Similar to the Goosebumps series written by the original master of fright, these books feature children who find themselves in very scary situations, like this one, where a wooden ventriloquist doll comes to life! However, unlike the books from our childhood, the Spookies are not written for children. The villains will often be symbolic versions of greater issues, following themes of abuse, racism, alcoholism, and other real life monsters that haunt our children everyday. By delivering this from the naive perspective of a child, we’re left with a very dark comedy that presents itself as a parody even though it’s very much its own thing. Reader beware, you’re in for what may be something that is potentially scary!