Goosebumps Series

N242_SCH_GBAttackMutantCvr_0_1068261078.tif

Written by R.L Stein (Scholastic)

Ages 8-12

Children love scary stories, almost as much as they love funny stories. As a master writer of horror stories for kids, R.L Stine’s Goosebumps series is available in 32 languages and is one of the bestselling book series of all time.

Easy readers

Goosebumps are often credited for getting the most reluctant readers to read. Short chapters, basic vocabulary, cliff hangers at the end of each chapter, predictable and therefore easy to understand plots all make these the perfect series to get children reading. And the fact that there are endless books in the series makes them even better. You can buy the books individually or in box sets from most good book stores.

Not TOO scary

The books follow children who find themselves in scary situations, usually involving ghosts, vampires, werewolves, monsters, cannibals, giant insects and other supernatural elements. The story lines are quite repetitive and even thought there is a sense of danger and fear, everything gets resolved and no one actually dies. And the mean bullies and horrible siblings satisfyingly get their just desserts. Since they were first written in the 1990’s some word choices are not as acceptable now as they were then, such as calling people stupid dummies.

As R.L Stine, said, “A good horror story for kids starts in the backyard. I don’t think it starts in a dark castle. It starts in the kitchen or the attic, somewhere close to them, and it threatens reality just enough. But at the same time, the kids reading the book have to know that it’s fantasy. They have to know that the scary things can’t really happen. Once they know that, things can get pretty scary! For me it’s a balance between horror and humour; I try and make the Goosebumps books funny, too. If I think things are getting too scary, I put something funny in to lighten the mood.”

If you have a child that scares easily or you are not sure of the story line, read it yourself first. Maybe the story line hits on a particular fear of your child’s, so it’s best to screen the books first. They are very quick reads!

Why do we like scary stories?

The strange thing about being scared is we often laugh right after we are scared. It’s a release of adrenaline and tension. So sometimes reading scary stories is a release for children. They get to imagine the worst that can happen and then it all turns out well. Scary stories are a way for children to explore their fears in a safe environment. They can help kids learn how to deal with the real world. They are also a way to acknowledge that life isn’t always easy and it’s OK to be scared. Read here for more reasons why horror stories can be educational.

As mentioned above, you do need to monitor the scary stories they are exposed to however, as sometimes they can be damaging and cause issues like insomnia, anxiety and other fears.

Meet the author

R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling children’s authors in history. Goosebumps, which recently celebrated its 30^thanniversary, has more than 400 million books in print in 32 languages. He has also written a book about how to write horror for kids, called There’s Something Strange About My Brain: Writing Horror for Kids (2023). Stine has been referred to as the Stephen King of children’s literature.

The Goosebumps series made him a worldwide publishing celebrity and his other popular book series include the teen series, Fear Street, (recently revived as a feature film trilogy), The Garbage Pail Kids, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room, and Rotten School. Other titles include: It’s The First Day of School Forever, A Midsummer Night’s Scream, Young Scrooge, Stinetinglers, and three picture books, with Marc Brown—The Little Shop of Monsters, Mary McScary, and Why Did the Monster Cross the Road.