Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks, R.L. Stine, and Ramon de Ocampo (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Shark Night in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of horror and a fan of Goosebumps, I was excited to see something about sharks, although I don't appreciate when sharks are shed in a negative light. Still, this makes for a fun middle grade/young adult semi-horror story.

Shark Night follows Carlo, whose mom is making a documentary on sharks. He's not exactly agreeable when it comes to being the one placed in the cage for the documentary. He's only twelve after all! But a kid with a shark seems like an excellent way to get high ratings.

It's supposed to be a hammerhead, relatively docile for a shark. Instead, Carlo finds himself face-to-face with a bull shark, known for their aggressive ferocity. When Carlos cage breaks and he finds himself on an island, he wonders how things turned to such a mess.

In an adventure of facing fear and coping with unfortunate situations, this novel is quick, quirky, and fun for a middle grade audience. It offers some instances of a fourth wall break that add a little extra fun, and the character and scenarios he is placed in are both realistic and ridiculous at the same time. Another fun novel from the brilliant writer of young readers horror.

🦈 Today I want to share RL Stine’s newest book, Shark Night. Most of us know his work from the Goosebumps series, but this one is different. It’s more adventurous and action packed, I wouldn’t classify it as horror at all. This is one everyone in your family would enjoy. There are some tense moments, but with all middle grade books, we know it’s going to work out!

🎧 Shark Night
✍🏻 RL Stine
🗣️ NARRATOR Ramón de Ocampo, who is Amazing!
🗓️ Published July 2024 and available on all formats
📚 Published by @blackstonepublishing
I listened to this one thru @netgalley - thank you!

🦈 I admit I expected this to be more like a goosebumps book, and more of a horror book. It’s definitely not, and it’s so good! It’s full of action, adventures, and a nightmare for poor Liam. Read this one and find out what happens when Liam’s Mom is filming a documentary for the Danger Channel!

I was worried that my own nostalgia might color my review, but SHARK NIGHT did not disappoint!

Set in California, it follows middle schooler Liam and his little sister, Rosa. Their mom is desperate for a hit TV show, and the kids are willing to help her any way they can. The story plays with sibling dynamics, underwater terrors, and what it means to be brave. Fans of Goosebumps will find the beats of Stine’s writing familiar, but still surprising and entertaining!

Highly recommend for any middle grade library—it is short, funny and terrifying!

R.L. Stine will forever be the reigning king of mid grade horror! This chilling tale had so much happening in it that is relevant in our world that the kids will just eat it up! At the end of each chapter, you just end up saying "now what?!"!

This was a really huge disappointment.

How foolish of me to expect a book called Shark Night to be focused on, oh I don't know, sharks. There was a brief bit in the beginning that was shark related but the book quickly moves past that and into one of the most wildly unbelievable plots I've ever read and not in a fun way. I'm usually a big fan of Stine and his younger reader horror books. There is a level of suspended belief you have to have to be okay with to enjoy those books and most books for that matter but I just couldn't justify a single part of this story. From the actions of the mother to the children's repeated horrible decision making throughout.

I think I didn't love the last few he's released and maybe his writing just isn't for me anymore.

** would like to note that the audio narrator was fantastic! **

A perfect example of why R.L. Stine is a great writer of spooky stories for young people. As an adult, I loved reading this book; it was spooky and had some tense moments but still turned out to be a fun story to read. The audiobook is well done, the reader is clear and easy to listen to.

ʀʟ sᴛɪɴᴇ ɪs sᴏ sᴜᴄᴄᴇssғᴜʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇʟᴇss ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʜɪs sᴛᴏʀɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴜsᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴅɪsʙᴇʟɪᴇғ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴇʟs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ғᴏʀᴍ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪs ɢᴏᴏsᴇʙᴜᴍᴘ sᴇʀɪᴇs. ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʟʏ, ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ʜɪs ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs ᴅᴏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ! ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ ʙʏ ʀᴀᴍᴏɴ ᴡᴀs sᴛᴇʟʟᴀʀ! ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴊᴏʙ ᴏғ ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ ʜɪs ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄᴀʟ. ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢᴇʀ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ sɪʟʟʏ ғᴏʀ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇʀᴍ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɢᴇ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ ᴀs ᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ 🙃 ʜɪs ᴄᴀᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴀʙʟᴇ - ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ! ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴀ ғᴜɴ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇғɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ ᴏʀ ᴀ ɴᴏsᴛᴀʟɢɪᴄ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ 😎

📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @BlackstonePublishing ᴀɴᴅ @Netgalley ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖

We listened to this on a long vacation drive with our kiddo and it helped to pass the time, keeping him interested. It felt like standard Goosebumps stuff which I like for the nostalgia. If you’re looking for a shark attack kind of vibe, this really didn’t have it. There were a couple parts with sharks but mostly lots of running from authority in a resort. Not the best RL Stine, but not the worst either.

Here's another spellbinder from R.L. Stine. My students love the Goosebumps series, and this latest book is certain to scare all of them. I would certainly be scared out of my wits if I was thrown into a tank with an enormous hammerhead chasing me.
What's fun about this fast-moving story is that intermingled with the fright is humor and many what-ifs. The cliffhanger at the end is a nail-biter and sure to entertain my readers!
The narrator was terrific! Entertaining read!

I was excited to be able to listen to this audiobook, since R.L. Stine fear street series maas the main reason I fell in love with books! Even though this book is for young readers I found myself hooked from the very start. Liam is twelve year old who's mother tends to have very interesting ideas for documentaries. Her latest one my prove to be too much for Liam. I absolutely love the story it was fun and exciting. The narrator did an excellent job which was part of the reason I was so interested in the story. Highly recommend this audiobook.

This was a really fun and wacky book that will be perfect for young readers who want books that center shark adventures.

My son and I like to listen to R L Stine together. It's something we've done since he was little. My son said he liked the twist at the end. Ramon de Ocampa does a nice job as narrator. R L Stine has a great imagination and knows how to tell a story. If you're kids love scary stories, he's the author to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing-audiobooks, and RL Stine for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Shark Night” by RL Stine. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I requested this book for little me who is in the past with a stack of RL Stine and Christopher Pike library books she had no business binge reading every summer.

I also love sharks so I was excited to request this book. The cover reminded me of Deep Trouble which was one of my favorite Goosebumps books.

“Shark Night” is a fun and fast-paced read. The narrator did a great job performing this story. The story follows Liam who we’re introduced to in a shark tank with a shark being lowered. His mother is totally on board, in fact it was all her idea for the Danger Channel. This was a little hard to suspend my disbelief over but really all the adults in this story deserve jail time. I feel like maybe that’s something I didn’t notice as a kid but now as a parent all the terrible adults stood out to me.

I feel like the twist was kind of obvious. I also wished for more shark scenes as everything that happens in the blurb is at the beginning and then I was kind of missing more sharks. There were plenty of action moments that pulled the story along and contributed to create more of a mystery for what was going on below the surface.

Overall a fast fun read that appealed to my childhood nostalgia.

4/5 stars

I do enjoy a good R.L. Stine. I always have really. While this isn’t a goosebumps book, it has the same feel. I mean a kid whose mom puts him in a shark tank? Doesn’t get much more R.L. Stine than that. I can’t complain about this story. It was the perfect length for a kids book with the right amount of suspense and it wouldn’t be terrifying for young readers by any means. Great introduction to the genre!

My boys loved this book. They thought there was lots of suspense but not that scary. Ultimately, I enjoyed it because R.L. Stine is nostalgia. He was THE author of my elementary school days that my boys are now experiencing themselves. It is fun to be apart of that.

Many of the plot twist and turns are radically unrealistic, but at the same time it is super fun to picture the main character being delivered to a boat of weird men by a dolphin! Meh! Ha!

I was so excited for a chance to read the great R.L. Stine's Shark Night horror book right before Shark Week!!! Filled with suspense, sprinkled with youthful humor, and shock and horror of what Carlo's mom and little sister would do for fame, I loved it!!!

This was a decent story but it wasn't very spooky. I think the premise is a little misleading as the shark part is only a tiny bit of the story. I actually guessed what was going on within the story but I am not sure all kids would guess what was going on but some might. I guess I was just expecting something different. I am always a bit hit or miss with this author and his middle grade spooky books. I did enjoy the narrator for this story.

💬: -

📖Genres: middle grade, horror, humor

📚Page Count: 225

🎧Audiobook Length: 03h 09min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5
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Shark Night by R. L. Stine is a story about Carlo, who's mom is a t.v show producer. Carlo's mom comes up with this wild t.v show idea to have a kid in a large water tank film a shark that they release. At first Carlo thinks he won't have to be the one in the tank, but he's wrong. Trying to calm his nerves, he grips his camera and then realizes that the producers didn't lower down the harmless and toothless hammerhead shark like they promised, they released a more deadly shark! Now Carlo is terrified, will he survive?

This was okay, it reminded me of some of the Goosebumps books I read when I was a kid. I think I enjoyed the Goosebumps series better but this was still okay. There are a lot of wacky characters and situations that Carlo gets into so I think any middle grader reading this will be entertained.

The audio book narration was great, Ramon de Ocampo did a really good job narrator all the characters. They also helped keep the story interesting.

This book was okay. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], R.L. Stine (the author), and Blackstone Publishing (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

R.L. Stine strikes again in this fintastically frightful story. Just when you think the twists have ended… they attack again. Liam’s mom has a wildly horrific pitch for a tv show where unsuspecting swimmers are met with a shark. They film their reactions and go viral. When the star of the show breaks his ankle… Liam is thrust into the limelight and into the shark tank. Things get twisty and a little chaotic after the first few moments of filming. Read on to find out how!

If you’re a long time R.L. Stine fan, then this will hit home for you! It’s more of a thriller than a horror, but it was still just as exciting. I found myself laughing, gasping, and boo-ing with all that happens. This book ended before I was ready for it to, but I highly recommend it!