Three weeks ago, Nadia introduced our new summer blog series on book nostalgia. No book nostalgia list (in my opinion) would be complete without mentioning the Goosebumps series. Growing up I was a Goosebumps fanatic, to me R.L. Stine was (and still is) the master of creating creepy, scary stories with characters you love and root for throughout the book.

It was a tough decision, but I decided to read “SAY CHEESE AND DIE!” A classic if you ask me. My original plan was to only read the first chapter; however, before I knew it I was engulfed in the book wishing that Greg would stop taking pictures of his friends and family! A nostalgic moment indeed after finishing the entire book in 20 minutes!

For those of you who need a recap: Greg and his friends had been exploring the old “Coffman House” where Greg stumbles upon a camera, which he foolishly takes (at this point I am thinking DON’T DO IT GREG!) As he begins taking pictures with the camera he notices that the camera “makes the future” by causing horrible things to happen, like his dad’s car accident and the disappearance of his friend Shari.

My take away: Although I want to tell Greg to stop being a fool and knock it off with the pictures I too would have been curious to figure out the “curse” of the camera. I remember being so scared when reading these books as a child, and as I reread them today I can honestly say, YEP still a little scared. Could you imagine your friend smiling for a picture and the next minute she is gone?!

Rereading “SAY CHEESE AND DIE!” was a real treat. I love how R.L Stine makes his characters “real” people. The kids seemed like they could have been me and my friends at that age—adventurous, scared, curious and getting into things that they shouldn’t be. I could relate to all the characters and I was rooting for their safety.

image via thenextnoel