The Bookworm: Give Me a K-I-L-L
Give Me a K-I-L-L, by R.L. Stine. 281 pages. Thomas Dunne Books. April 2017.
She couldn’t stop picturing the gusher of bright blood shooting up from Madison’s open throat, spouting over Madison and splashing onto the stage floor. She couldn’t stop hearing again and again the screams and horrified shrieks of everyone in the auditorium as they looked helplessly on. (p. 170)
What time is it? Fear Street reading season!
The Shadyside High cheerleaders are back in all their vindictive, catty, athletic glory—minus the ancient evil—in Give Me a K-I-L-L.
Give Me a K-I-L-L tells the story of Gretchen Page, who recently moved to Shadyside and battles department store heiress Devra Dalby for the last spot on the Shadyside High cheerleading squad. A heated rivalry develops between the two and does not end after the tryout. Gretchen is tormented by treats and vicious pranks, and she is sure Devra is behind them. After one of the other cheerleaders is badly injured and Gretchen’s neighbor and only friend in Shadyside is killed, Gretchen is sure she will be the next victim during the cheerleaders’ retreat.
I knew it was only a matter of time before the Shadyside High cheerleaders returned. Cheerleaders are such good fodder for young adult horror novels and horror movies. As far-fetched as the old cheerleader series is, they are fun to read. They are apparently fun to write too; Stine mentioned on a previous version of his website that the cheerleader books were his favorite Fear Street books to write.
Give Me a K-I-L-L is the last contracted book in the “A Fear Street Novel” run published by Thomas Dunne. However, the series is continuing with HarperTEEN. Two books were published this year (I know what I want for my birthday), so I assume this will not be the last time the cheerleaders appear. Perhaps they will even be the focus of one of the three Fear Street movies in development. That’s right: three Fear Street movies. I have yet to hear any outlines or titles but bet one of the old sagas will be involved.
Anyway, Give Me a K-I-L-L is a familiar whodunit that kept me guessing until the end. And guess what happens at the end. Our old friend deus ex machina makes an appearance; something that had never been mentioned before (but, albeit, was alluded to) is revealed and solves the book’s puzzle. It’s lame, but getting there is a lot of fun.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it is set in the fall. Though the story begins near the beginning of the school year, the bulk of the book takes place during football season, so there are references to colorful leaves and cooler autumn temperatures. I was feeling it! I love it when the current season matches the season in the book. I’m weird like that, and it makes me wonder why this book was released in April. Wouldn’t it be much more fitting to release a book set in autumn at the end of summer or beginning of autumn? It’s just a thought, but I’m sure the publisher had its reason.
Give Me a K-I-L-L suffers from the same bad copyediting as some of the other Thomas Dunne books, so hopefully Harper will give the series much more love and pay better attention to the brass tacks. Incorrect usage of blonde is the most glaring issue—the book begins with an incorrect usage of blonde—but there are also a number of places were words are missing or misplaced. I suppose a handful of errors is not bad for a 281-page book, but there are a lot of books out there that are typo free. I think it speaks to the current state of publishing, where quality copyediting is unimportant.
The book hammers home a hallmark of the series: self-deprecating protagonists who constantly fuss about their appearance and admire everything about those around them. It is realistic? I think it is, especially given the age of the characters. Teens seem to be self-conscious, or at least I was as a teen. (I still am, but that’s a completely different post I will probably never write.) I think it’s natural for a lot of people at that age to stress about picky, perceived shortcomings, but reading another character glorify someone else’s hair or body has gotten old.
Also, I wonder if cheerleaders in real life are as bitchy and malicious as the cheerleaders in the Fear Street series. The bitchy, super competitive cheerleader stereotype is quite prevalent, so perhaps there is a lot a truth to the characterization.
There is a lot of promise in the cheerleader retreat at the end of the book, especially because it takes place at a camp. Unfortunately, only the climax takes place at the camp retreat, which I think is a missed opportunity. Seriously: malicious cheerleaders + a camp retreat = incredible possibilities! I’m talking Fear Street meets Friday the 13th.
There is a good dose of foreshadowing in Give Me a K-I-L-L, which irked me because I don’t think it is needed. It’s corny. Chapter ending lines like “But she had no way of knowing her troubles had just begun (p. 16)” and “She had no idea how much trouble a visit to a department store could cause (p. 38)” are over the top and juvenile. Of course, this is young adult horror. If I don’t like the style, I should stop reading it.
Another thing I found interesting about this book is that a number of characters describe something unpleasant or disagreeable as “the pits,” as in “Getting burned by a flaming baton is the pits!” It struck me as an antiquated term that modern teens would not use. As a millennial, I think a Shop-Vac response—“It sucks/blows”—is much more appropriate and fitting.
