swim competition or is her mean sister up to pranks? Could her boyfriend be involved? One of the other girls on the swim team? Or is this an honest-to-goodness haunting?
I'll never tell which or if none of the above are true. But I will say the mysterious circumstances does well to keep the pages turning. The thrills are mediocre compared to other occurrences on Fear Street, but even mediocre in this series means a can't-put-it-down, have-to-finish-in-one-sitting good time. Not a must-read book in the series, but not one to skip either. Especially if you like fancy beds.
Some fun Bad Dreams facts:
-First published in March, 1994
-26,462 words long
-One of the few Fear Street titles to get audiobook treatment
-Cover art is by Bill Schmidt, the genius behind the majority of original Fear Street covers
-How the hell did they move that giant bed into the tiny attic?
As it is, we don't get much more than this: "There it stood. A beautiful, old-fashioned four-poster canopy bed. Dark, polished wood. And with a pink canopy on top."
To be fair, the four-poster bed is so iconic--so instilled in our minds--that describing one more fully might contradict the reader's fantasy image. I certainly had no trouble picturing a bed of wild grandeur based on this measly description plus reaction from characters. And Stine does have plot to get to. There's actually a lot going on in this one.
The story opens with an intriguing issue, high class North Hills sisters must relocate to a ratty house on Fear Street after the death of their father. High income versus low income dilemmas are frequent in the Fear Street universe. The Silent Night series is a notable example of the greedy mentality of the wealthy.
Dead dad and a drop in social class turn out to be just background noise, however, because the real issue eventually becomes clear: the two sisters don't get along. They're constantly at each other's throats over the smallest things. Tensions really escalate when they discover the four-poster bed left behind in one of the girl's rooms.
After a fight over who gets to sleep in the fancy bed, it's quickly revealed that the bed seems to be haunted. Whenever Maggie sleeps in it she has a reoccurring nightmare. A nightmare with origins to the house's unfortunate past...
The reader is then left to wonder if Maggie is mentally unstable because of an upcoming swim competition or is her mean sister up to pranks? Could her boyfriend be involved? One of the other girls on the swim team? Or is this an honest-to-goodness haunting?
I'll never tell which or if none of the above are true. But I will say the mysterious circumstances does well to keep the pages turning. The thrills are mediocre compared to other occurrences on Fear Street, but even mediocre in this series means a can't-put-it-down, have-to-finish-in-one-sitting good time. Not a must-read book in the series, but not one to skip either. Especially if you like fancy beds.
Some fun Bad Dreams facts:
-First published in March, 1994
-26,462 words long
-One of the few Fear Street titles to get audiobook treatment
-Cover art is by Bill Schmidt, the genius behind the majority of original Fear Street covers
-How the hell did they move that giant bed into the tiny attic?
December 2, 2018
After the death of their father, Maggie and Andrea are moving to Fear Street. With money being tight, the house on the poorest side of town is all their mum can afford.
Maggie is thrilled to find a king size canopy bed in her designated room, until the nightmares start of a girl being stabbed to death.
Is the bed haunted and why won’t anyone take Maggie’s dreams seriously.
It felt like a great idea that was poorly executed, I was invested in the mystery element itself but the resolution seemed weak.
The bereavement of their father was a nice addition to the story, it help drive the story forward and gave a legitimate reason for the move.
But the sibling rivalry also felt closer to something from a Goosebumps book.
One of the weakest in the series, a shame as had potential.
Maggie is thrilled to find a king size canopy bed in her designated room, until the nightmares start of a girl being stabbed to death.
Is the bed haunted and why won’t anyone take Maggie’s dreams seriously.
It felt like a great idea that was poorly executed, I was invested in the mystery element itself but the resolution seemed weak.
The bereavement of their father was a nice addition to the story, it help drive the story forward and gave a legitimate reason for the move.
But the sibling rivalry also felt closer to something from a Goosebumps book.
One of the weakest in the series, a shame as had potential.
October 16, 2017
These sisters are really mean to each other! They just lost their dad and moved onto Fear Street and they can't get along for 2 minutes?! Also, how do they not know about Miranda Helfer? Did they go to a different school. They lived in the North Hills area. I thought both girls had bad dreams but it's just Maggie that does. While the killer was still a surprise, my memory of this book was better than the rereading.
October 29, 2018
I really liked this book. Why is Maggie having bad nightmares about a girl getting stabbed? And who is the girl? Can Maggie find out... or will she die trying?
October 2, 2021
3.5
1400/7/10
1400/7/10
April 9, 2021
“But why? Why did they leave the bed and nothing else?”
…oh, I can guess why.
This was #2 of the 3 Fear Streets I recently found. It was perfectly cheesy, with a satisfying ending.
…oh, I can guess why.
This was #2 of the 3 Fear Streets I recently found. It was perfectly cheesy, with a satisfying ending.
June 16, 2019
Man, this one was just... very boring. Stine can definitely do better. Also, this one should have been called The Knife, except there is a later Fear Street book with that title. Lots of knives in this one.
The plot is simple (and, as I said, very boring). Maggie, the main character, and her younger sister, Andrea, are forced to move to Fear Street after the death of their father. Their mom, now being a single mom, can no longer afford to live in their old house. They get saddled with 23 Fear Street (which I quite like, since my birthday is July 23rd).
As is the typical Stine way, the sisters hate each other. Or, rather, Maggie thinks Andrea hates her. Because Maggie is the one with the boyfriend, the prettier features, the better swim record. So, like every other sister in the FS books, she assumes that Andrea is super jealous of her.
The girls both hate the new house, as you do when you live on Fear Street, but Maggie is cheered a bit when she sees a pink canopy bed in her room. The girls chose their rooms before the other family moved out, so they didn't know the bed would be left behind. Andrea rants and raves about Maggie getting the canopy bed. But soon Maggie will want to gladly give it away.
She has to practice for her upcoming swim meet, but she finds that every night she sleeps in the beautiful bed that she has nightmares she can't shake in the morning. It's not long before everyone thinks Maggie is cracking up.
The dream starts as just a feeling of persistent terror, but Maggie soon sees a face and finds she is going to be stabbed in her dream. Then accidents start happening in real life. Maggie's swim team mate, Dawn, is pushed down the stairs, and she initially accuses Maggie of pushing her. Then Maggie finds Tiffany, another swim team mate, face down in her own blood by the pool. She was stabbed in the side but thankfully lives.
Maggie begins to see the ghost of a girl named Miranda everywhere. She's the girl from her dream. She tries to show her mom and her boyfriend, Justin, but they begin to suspect she's lost her grip on reality. Nobody believes her. Finally, Maggie's mom removes the canopy bed from Maggie's room. Maggie thought her mom gave it to Andrea, but she quickly learns they moved it to the attic. Maggie knows she has to finally complete the dream in order to learn the truth and get it to stop. So once everyone is asleep she tiptoes up to the attic to finally rid herself of her nightmares.
But when Maggie goes to lay down in the bed she sees the ghost of Miranda already in the bed. Only... it's not Miranda. Because when Maggie touches the "ghost" her hand finds solid flesh. And the girl has a knife. Again and again. Turns out it's someone named Gena. Gena claims she will kill Maggie for being a "bad" sister. The same way she killed Miranda. She knows it's what Andrea wants. But when Andrea comes into the attic to help Maggie, Maggie screams at her that she can't believe she's in leagues with Gena. Andrea has no idea what she's talking about. She helps her to get the knife away from Gena and motions for Maggie to make a run for it down the stairs.
It turns out Gena has been living in their attic the whole time. She stabbed Maggie's pillow with a knife that then disappeared when she tried to show her mom. She also pushed Dawn down the stairs and stabbed Tiffany in the side. Maggie jokes with their dog, Gus, about not sensing at all someone else living in the house with them.
After being up all night wrestling with Gena (Maggie and Andrea eventually get her wrapped up in the canopy and call the police) Maggie then realizes they have a swim meet that day that she and her sister are participating in. But even though it's morning and I'm guessing the swim meet wouldn't be at night, Maggie still tells everyone good night, because I guess she's going to sleep a bit before the meet? And that's how the book ends.
It was snoozeville. No one dies. This is not the level of quality I expect from you, Stine.
Also, Deena and Jade from The Wrong Number make an appearance in this book! I do like that he peppers characters from all the different FS books throughout each one.
The plot is simple (and, as I said, very boring). Maggie, the main character, and her younger sister, Andrea, are forced to move to Fear Street after the death of their father. Their mom, now being a single mom, can no longer afford to live in their old house. They get saddled with 23 Fear Street (which I quite like, since my birthday is July 23rd).
As is the typical Stine way, the sisters hate each other. Or, rather, Maggie thinks Andrea hates her. Because Maggie is the one with the boyfriend, the prettier features, the better swim record. So, like every other sister in the FS books, she assumes that Andrea is super jealous of her.
The girls both hate the new house, as you do when you live on Fear Street, but Maggie is cheered a bit when she sees a pink canopy bed in her room. The girls chose their rooms before the other family moved out, so they didn't know the bed would be left behind. Andrea rants and raves about Maggie getting the canopy bed. But soon Maggie will want to gladly give it away.
She has to practice for her upcoming swim meet, but she finds that every night she sleeps in the beautiful bed that she has nightmares she can't shake in the morning. It's not long before everyone thinks Maggie is cracking up.
The dream starts as just a feeling of persistent terror, but Maggie soon sees a face and finds she is going to be stabbed in her dream. Then accidents start happening in real life. Maggie's swim team mate, Dawn, is pushed down the stairs, and she initially accuses Maggie of pushing her. Then Maggie finds Tiffany, another swim team mate, face down in her own blood by the pool. She was stabbed in the side but thankfully lives.
Maggie begins to see the ghost of a girl named Miranda everywhere. She's the girl from her dream. She tries to show her mom and her boyfriend, Justin, but they begin to suspect she's lost her grip on reality. Nobody believes her. Finally, Maggie's mom removes the canopy bed from Maggie's room. Maggie thought her mom gave it to Andrea, but she quickly learns they moved it to the attic. Maggie knows she has to finally complete the dream in order to learn the truth and get it to stop. So once everyone is asleep she tiptoes up to the attic to finally rid herself of her nightmares.
But when Maggie goes to lay down in the bed she sees the ghost of Miranda already in the bed. Only... it's not Miranda. Because when Maggie touches the "ghost" her hand finds solid flesh. And the girl has a knife. Again and again. Turns out it's someone named Gena. Gena claims she will kill Maggie for being a "bad" sister. The same way she killed Miranda. She knows it's what Andrea wants. But when Andrea comes into the attic to help Maggie, Maggie screams at her that she can't believe she's in leagues with Gena. Andrea has no idea what she's talking about. She helps her to get the knife away from Gena and motions for Maggie to make a run for it down the stairs.
It turns out Gena has been living in their attic the whole time. She stabbed Maggie's pillow with a knife that then disappeared when she tried to show her mom. She also pushed Dawn down the stairs and stabbed Tiffany in the side. Maggie jokes with their dog, Gus, about not sensing at all someone else living in the house with them.
After being up all night wrestling with Gena (Maggie and Andrea eventually get her wrapped up in the canopy and call the police) Maggie then realizes they have a swim meet that day that she and her sister are participating in. But even though it's morning and I'm guessing the swim meet wouldn't be at night, Maggie still tells everyone good night, because I guess she's going to sleep a bit before the meet? And that's how the book ends.
It was snoozeville. No one dies. This is not the level of quality I expect from you, Stine.
Also, Deena and Jade from The Wrong Number make an appearance in this book! I do like that he peppers characters from all the different FS books throughout each one.
October 28, 2012
Dreams That Kill: A Book Review of Bad Dreams
Bad Dreams, Simon and Schuster 1994, 160 pp, $5.99
R.L. Stine ISBN 0671785699, 9780671785697
Is there such thing as a haunted bed? Well for Maggie Travers, it might be true. She gets haunted by the same nightmare every night. Until, they become real...
Bad Dreams by R.L. Stine talks about Maggie Travers, a teenager that gets haunted in her nightmares. Ever since she moved into a new home , every night she experiences the same nightmares. When she tries to convince her mom, who is now a widow after the death of her husband, boyfriend, Justin, and her sister, Andrea, a twin sister of Maggie, they don’t believe her at all. They also think she’s going crazy. Maggie has no one to tell. Then a lot of bad things start to take place to the people around Maggie, she thought it might have been warning signs that something bad might happen to herself very soon.
But that is just the beginning... Eventually, her nightmares become more and more realistic. The nightmares also keep getting worse and worse. Soon her biggest nightmare would be staying alive.
While reading this book, it brought a lot of suspense to me. I also felt as if I was Maggie, because the author used a lot of details and descriptive words. R.L. Stine composed a lot of mystery, and the plot of the book is very unpredictable.
I would really recommend this book to everyone, especially to people who like horror books. This book is right for preteens and older, because it might be a little scary for some young children. This book is a total page turner, and it brings a lot of excitement.
Bad Dreams, Simon and Schuster 1994, 160 pp, $5.99
R.L. Stine ISBN 0671785699, 9780671785697
Is there such thing as a haunted bed? Well for Maggie Travers, it might be true. She gets haunted by the same nightmare every night. Until, they become real...
Bad Dreams by R.L. Stine talks about Maggie Travers, a teenager that gets haunted in her nightmares. Ever since she moved into a new home , every night she experiences the same nightmares. When she tries to convince her mom, who is now a widow after the death of her husband, boyfriend, Justin, and her sister, Andrea, a twin sister of Maggie, they don’t believe her at all. They also think she’s going crazy. Maggie has no one to tell. Then a lot of bad things start to take place to the people around Maggie, she thought it might have been warning signs that something bad might happen to herself very soon.
But that is just the beginning... Eventually, her nightmares become more and more realistic. The nightmares also keep getting worse and worse. Soon her biggest nightmare would be staying alive.
While reading this book, it brought a lot of suspense to me. I also felt as if I was Maggie, because the author used a lot of details and descriptive words. R.L. Stine composed a lot of mystery, and the plot of the book is very unpredictable.
I would really recommend this book to everyone, especially to people who like horror books. This book is right for preteens and older, because it might be a little scary for some young children. This book is a total page turner, and it brings a lot of excitement.
Read
June 5, 2016RL Stine wasn't perfect, but he was fun when I was younger. I read a lot of his stuff and always hunted them down in bookstores. Remember enjoying this one.
December 23, 2021
2.5 Stars
August 21, 2023
My favorite way to decompress after a long day is reading bad pulpy horror with campy plots and characters that come out of left field. This is basically the movie Parasite but with sisters on a highschool swim team.
November 23, 2014
How did we end up here?
More cheese pulled from my pile.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
Let me tell you, if this book were any longer I probably would have lit it on fire. Andrea, Maggie’s little sister by a year, was the most insufferable Fear Street character yet. I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate her for more than 150 pages. It’s surprising I got through 50. But it’s Fear Street so I carried on because I knew I would love it regardless.
What worked . . .
Maggie’s insanity. The more the dreams progressed and the more they bled into her waking life the crazier she became and when bad things started happening she guilted herself immediately despite the impossibility of her having done anything wrong. Stine did a good job of making her go bat shitty while balancing the dreams and the reality bleed. Was it real? Or not? Was Andrea possessed or just a little bitch? You’ll have to read it to find out.
What didn't work . . .
Andrea. Holy shitballs, was she just fodder for tire smudge. She was the over the top bratty little sister (although age-wise she was only a year younger than Maggie, you just couldn’t tell based on her attitude) that threw shit fits about everything that didn’t go her way until they eventually did. Of course she would throw it back in Maggie’s face because Maggie always got everything and Andrea got nothing despite everything she ever got but, you know, we had to have that antagonist in there somewhere.
And talk about having some of the most awful friends ever. Maggie was now dating Paul, whom her best friend dated the year before. What? Talk about violating a friend code of ethics. But it appeared that Maggie’s friend didn’t harbor any ill will towards her about it except they were on the swim team together and her friend constantly rooted for Maggie to lose. It was just . . . oh my god, get new friends. I don’t know if Stine thought this was a normal girlfriend dynamic or what but it was kind of painful to watch.
And in the end . . .
More epic cheese to feed my need for read. Despite the bads to this book it just ended up being a whole lot of good because it’s Fear Street. How could it not be? If you know what to expect when you go in you won’t be disappointed. It’s really very simple.
More cheese pulled from my pile.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
Let me tell you, if this book were any longer I probably would have lit it on fire. Andrea, Maggie’s little sister by a year, was the most insufferable Fear Street character yet. I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate her for more than 150 pages. It’s surprising I got through 50. But it’s Fear Street so I carried on because I knew I would love it regardless.
What worked . . .
Maggie’s insanity. The more the dreams progressed and the more they bled into her waking life the crazier she became and when bad things started happening she guilted herself immediately despite the impossibility of her having done anything wrong. Stine did a good job of making her go bat shitty while balancing the dreams and the reality bleed. Was it real? Or not? Was Andrea possessed or just a little bitch? You’ll have to read it to find out.
What didn't work . . .
Andrea. Holy shitballs, was she just fodder for tire smudge. She was the over the top bratty little sister (although age-wise she was only a year younger than Maggie, you just couldn’t tell based on her attitude) that threw shit fits about everything that didn’t go her way until they eventually did. Of course she would throw it back in Maggie’s face because Maggie always got everything and Andrea got nothing despite everything she ever got but, you know, we had to have that antagonist in there somewhere.
And talk about having some of the most awful friends ever. Maggie was now dating Paul, whom her best friend dated the year before. What? Talk about violating a friend code of ethics. But it appeared that Maggie’s friend didn’t harbor any ill will towards her about it except they were on the swim team together and her friend constantly rooted for Maggie to lose. It was just . . . oh my god, get new friends. I don’t know if Stine thought this was a normal girlfriend dynamic or what but it was kind of painful to watch.
And in the end . . .
More epic cheese to feed my need for read. Despite the bads to this book it just ended up being a whole lot of good because it’s Fear Street. How could it not be? If you know what to expect when you go in you won’t be disappointed. It’s really very simple.
March 15, 2016
I remember being legitimately scared reading this book. It starts off creepy, then into a sort of regular family moving to fear street kind of a story. I mean really, don't they read a damn newspaper in this town? Or does no one live long enough to tell their horror stories in Shadyside?
Anyway sisters Maggie and Andrea are torn away from their hoity toity North Hills life to come live on Fear Street dun dun duh. Seriously though, people need to stop moving to this place. Maggies find a beautiful old canopy bed in her room that wasn't there when they bought the house and she thinks she hit the jackpot!
WRONG. You're always WRONG. Whenever you think something good is going to happen, you can be sure it is most certainly not! Not Maggie starts having crazy nightmares about another girl in that very bed being attacked and then shit in her real life starts going crazy! Her dog almost gets hit by a car, her best friend gets pushed down the stairs.
What the hell is going on in this place? On top of all of this, her cute boyfriend is a total idiot. Looks only get you so far Justin honey. I won't spoil the story by revealing WTF is going on but whew. Scary stuff. It was a really weird book but it's actually one of my favorite Fear Street Novels.
Anyway sisters Maggie and Andrea are torn away from their hoity toity North Hills life to come live on Fear Street dun dun duh. Seriously though, people need to stop moving to this place. Maggies find a beautiful old canopy bed in her room that wasn't there when they bought the house and she thinks she hit the jackpot!
WRONG. You're always WRONG. Whenever you think something good is going to happen, you can be sure it is most certainly not! Not Maggie starts having crazy nightmares about another girl in that very bed being attacked and then shit in her real life starts going crazy! Her dog almost gets hit by a car, her best friend gets pushed down the stairs.
What the hell is going on in this place? On top of all of this, her cute boyfriend is a total idiot. Looks only get you so far Justin honey. I won't spoil the story by revealing WTF is going on but whew. Scary stuff. It was a really weird book but it's actually one of my favorite Fear Street Novels.
January 9, 2012
The idea that the main character would be getting dreams from the girl whose bed she's sleeping in is interesting, along with the sisterly rivalry and . However, I think it's good that this book is only 150 pages long because I don't know how the idea could have been stretched anymore. Maybe if the author had went into more backstory on the family that used to live in the house and had gradually made Andrea a spoiled brat, the author could have stretched the story out more and the reader would have appreciated those things as well. There were two thing that I couldn't believe
March 15, 2012
Eh. It was okay. I don't think I liked this one either as a child.
The story was interesting at the start, but then it started to just dwindle a little bit and then started to feel like I can't wait for this story to be finished.
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. If you're a fan of RL Stine and want to complete all the books for Fear Street stories, then read it...otherwise, pass it on and find a better Fear Street book.
The story was interesting at the start, but then it started to just dwindle a little bit and then started to feel like I can't wait for this story to be finished.
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. If you're a fan of RL Stine and want to complete all the books for Fear Street stories, then read it...otherwise, pass it on and find a better Fear Street book.
March 3, 2016
This is one of the non-supernatural Fear Street books. I mean, there are the dead-girl-inspired dreams, but basically it's a madwoman-in-the-attic thriller, with a side order of "is my sister trying to kill me?" (spoiler: she isn't, but the younger sister in question is so utterly awful it'd have been unsurprising if someone killed HER).
December 28, 2017
Maggie's sister Andrea is the ABSOLUTE WORST and there is a bed that is haunted by the ghost of a psychic girl. Spoiler alert. Sorry. This one was very convoluted and muddled, and didn't know what it wanted to be. Stalker vs evil sister vs ghost tropes and none of them really win out.
February 18, 2018
well, I read this book in Persian with an awful translation!
and I didn't like the story much. in the last few pages I finally started liking it but it's a little bit late you know!😀
I might have been so interested in it if I was 10 or 11.
but not now!😁
and I didn't like the story much. in the last few pages I finally started liking it but it's a little bit late you know!😀
I might have been so interested in it if I was 10 or 11.
but not now!😁
November 29, 2015
It was a good story and like all of RLStine books it had a good twist to the story.
September 6, 2010
Might I start off with the fact that "Bad Dreams" has a horrible cover? I mean, they look like mental people. At least, Andrea does. HAHA to you, Andrea. I nicknamed Andrea "Bratty Sister" because that's exactly what she is. Except she's a whole lot worse. Well, you guys will see. Trust me on this one.
The book starts off with a dumb prologue (I mean, I love Fear Street, but their prologues make me want to hurl the book across the room because they're just so pointless and dumb) with a girl tossing and turning in sheets. A person lunges at her across the room and stabs her. The girl says, "Sister! But you're my sister!" I don't know what's so funny about that, but it makes me laugh. Am I retarded? Maybe.
Then we go to the first chapter. Maggie Travers, her sister Andrea, her mom, and their faithful dog Gus are driving to their new home on Fear Street. Yipee. Gus used to be Maggie's fathers dog, but he died. Um, I don't even want to explain how he died, because it's really corny and annoys me. But I'll do it anyways. Maggie and Bratty Sister (Remember? Andrea?) were doing something with the cereal or some other shananagin, and Maggie threw the dumb bowl down and her father goes, "Why can't you just grow up?" Um, seriously, why is it that big of a deal that she throws a BOWL down, when all Bratty Sister does is whine, mope, and complain? STFU, Maggie's parents. Anyways her dad goes to work and then has a heart attack. Blah, blah, blah. How come the dad's always die? Maybe I just haven't read enough Fear Street books yet, which is probably why, but in most of the Fear Street books I've read, the dads die. Not the moms. With the exceptions to "Silent Night" and a few others. Oops, I'm babbling. Anyways...
I HATE THE NEXT PART. So I'm going to make it quick. The poor little doggy, Gus, runs out onto the road because Bratty Sister is a lazy little egghead and won't go get the poor guy because "It's Maggie's dog." I could already strangle this girl. But short story short, Maggie saves Gus, blah blah blah, at least he didn't die. :) Then they go inside and Maggie finds a canopy bed in her room. Andrea sits there smiling sweetly. I'm not sure, but I think this is what she says: "Gee, Maggie, if you had been wanting a canopy for a long, long time, I would sure let you have it." I'm pretty sure that's not what she said, but it referred to her to "wanting a canopy for her whole life." Cut the crap, Andrea. How long have you been wanting the canopy bed? What? Two minutes? Maggie tells her, "Finders Keepers," *APPLAUD APPLAUD* but Andrea then gets mad and throws a little hissy fit. Grow up. Besides, it's technically fair because Maggie PICKED the room and it was in HER room. Though I really wish the bed would have ended up in Andrea's room. She deserves those nightmares. >:]
After dinner, Maggie's fergalicious boyfriend, Justin, calls. Maggie explains to us how she was shocked she and Justin were going out because he's popular and stuff. I forgot what they talked about, but then I think Maggie's friend Dawn calls. I don't know if I like Dawn or if I hate her. It's a confusing relationship. *shrug* I think Andrea gets jealous because Maggie has friends and she doesn't. Um, seriously? I'm definitely not surprised. AT ALL.
One of the complaints I have about this book are the "bad dreams." Though I'm a fan of Fear Street, Stine is ridiculous at times. This is the first night Maggie has her bad dream. A girl is lying in a bed. Just lying. In a bed. Is that what you call a nightmare, Stine? Is it really? She wakes up screaming, and her mom and Bratty Sister come running into the room. Maggie explains the dream to her mom and sister, and Andrea suspects that she may be dreaming about Dawn because she talked to her on the phone. Shut up Andrea.
Skipping the scene with Justin and Maggie because I'll barf all over my keyboard. Anyways, it's the next day and the swimming team are all there. Andrea claims that she lost her bathing cap. Then, Bratty Sister has the nerve to blame Maggie for it. I'M SICK OF ANDREA ALREADY. DOES SHE DIE? PLEASE, STINE, KILL HER OFF. Then, moments later, one of the girls points to Andrea's backpack and goes, "Um, isn't that your cap?" Burn. Maggie feels bad for Andrea, which kind of annoys me. Why? I dunno. But, I just know I wouldn't feel bad for her. She deserves to be embarrassed. Then the swim team goes over and waits by the pool. The coach tells them to wait until she blows her whistle. In case you guys didn't guess, Maggie won and Andrea got last. I'd rather her win than me have to deal with her whining and crying. Stupid Bratty Sister. Maggie goes to change and blahhhh, and then when she comes out, sees a body in the pool. Dawn! YESS! I mean. Oh crap. I was thinking the whole time though, "She's one of the best swimmers. How the HECK does she go and drown herself?" but it turns out she didn't drown. Uhh. Yaaayyy... Then they laugh about it. Why do Fear Street characters find these things just hilarious? I don't. Just saying.
Now Maggie is having her dream again. It's basically the same thing that happens in the prologue. Oh snap. It's bout ta get dangerouzzz up in hur! Maggie wakes up to find herself not alone in the room. *The Twilight Zone theme music comes on* Oh no! Who is it? It turns out that it's... ANDREA! AHHHH!!!! But Maggie only freaks out because she thinks it's the girl from her dream. Oh. Maggie tells Andrea about the dream and they talk for about five minutes without a fight. But, alas, my friends! This obviously doesn't last for long. They bring up the swimming match thing and Andrea throws a fit. Kill me.
The next day Maggie is at school and goes to talk to Dawn. There's a huge crowd and she goes to push through the crowd, but Dawn "loses her balance" and falls down the steps. She claims that someone pushed her and then says Maggie did it. NO SHE DIDN'T FOOLS. Shadyside obviously has a large number of students. Look at all these books. So at least some person in the big ol crowd would have seen her push a girl down those dumb steps if it happened. Besides, this is a total rip off from the scene "Call Waiting." Growl. Hiss.
Maggie fell asleep under a tree the next day and some man showed her into his house and they started talking about Maggie's house. He told her how a girl named Miranda was stabbed in her room. Wow, freaky neighbor. That's a nice thing to say. Can't you just see the conversation?
"Hi, I'm your neighbor."
"Oh. Hi."
"Someone was killed in your room before you moved there."
"... Oh?"
"Yeah. So how are you?"
Okay so anyways, at a day during swimming practice the swimming coach informs Tiffany and Maggie that they're representing at an All-State meet. Naturally, Andrea gets ticked and whines. Cry me a river and drown in it, Andrea.
Now Maggie is in her bed having the dream again. This time Miranda gets stabbed but Maggie can't see who's murdering her. Maggie wakes up and screams because she sees Andrea with a knife in her hands. I KNEW IT! ANDREA IS A PYSCHO! But it turns out she's holding a curling iron. Aw, man. I still think Andrea is going to end up being the murderer. Is that even possible? Haha. Yeah turns out she couldn't go to sleep so she wanted to borrow Maggie's curling iron. Uh. Kay.
Okay now it's the next day again and Maggie finds Tiffany on the floor, with a puddle of blood around her. OHEMGEE! Totally didn't see that one coming. *sarcasm* Anyways, she picks up the weapon and people come in and see her. She of course has to get questioned, but then they don't suspect her. Fear Street police are so dumb sometimes.
Maggie has the dumb dream yet AGAIN, and screams for Miranda to stop because she thinks she's going to stab her. Her mom comes in and tells her that she's going to get her some "help" with a doctor. I felt bad for Maggie at this point.
Now we're at a Geology trip the class is having. The class is divided into groups and their being split up. Maggie is set with a group of people she doesn't know well. Somehow, Maggie gets lost in these confusing tunnels and gets really freaked out, screaming for help, the usual. Justin finds her and then they go back to the buses. Um, how is that little thing over SO quickly? Whatever. Maybe I should just stop asking so many questions.
Yay! We're getting to the end! The next day Maggie decides to go up and take a nap on her canopy. Then, she realizes she can't find it. She goes around yelling like a lunatic, such as things like, "Where is it?! I need that bed! I NEEEEDDD IT!" And Andrea coolly tells her, "Mom took it away because she thought it would help you." Maggie freaks but then finds out its in the attic. She goes up to sleep in it again and finds Batman curled up in the covers sucking his thumb. Just kidding. It's some crazy kid in the covers, and she grabs a knife and walks towards Maggie. It turns out this is Miranda's murderer, and her name is Gena. She's Miranda's sister. She killed Miranda because she was a "bad girl" or something. Honestly? Mean? You kill a person because they are MEAN? You psycho! Turns out Gena has been doing all the horrible things happening this whole time. She's going to kill Maggie because she's mean to Andrea. @(*&(&*$@*&^$. It's the other way around, stupid head. Okay, maybe they're both mean sometimes, but to be honest, Andrea is the meaner one! So ugh! Then Andrea comes in, and Gena tells her, "Hi, Andrea. Your sister is going to die now." Or something like that. I really don't remember. Then Maggie and Gena wrestle around some before the canopy gets pulled over Gena. They get the knife from her, and Gena is taken off to the place where she came from.
Now the Travers family is sitting talking about what happened to conclude the book. The bed is now going to stay in the attic permanently and Maggie says, "Sweet dreams... sweet dreams!" Hahaha or something. I don't remember what she said but she sounded dumb.
THE END.
So yeah, okay book. Gets you really annoyed at some points, and makes you want to murder Andrea. At least, it did for me. By the way, sorry some points of the review are choppy, scenes are missed, or any other things. I don't have my copy with me and I haven't read the book in like, two months. So yeah.
The book starts off with a dumb prologue (I mean, I love Fear Street, but their prologues make me want to hurl the book across the room because they're just so pointless and dumb) with a girl tossing and turning in sheets. A person lunges at her across the room and stabs her. The girl says, "Sister! But you're my sister!" I don't know what's so funny about that, but it makes me laugh. Am I retarded? Maybe.
Then we go to the first chapter. Maggie Travers, her sister Andrea, her mom, and their faithful dog Gus are driving to their new home on Fear Street. Yipee. Gus used to be Maggie's fathers dog, but he died. Um, I don't even want to explain how he died, because it's really corny and annoys me. But I'll do it anyways. Maggie and Bratty Sister (Remember? Andrea?) were doing something with the cereal or some other shananagin, and Maggie threw the dumb bowl down and her father goes, "Why can't you just grow up?" Um, seriously, why is it that big of a deal that she throws a BOWL down, when all Bratty Sister does is whine, mope, and complain? STFU, Maggie's parents. Anyways her dad goes to work and then has a heart attack. Blah, blah, blah. How come the dad's always die? Maybe I just haven't read enough Fear Street books yet, which is probably why, but in most of the Fear Street books I've read, the dads die. Not the moms. With the exceptions to "Silent Night" and a few others. Oops, I'm babbling. Anyways...
I HATE THE NEXT PART. So I'm going to make it quick. The poor little doggy, Gus, runs out onto the road because Bratty Sister is a lazy little egghead and won't go get the poor guy because "It's Maggie's dog." I could already strangle this girl. But short story short, Maggie saves Gus, blah blah blah, at least he didn't die. :) Then they go inside and Maggie finds a canopy bed in her room. Andrea sits there smiling sweetly. I'm not sure, but I think this is what she says: "Gee, Maggie, if you had been wanting a canopy for a long, long time, I would sure let you have it." I'm pretty sure that's not what she said, but it referred to her to "wanting a canopy for her whole life." Cut the crap, Andrea. How long have you been wanting the canopy bed? What? Two minutes? Maggie tells her, "Finders Keepers," *APPLAUD APPLAUD* but Andrea then gets mad and throws a little hissy fit. Grow up. Besides, it's technically fair because Maggie PICKED the room and it was in HER room. Though I really wish the bed would have ended up in Andrea's room. She deserves those nightmares. >:]
After dinner, Maggie's fergalicious boyfriend, Justin, calls. Maggie explains to us how she was shocked she and Justin were going out because he's popular and stuff. I forgot what they talked about, but then I think Maggie's friend Dawn calls. I don't know if I like Dawn or if I hate her. It's a confusing relationship. *shrug* I think Andrea gets jealous because Maggie has friends and she doesn't. Um, seriously? I'm definitely not surprised. AT ALL.
One of the complaints I have about this book are the "bad dreams." Though I'm a fan of Fear Street, Stine is ridiculous at times. This is the first night Maggie has her bad dream. A girl is lying in a bed. Just lying. In a bed. Is that what you call a nightmare, Stine? Is it really? She wakes up screaming, and her mom and Bratty Sister come running into the room. Maggie explains the dream to her mom and sister, and Andrea suspects that she may be dreaming about Dawn because she talked to her on the phone. Shut up Andrea.
Skipping the scene with Justin and Maggie because I'll barf all over my keyboard. Anyways, it's the next day and the swimming team are all there. Andrea claims that she lost her bathing cap. Then, Bratty Sister has the nerve to blame Maggie for it. I'M SICK OF ANDREA ALREADY. DOES SHE DIE? PLEASE, STINE, KILL HER OFF. Then, moments later, one of the girls points to Andrea's backpack and goes, "Um, isn't that your cap?" Burn. Maggie feels bad for Andrea, which kind of annoys me. Why? I dunno. But, I just know I wouldn't feel bad for her. She deserves to be embarrassed. Then the swim team goes over and waits by the pool. The coach tells them to wait until she blows her whistle. In case you guys didn't guess, Maggie won and Andrea got last. I'd rather her win than me have to deal with her whining and crying. Stupid Bratty Sister. Maggie goes to change and blahhhh, and then when she comes out, sees a body in the pool. Dawn! YESS! I mean. Oh crap. I was thinking the whole time though, "She's one of the best swimmers. How the HECK does she go and drown herself?" but it turns out she didn't drown. Uhh. Yaaayyy... Then they laugh about it. Why do Fear Street characters find these things just hilarious? I don't. Just saying.
Now Maggie is having her dream again. It's basically the same thing that happens in the prologue. Oh snap. It's bout ta get dangerouzzz up in hur! Maggie wakes up to find herself not alone in the room. *The Twilight Zone theme music comes on* Oh no! Who is it? It turns out that it's... ANDREA! AHHHH!!!! But Maggie only freaks out because she thinks it's the girl from her dream. Oh. Maggie tells Andrea about the dream and they talk for about five minutes without a fight. But, alas, my friends! This obviously doesn't last for long. They bring up the swimming match thing and Andrea throws a fit. Kill me.
The next day Maggie is at school and goes to talk to Dawn. There's a huge crowd and she goes to push through the crowd, but Dawn "loses her balance" and falls down the steps. She claims that someone pushed her and then says Maggie did it. NO SHE DIDN'T FOOLS. Shadyside obviously has a large number of students. Look at all these books. So at least some person in the big ol crowd would have seen her push a girl down those dumb steps if it happened. Besides, this is a total rip off from the scene "Call Waiting." Growl. Hiss.
Maggie fell asleep under a tree the next day and some man showed her into his house and they started talking about Maggie's house. He told her how a girl named Miranda was stabbed in her room. Wow, freaky neighbor. That's a nice thing to say. Can't you just see the conversation?
"Hi, I'm your neighbor."
"Oh. Hi."
"Someone was killed in your room before you moved there."
"... Oh?"
"Yeah. So how are you?"
Okay so anyways, at a day during swimming practice the swimming coach informs Tiffany and Maggie that they're representing at an All-State meet. Naturally, Andrea gets ticked and whines. Cry me a river and drown in it, Andrea.
Now Maggie is in her bed having the dream again. This time Miranda gets stabbed but Maggie can't see who's murdering her. Maggie wakes up and screams because she sees Andrea with a knife in her hands. I KNEW IT! ANDREA IS A PYSCHO! But it turns out she's holding a curling iron. Aw, man. I still think Andrea is going to end up being the murderer. Is that even possible? Haha. Yeah turns out she couldn't go to sleep so she wanted to borrow Maggie's curling iron. Uh. Kay.
Okay now it's the next day again and Maggie finds Tiffany on the floor, with a puddle of blood around her. OHEMGEE! Totally didn't see that one coming. *sarcasm* Anyways, she picks up the weapon and people come in and see her. She of course has to get questioned, but then they don't suspect her. Fear Street police are so dumb sometimes.
Maggie has the dumb dream yet AGAIN, and screams for Miranda to stop because she thinks she's going to stab her. Her mom comes in and tells her that she's going to get her some "help" with a doctor. I felt bad for Maggie at this point.
Now we're at a Geology trip the class is having. The class is divided into groups and their being split up. Maggie is set with a group of people she doesn't know well. Somehow, Maggie gets lost in these confusing tunnels and gets really freaked out, screaming for help, the usual. Justin finds her and then they go back to the buses. Um, how is that little thing over SO quickly? Whatever. Maybe I should just stop asking so many questions.
Yay! We're getting to the end! The next day Maggie decides to go up and take a nap on her canopy. Then, she realizes she can't find it. She goes around yelling like a lunatic, such as things like, "Where is it?! I need that bed! I NEEEEDDD IT!" And Andrea coolly tells her, "Mom took it away because she thought it would help you." Maggie freaks but then finds out its in the attic. She goes up to sleep in it again and finds Batman curled up in the covers sucking his thumb. Just kidding. It's some crazy kid in the covers, and she grabs a knife and walks towards Maggie. It turns out this is Miranda's murderer, and her name is Gena. She's Miranda's sister. She killed Miranda because she was a "bad girl" or something. Honestly? Mean? You kill a person because they are MEAN? You psycho! Turns out Gena has been doing all the horrible things happening this whole time. She's going to kill Maggie because she's mean to Andrea. @(*&(&*$@*&^$. It's the other way around, stupid head. Okay, maybe they're both mean sometimes, but to be honest, Andrea is the meaner one! So ugh! Then Andrea comes in, and Gena tells her, "Hi, Andrea. Your sister is going to die now." Or something like that. I really don't remember. Then Maggie and Gena wrestle around some before the canopy gets pulled over Gena. They get the knife from her, and Gena is taken off to the place where she came from.
Now the Travers family is sitting talking about what happened to conclude the book. The bed is now going to stay in the attic permanently and Maggie says, "Sweet dreams... sweet dreams!" Hahaha or something. I don't remember what she said but she sounded dumb.
THE END.
So yeah, okay book. Gets you really annoyed at some points, and makes you want to murder Andrea. At least, it did for me. By the way, sorry some points of the review are choppy, scenes are missed, or any other things. I don't have my copy with me and I haven't read the book in like, two months. So yeah.
May 31, 2021
I was vaguely interested in this Fear Street title after hearing Cameron from Library Macabre mention it in a book haul, and I have to be rather up-front in saying I've never read an R.L. Stine title before in my life. (Long story, and I don't have the energy to go over it.)
All in all, this was alright. It was roughly about what I expected it to be; I wasn't exactly shocked or put on edge, though it did make me somewhat nostalgic. It definitely has those early-to-mid-90s elements that I love. I believe the Fear Street series was marketed as a YA one, but I would say that the writing style still feels aimed at a much younger audience. I'm not sure if that's intentional on Stine's part or if that's just how he writes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it made the read much faster, but I did frequently feel like the plot suffered from being watered down. It almost feels like he restrained himself a lot from really cutting loose and writing this book the way he might have wanted to.
This was alright overall; fairly entertaining for what it was, and I'm glad I gave it a read, but I probably won't hang onto it.
All in all, this was alright. It was roughly about what I expected it to be; I wasn't exactly shocked or put on edge, though it did make me somewhat nostalgic. It definitely has those early-to-mid-90s elements that I love. I believe the Fear Street series was marketed as a YA one, but I would say that the writing style still feels aimed at a much younger audience. I'm not sure if that's intentional on Stine's part or if that's just how he writes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it made the read much faster, but I did frequently feel like the plot suffered from being watered down. It almost feels like he restrained himself a lot from really cutting loose and writing this book the way he might have wanted to.
This was alright overall; fairly entertaining for what it was, and I'm glad I gave it a read, but I probably won't hang onto it.
October 26, 2022
I love fear street books but this one seemed slow and not that eventful. The girl had bad dreams and that was most of the book. The ending was where 90% of the action was and the only good part really. I found myself wanting the book to be over most of it and the ending it made the rest of the book make sense as to why the friends got hurt and for andreas benefit. Just wish more happened throughout and not only at the end. I like how there was kinda a supernatural element even though it was minimal. And it literally out of nowhere had her running through a cave just because it was in her dream… just a lot of this book is pointless and boring. Just could’ve been done better and had a lot more going on. And this book focused so much on her swimming and her fighting with her sister it didn’t have much horror or excitement at all (until the last 20 pages) and even the real antagonist at the end had no real reason of what she was doing and it just didn’t meet the mark. This is my first fear street under 3 stars. 2.5 stars sadly
March 21, 2023
روز اول عید در تنهایی و بی حوصلگی و اینا چاره ای جز خوندن آر ال استاین نبود
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فک میکنم تا اینجا توی این مجموعه،کتاب مورد علاقه م همین بود.لحظات باشکوه زیادی داشت و خط داستانی جالب بود.همزمان ترسناک بود و رازآلود.ترس هاش هم خیلی کودکانه نبود و تصویرسازی هاش خوب بود.
توی یک پنجم آخر داستان یکم ارتباطات منطقی کمرنگ شدن.مثلا (اسپویلر الرت)
اینکه شما وقتی از یه موجود فرار میکنی،بعد که نمیری دوباره بگردی پیداش کنی.بعد که پیداش کردی باز سعی کنی فرار کنی ازش.یه چیزای کوچیک غیرمنطقی داشت اون اخرا ولی درکل به نظرم هیجان انگیز بود
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فک میکنم تا اینجا توی این مجموعه،کتاب مورد علاقه م همین بود.لحظات باشکوه زیادی داشت و خط داستانی جالب بود.همزمان ترسناک بود و رازآلود.ترس هاش هم خیلی کودکانه نبود و تصویرسازی هاش خوب بود.
توی یک پنجم آخر داستان یکم ارتباطات منطقی کمرنگ شدن.مثلا (اسپویلر الرت)
اینکه شما وقتی از یه موجود فرار میکنی،بعد که نمیری دوباره بگردی پیداش کنی.بعد که پیداش کردی باز سعی کنی فرار کنی ازش.یه چیزای کوچیک غیرمنطقی داشت اون اخرا ولی درکل به نظرم هیجان انگیز بود
April 7, 2024
Great story but the ebook format was really weird. There were no spaces or indicators for scene changes. For example, the character would be having a conversation with someone in one location and in the next paragraph be at a swimming pool or doing something hours or days later in another location. I don’t think any parts were cut but it’s something to consider when reading the ebook format.
May 16, 2024
So before I begin my review I have to warn you that there will be spoilers for a previous Fear Street book: The Prom Queen.
There are recurring characters from that book that appear in this one and not as little one shot cameos so if you haven't read the previous book and don't want it spoiled, this may not be worth reading. If you have already read both books I'm sure it will be no problem for you. I'll try my best not to spoil it but once I start writing my thoughts are going to pour out so just letting you know beforehand.
"Maggie Travers' bad dreams didn't start until the night she slept in the canopy bed for the first time."
Seventeen year old Maggie Travers, her sixteen year old sister Andrea, their mother and Golden Retriever Gus move into a new house on Fear Street from the rich North Hills neighborhood in Shadyside after their father dies from a heart attack.
The two sisters don't really get along like most sisters with Andrea I guess being jealous that her sister is prettier and gets the attention of boys while Maggie thinks Andrea is a brat who always whines and it's shown that she is known to treat others snobbily because of where they live or rather...where they use to live.The girls are also both on the swim team and Maggie is of course one of the stars while Andrea struggles.
Once inside to unpack in their pre chosen rooms, Maggie finds a gorgeous, four-poster pink canopy bed in hers and Andrea gets totes jealous trying to make their mother give it to her but of course you know finders keepers. Besides the stress of sibling rivalry, there is also a big swim meet coming up and Maggie is determined to win and show up her best friend but rival by ego, Dawn.
As stated soon Maggie begins to have dreams about a blonde girl crying out for help in the same bed which soon become darker with an unseen attacker. Maggie learns from the old couple next door that the girl was named Miranda and she was murdered in the canopy bed! This makes Maggie a little paranoid and rightfully squicked out but she begins to think that maybe Miranda is sending the dreams beyond the grave to find her killer.
Soon, Maggie imagines seeing Miranda's ghost in the house at night hiding in the shadows, a malevolent presence stalking her and then going after her friends on the swim team! Is all of this in Maggie's head like her boyfriend Justin possibly thinks or is it possible that little sister has finally gotten fed up with Maggie always getting everything she wants?
WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS! - Maggie's boyfriend is Justin Stiles from The Prom Queen and he seems to have changed slightly. Known for being a male whore when it comes to girls he appears to really care about Maggie and doesn't have a roaming eye for anyone else but when things get creepier he seems to become distant.
I suppose this happens when your current girlfriend is friends with one of your ex-girlfriends...
The one character I still don't like and doesn't seem to have made any kind of progress is Dawn Rodgers, another Prom Queen alumna who is Maggie's friend and Justin's ex.
She is still very competitive and doesn't seem to be as boy crazy but she is annoying and gets on Maggie's case if she does better than her than be supportive. She tells Maggie that Justin has a roaming eye but maybe she is just jealous that Justin isn't her boy toy anymore and is more faithful to Maggie than he was to any of the girls before her.
When Dawn becomes a victim of one of the accidents caused in the book to blame Maggie, she does blame her and avoids Maggie the rest of the time but caught giving her sour looks. By the book's conclusion, we never learn if Dawn forgives Maggie or if Justin stops being weird around her but at least I care if he and Mags get back together. I couldn't care less if Dawn continues to be a bitch and they stop being BFFs I'd rather have Maggie get closer to her sister Andrea.
Besides that, the story is pretty good and I like Maggie as the protagonist. She isn't annoying and relatable and even her sister Andrea has good points.
They fight but both of the Travers sisters share in the loss of their father and do care about each other so Andrea isn't that bad of a character. We don't spend a lot of time with their mother but she seems caring and rightfully at her rope's end when her girls fight so I like her pretty much as a side character.
As a matter of opinion, Bad Dreams has one of the best covers.
This cover is probably one that male Fear Street readers had to keep hidden from Mom under the mattress. Besides the showing of some skin it's still pretty modest but two girls in nighties in bed looking like victims of one of those Slumber Party Massacre films might have Mother wondering about her little boy.
It's also actually a very girly color scheme with reds, pinks and whites kind of almost a Neapolitan ice cream of terror but very detailed with girls and the four poster bed. I'm kind of glad you can't see what has the girls afraid because less is always more but it also is so 1990's pulp!
Give this one a read if you haven't and hopefully you don't get any...Bad Dreams lol!
I'll see myself out...
There are recurring characters from that book that appear in this one and not as little one shot cameos so if you haven't read the previous book and don't want it spoiled, this may not be worth reading. If you have already read both books I'm sure it will be no problem for you. I'll try my best not to spoil it but once I start writing my thoughts are going to pour out so just letting you know beforehand.
"Maggie Travers' bad dreams didn't start until the night she slept in the canopy bed for the first time."
Seventeen year old Maggie Travers, her sixteen year old sister Andrea, their mother and Golden Retriever Gus move into a new house on Fear Street from the rich North Hills neighborhood in Shadyside after their father dies from a heart attack.
The two sisters don't really get along like most sisters with Andrea I guess being jealous that her sister is prettier and gets the attention of boys while Maggie thinks Andrea is a brat who always whines and it's shown that she is known to treat others snobbily because of where they live or rather...where they use to live.The girls are also both on the swim team and Maggie is of course one of the stars while Andrea struggles.
Once inside to unpack in their pre chosen rooms, Maggie finds a gorgeous, four-poster pink canopy bed in hers and Andrea gets totes jealous trying to make their mother give it to her but of course you know finders keepers. Besides the stress of sibling rivalry, there is also a big swim meet coming up and Maggie is determined to win and show up her best friend but rival by ego, Dawn.
As stated soon Maggie begins to have dreams about a blonde girl crying out for help in the same bed which soon become darker with an unseen attacker. Maggie learns from the old couple next door that the girl was named Miranda and she was murdered in the canopy bed! This makes Maggie a little paranoid and rightfully squicked out but she begins to think that maybe Miranda is sending the dreams beyond the grave to find her killer.
Soon, Maggie imagines seeing Miranda's ghost in the house at night hiding in the shadows, a malevolent presence stalking her and then going after her friends on the swim team! Is all of this in Maggie's head like her boyfriend Justin possibly thinks or is it possible that little sister has finally gotten fed up with Maggie always getting everything she wants?
WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS! - Maggie's boyfriend is Justin Stiles from The Prom Queen and he seems to have changed slightly. Known for being a male whore when it comes to girls he appears to really care about Maggie and doesn't have a roaming eye for anyone else but when things get creepier he seems to become distant.
I suppose this happens when your current girlfriend is friends with one of your ex-girlfriends...
The one character I still don't like and doesn't seem to have made any kind of progress is Dawn Rodgers, another Prom Queen alumna who is Maggie's friend and Justin's ex.
She is still very competitive and doesn't seem to be as boy crazy but she is annoying and gets on Maggie's case if she does better than her than be supportive. She tells Maggie that Justin has a roaming eye but maybe she is just jealous that Justin isn't her boy toy anymore and is more faithful to Maggie than he was to any of the girls before her.
When Dawn becomes a victim of one of the accidents caused in the book to blame Maggie, she does blame her and avoids Maggie the rest of the time but caught giving her sour looks. By the book's conclusion, we never learn if Dawn forgives Maggie or if Justin stops being weird around her but at least I care if he and Mags get back together. I couldn't care less if Dawn continues to be a bitch and they stop being BFFs I'd rather have Maggie get closer to her sister Andrea.
Besides that, the story is pretty good and I like Maggie as the protagonist. She isn't annoying and relatable and even her sister Andrea has good points.
They fight but both of the Travers sisters share in the loss of their father and do care about each other so Andrea isn't that bad of a character. We don't spend a lot of time with their mother but she seems caring and rightfully at her rope's end when her girls fight so I like her pretty much as a side character.
As a matter of opinion, Bad Dreams has one of the best covers.
This cover is probably one that male Fear Street readers had to keep hidden from Mom under the mattress. Besides the showing of some skin it's still pretty modest but two girls in nighties in bed looking like victims of one of those Slumber Party Massacre films might have Mother wondering about her little boy.
It's also actually a very girly color scheme with reds, pinks and whites kind of almost a Neapolitan ice cream of terror but very detailed with girls and the four poster bed. I'm kind of glad you can't see what has the girls afraid because less is always more but it also is so 1990's pulp!
Give this one a read if you haven't and hopefully you don't get any...Bad Dreams lol!
I'll see myself out...
July 20, 2020
I read this book for a book challenge prompt which is to read a book that you read as a teenager. What a trip down memory lane!
July 11, 2021
Oh those bad dreams. 💴 💰
April 18, 2022
I love the dramatics that a good Fear Street book brings, and this one has it in spades. Lots of shrieking, lots of thinking someone is dead/about to be killed, lots of fun!
September 30, 2023
This would be really good as an episode of Supernatural.
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