Welcome to Owl Book World! Today I’m doing a review of It’s the First Day of School Forever by R. L. Stine. This is my first middle-grade read in what seems like a long time! If you enjoy this review make sure to subscribe to my newsletter. It would mean the world to me and it will help you stay up to date on books and reviews!

It’s the First Day of School Forever! book summary

It’s the First Day of School Forever! is a horror middle-grade book by R. L. Stine. The story follows Artie on his first day at school. He thinks everything is going to be okay but things start to go wrong from the very moment he wakes. After that things just get progressively worse as the day goes on. When he wakes up again he realizes that it’s the first day of school…again. Was it all just a dream? If so will he be able to make things better this time around?

What I thought about It’s the First Day of School…Forever!

I’m not really sure why but I actually didn’t realize this was a middle-grade book when I first started reading it. I guess it should have been more obvious since the kid on the cover actually looks like a middle schooler. Before you guys say anything I actually thought that it was a young adult story like R. L. Stine’s Fear Street books. Despite it being a middle grade I still really enjoyed the story!

The Characters

It’s the First Day of School…Forever follows Artie from the moment he wakes up and falls out of his bed. Like I said his bad day literally starts from the moment he wakes up. We follow him through his first day of school multiple times and every day keeps getting worse. He thinks he can make things better but something worse ends up happening and scars him.

Books like this is why I love R. L. Stine. He was one of my favorite authors growing up and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors again. I guess I shouldn’t phrase it that way because I never stopped liking his books I just ended up outgrowing them. Now as an adult I’m starting to enjoy them again. I always love the characters he creates because they’re always a good mix of realistic and over-dramatic.

The Plot

At first, the plot of It’s the First Day of School Forever! wasn’t my thing. That’s partly because at first, I didn’t realize the book was in middle grade. So, obviously, I thought the story was juvenile. Once I came to terms with the idea I actually enjoyed it more. The story is a quick read and not just because there are only 182 pages in the book. The story flows well and after the first chapter it picks up more.

I do have to say that R. L. Stine is the master when it comes to endings. I was not expecting that ending AT ALL! Usually, his endings come out of the blue for me. That’s something I’ve come to expect from his books but I never know how to guess it’s going to end. I have to admit that I’m pretty sure R. L. Stine is the reason that I love surprising and shocking endings when it comes to the books that I read. I always love those types of endings when it comes to thrillers and horror. In a way, this has made me pretty critical of those genres because not all of them are going to end that way and not every reader likes for them to end that way.

Hopefully, soon I can start reading more of his books! Are any of you guys R. L. Stine fans?

If you like this review then you might also like my review for one of his Fear Street novels.