Goosebumps Read-A-Long & Discussion: Let's Get Invisible!

Welcome to the third discussion for the Goosebumps-Read-A-Long. If you are interested in my other reviews and discussions you can go here and here.



Let's Get Invisible! by R.L. Stine

3 stars

Let's Get Invisible! is the sixth installment to the popular Goosebumps series and it doesn't seem to a popular one. I honestly have never been very aware of Let's Get Invisible! growing up. If anything this is a Goosebumps novel that seems to have gone right over my grabby, sticky paws as a child. I can't remember ever stumbling upon this at the library or at Books-a-Million on my birthday shopping spree (which only consisted of me wanting Goosebumps books). This is even has a TV episode which I have never seen! Color me surprised.


Obviously this is a Goosebumps book that I knew little to nothing about when going into it. The only thing I knew this book would provide was invisibility, which seems cool as a kid, but we all know that it is a power marked with doom. The most interesting thing about Let's Get Invisible! is that the "plot twist" is a lot darker than your average Goosebumps read. If anything I feel like this is one of the creepier books and it was probably the inspiration for many horror movies that feature mirrors with dimensions.


I'm getting ahead of myself, let's discuss the plot of this story before I go onto discuss how entertaining the plot twist was. Max is celebrating his twelfth (I maybe wrong) birthday party with all of his friends. His best friend, two girl friends, and brother discover a hidden room in the attic after the party. This hidden room contains a mirror with a light switch and when Max pulls the light he becomes invisible. Eventually after a few trips to the mirror, his friends make it a game of who can stay invisible the longest. That spells out trouble for not only the reader, but Max can feel that this isn't right and they shouldn't be testing their limits without knowing more about the mirror and the light.


This story is surprisingly full of suspense. I breezed through it because I could only think about how badly this could end for Max and his friends. Of course, it does end badly. In fact, there isn't really even a happy ending. Applause for Stine for trying something new because I really liked it.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

There's always going to be plot holes in a Goosebumps book, but it didn't bother me in Let's Get Invisible! I was really into the story and by the end I wanted to know what happened next because Stine has the tendency to sometimes leave open endings. This was one ending I wish had a sequel!


The characters in this novel are all brats. They all bully each other with dares and from the get-go when they started the game it was obvious that it couldn't end well. Even the one leveled-headed girl eventually became tainted by the game after too much pressuring. Long story short: Kids are jerks. Let them keep pulling the switch and then you won't have to deal with them anymore.


Character Scale: 2.5

Villain Scale: 4

I really want to talk about the ending because it was a good one. The light switch and mirror are connected to a dimension where the reflection of the person who pulls the switch can be replaced. The reflections eventually want to leave the mirror and after a long period of time where the kids go invisible, they can take the children and put them into the mirror. It's an interesting concept and while I guessed the plot twist, but I really enjoyed the execution.  Of course, there are problems, but it is an easy novel to enjoy and I really liked what Stine did with Let's Get Invisible! Definitely a novel that deserves more recognition.


Plotastic Scale: 3.75

Cover Thoughts:

I kind of like the colors for this one, but I'm not a fan of the illustration.

I get what the cover is trying to imply, but I'm not feeling this at all.

I like the colors for these editions, but surprisingly this isn't my favorite like it usually is.

Now this is my favorite cover. I really like the colors and the illustration is pretty good at depicting the plot.

TV Show:
Let's Get Invisible! is a TV episode that can be watched for free on YouTube.
My Thoughts:
The beginning is completely different and has a whole different plot outline from the book. The characters are also very different and some are even taken out of the plot. The mirror shots in that bathroom scene are supposed to offer foreboding, but they were the funniest thing to watch. Talk about bad filming and acting. The brothers both pulling the light goes completely against how overprotective Max is and unsure of the light and its power. The changes made to the plot weren't as suspenseful and lacked the same feeling of, "Oh, shit!" as the story originally did. The climax was intense, but the Cold was just a weird psychedelic drug trip that I couldn't buy. I just wasn't a big fan of how this was remade. Not bad to watch, but I would recommend the book over it.

What are your thoughts on Let's Get Invisible? Was it a childhood favorite? Let's talk about the book, covers, and TV episode down below in the comments!