Goosebumps: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom is about a twelve-year-old boy named Michael who is stuck in time because of a magical cuckoo clock that his father had bought and placed in their den, despite the warnings and uncertainties of his wife. The clock was known to have a crucial, tiny flaw, so when alone, Michael started to examine the clock, searching for what the flaw might be.
He first noticed a big door underneath the cuckoo door, which he decided to open to see what was inside. Playing a prank on him, his sister Tara jumps out and grabs Michael to scare him. Later that night, Michael decided to get his revenge by turning the cuckoo clock bird head backward. He then went to sleep, not knowing that the next day would be the very day that he hated the most.
This part marks the climax of the story. Michael intended to get his sister in trouble, as she seemed to ruin everything fun for Michael, specifically thinking of the time she ruined his twelfth birthday. His excitement changed, however, when he woke up and it turned out that he was reliving the birthday that Tara had ruined.
The book falls under genres such as mystery, science-fiction, and horror, despite the book not being very frightening; it’s what happens throughout that’s a scary experience. The tension between Tara and Michael keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what is going to happen next: who dies, who lives, who’s the villain, who stops the villain.
The climax is the part that keeps the reader on their toes because when Michael turned the head of the cuckoo bird, he turned back time and only he knew it, but the worst of this nightmare was that he had gone to the time before the family bought the clock, which meant turning the cuckoo head to its original position was a lot harder than he thought.
He had to look for the store his father bought it from and find it. He goes so far back to the past to the point where Tara wasn’t born yet, which made him happy but he didn’t have the time to enjoy those moments. It would seem that Michael’s biggest wish, of “XXX”, can or cannot come true, depending on his actions.
Overall I would give this book 4 Falcons. Arthur R.L. Stine’s use of time manipulation made this book very creative, with all the events being so unexpected. Even for those who often foresee unexpected endings, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom, is guaranteed to throw you a curve ball.
