History Literature / TheHorrorAtCampJellyjam

It is one of the nineteen original series books that was not adapted into [[Series/{{Goosebumps}} the TV series]]. It would later be adapted into an installment of the ''[[ComicBookAdaptation Goosebumps Graphix]]'' series, included in the ''Scary Summer'' collection, in which [[RaceLift the protagonists are black, while minor character Rose goes from black to white]].

* ForWantOfANail: ''None'' of the rest of the book's events would've happened if Wendy hadn't suggested to her parents that she and Elliott ride in the trailer that's being towed behind them.

* ForWantOfANail: ''None'' of the rest of the book's events wouldn't have happened if Wendy hadn't suggested to her parents that she and Elliott can ride in the trailer that's being towed behind them.

* SneezeOfDoom: When spying on the [[spoiler: hypnotized counselors]], Wendy feels herself about to sneeze, and tries to stop it. It works the first time, but not the second time. This leads to [[spoiler: Buddy]] pointing at her, causing her to try and hide.

* SeriousBusiness: Winning a sport and getting a King Coin. Indeed, when Wendy says that she is going to the swimming pool to splash around, her roommates look at her as if she is crazy and reply that she has to race instead. And when she lets Dierdre win instead, a counselor pulls her aside right afterwards to warn her to not do that.

* SunglassesAtNight: Wendy notices that a patrolling counselor has a dark blue pair of sunglasses, and she even notes that it is during nighttime.

* BaitAndSwitchAccusation: While Wendy and her bunkmates sneak out at night to find Diedre, a patrolling counsellor yells to stop, and asks what they're doing here. Wendy immediately assumes that he's talking to her, and is about to answer, but then finds out that he was talking to a different counsellor who was also patrolling.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:King Jellyjam is killed, the councilors are freed from his control, and the surviving campers are reunited with their families, but many children are still dead, and the councilors and surviving children will have to deal with the trauma probably for the rest of their lives.]]

* ChildEater: [[spoiler: King Jellyjam eats children who don't work hard enough]]

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Unlike Wendy, who dives to the ground the first time she encounters a quake at the camp, the other people are not even faded from their games.

On a boring road trip, Wendy and Elliot decide to ride in the trailer instead of the back of the car. A couple of {{contrived coincidence}}s later, they find themselves seperated from their parents and enrolled at Camp Jellyjam, a summer camp for kids who are obsessed with sports. Since this is the 1990s, nobody has a mobile phone, and because it's a ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book, none of the payphones work. Not to worry, there are sports to play! Just don't worry that the camp counsellors go out of their way to prevent contact with the ouside world. And kids keep disappearing. And there are semi-frequent earthquakes. And a girl keeps urging Wendy to run away. And the camp mascot is a purple blob monster.

* AllThereInTheManual: The bonus section in the reprint reveals King Jellyjam’s backstory. [[spoiler: A cup of gelatin was left in a supernatural cave]].

* ArcWords: “Only the Best” [[spoiler:can be King Jellyjam’s slaves]].

* AdultFear: Imagine being a parent who has sent their kid to a seemingly legit, if not oddly named, sports camp (though Wendy and Elliott -- the main characters -- actually crash-landed at the camp because the trailer attached to their car fell off and their parents didn't realize they were missing until later). Then you've lost contact with the camp. Then you learn that your children have been [[spoiler: exploited for slave labor at the behest of a gigantic purple monstrosity that ''ate'' any kid that stopped working!]]

* ILetYouWin: Wendy has no incentive to win contests; she tends to let Elliott win because he's her little brother, and she does the same with Dawn during the swimming race. Buddy tells her that he knows that she can do great things if she pushes herself. [[spoiler:He was lying; Buddy wanted her to win so she'd be another slave for King Jellyjam]].