Get Goosebumps at the Zoo

Zoos Giving You Goosebumps?

The days following Halloween are always sort of a let-down. After spending all of that time picking out your costume, sniffing out the largest possible pillow case to haul your load of candy, and giving yourself a good fright with an overdose of scary movies, in just a few fun-filled hours it's all over, and there are a full 364 days left until you get to do it over again next year. But just because October 31 is now behind us doesn't mean that the scares need to stop. Fun-size candies may come and go, but you can get Goosebumps from fright-master R.L. Stine all year.

R.L. Stine Web Chat Cancelled

Boo! Due to the severity of hurricane Sandy and the power outages affecting millions of people along the East Coast, we’ve decided to cancel the chat with R.L. Stine. Our STACKS team and R.L. Stine are disappointed. We were truly looking forward to this event! Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this storm.

You can still go to the Goosebumps website and play spooky games, read about the newest Goosebumps books, and watch Goosebumps videos.

Stay safe and have a happy Halloween!

Goosebumps Readalikes

Goosebumps Readalikes

You know when you find an amazing book, and you never want it to end? How do you find another book to read after that? Our answer: Readalikes to the rescue! We hope our Readalikes will rescue you from the what-to-read-next question, and help you find lots of new amazing books.

Today's Readalikes are for the Goosebumps series. Author R.L. Stine has said that Pinocchio, the story of a wooden puppet coming to life, inspired his Slappy character, and made him want to write about an evil ventriloquist dummy coming to life.

Sneak Peek Goosebumps Most Wanted: Son of Slappy

Sneak Peek Goosebumps Most Wanted: Son of Slappy

We've got an EXCLUSIVE preview for Goosebumps fans and Ink Splot 26 readers! The second book from the new Goosebumps Most Wanted series from fright master R.L. Stine doesn't release until January 2013, BUT we've got a sneak peek just for YOU! The evil puppet you love to hate is back for a brand-new scare in Goosebumps Most Wanted: Son of Slappy.

Jack Stander is every parent's dream. He doesn't get into trouble; he always does his homework, and he never lies. His teachers all trust him completely. He even volunteers at the local Youth Center. But that was all before Jackson came across an evil ventriloquist dummy. Now he must deal with Slappy as he wreaks havoc on his family and friends. Jackson will soon see that two Slappys are not better than one.

PREVIEW! Read a sample chapter of Goosebumps Most Wanted: Son of Slappy.

Goosebumps Create a Caption

Goosebumps Create a Caption

He's the evil puppet everyone loves to hate! Slappy has been scaring readers since the release of Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy in 1993. With his painted-on grin and beat up bow-tie, Slappy looks like an ordinary ventriloquist dummy. But looks can be very deceiving. This troublemaking block of wood is anything but dumb! He's a walking, talking, trash-talking terror!

Leave a Comment with your caption for this menacing Slappy pic!

--Amabel, Scholastic Media

R.L. Stine Halloween Web Chat!

R.L. Stine Halloween Web Chat!

UPDATE 10/31: Boo! Due to the severity of hurricane Sandy and the power outages affecting millions of people along the East Coast, we’ve decided to cancel the chat with R.L. Stine. Our STACKS team and R.L. Stine are disappointed. We were truly looking forward to this event! Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this storm. You can still go to the Goosebumps website and play spooky games, read about the newest Goosebumps books, and watch Goosebumps videos. Stay safe and have a happy Halloween!

Goosebumps fans, I have good news, bad news, and more good news.

First the good news. It's almost Halloween! To celebrate, Goosebumps author R.L. Stine will be hosting a Scholastic web chat on October 31 from 1-3 PM EST.

Now the bad news. You will probably be in school at that time, and it's on Facebook and Twitter which do not allow kids under 13.

But there's more good news! You can still participate! If you leave a Comment with your questions for R.L. Stine, I will send him your questions. He won't be able to answer them all, but you never know - he may pick YOUR question to answer during the chat. I'll post the answers and a recap of the chat right here on Ink Splot 26.

ALSO, if you happen to be free at that time on Halloween from 1-3 PM Eastern Time, I will be posting live updates from the chat on the Reading Buzz Board so you can join us there for our live Goosebumps Halloween R.L. Stine celebration!

Leave your questions for R.L. Stine in the Comments, and I'll see you on Halloween! (Virtually, of course. I can't actually "see" you from my computer. That would be really freaky!)

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Goosebumps Most Wanted New Series

Goosebumps Most Wanted New Series

Think you're ready for Goosebumps Most Wanted, the most recent series from fright-master R.L. Stine? Well, you'd better be because the paranormal hooligans in these books are on the loose and out to get you! The creepiest, most disgusting, evil favorites from Goosebumps are all here. And they're up to no good. Nothing is safe!

Goosebumps You Know You're Obsessed When

You know you're obsessed with Goosebumps when. . . 

You don't even have to open a Goosebumps book to know that it's going to be scary. The cover of You Can't Scare Me creeps me out so much I don't want to read it! You can expect a twist and turn on every page of a Goosebumps book, but if you are a real Goosebumps fan, there are certain tell-tale signs that you share with other people who live and breathe the horror-filled world of Goosebumps.

You know you're a truly obsessed fan of Goosebumps when . . .

• you won't buy a Halloween mask because you are afraid it won't come off once you put it on.
• if anything strange happens during play rehearsal, you automatically blame it on the new boy in town.
• vacation to Egypt is totally out of the question; no way you're going ANYWHERE near mummies!
• on the full moon, you look for signs that your new friend might be a werewolf.
• you won’t go near dummies or dolls because you’re afraid they’ll come to life!!!
• it seems quite possible that your boarding school is hiding aliens.
• you are SURE the plants in the backyard are talking to you.
• you know better than to mess with a cuckoo clock.
• the words “Yohhhhhhh Spirits!” send shivers up your spine.

So, are you obsessed with Goosebumps? Tell us how you recognize another Goosebumps fan in the Comments below!!!

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

Goosebumps 20th Anniversary

Goosebumps 20th Anniversary

It's the haunting season! And you know what that means. . . It's time to GET GOOSEBUMPS! Goosebumps turns 20 this year and we’re celebrating all month long on the STACKS! 20 years ago Scholastic released the very first Goosebumps book from R.L. Stine called Welcome to Dead House and launched a pop culture phenomenon that has spawned over 300 million books sold worldwide, a terrifyingly terrific TV show, video games, and more! In honor of Goosebumps' 20th, check out these fun facts about the monstrously addictive series:

New Hall of Horrors Book by R.L. Stine

Goosebumps Hall of Horrors 

Many of you have been scared, spooked, and terrified from reading Goosebumps books. The newest book from the Hall of Horrors series is no exception. It’s called The Birthday Party of No Return! and it will definitely give you a scare! 

In this book, Lee Hargrove wishes he could be lucky like his friend, Cory Duckworth. Cory has to be the luckiest kid on the planet. All Lee wants is to get a scholarship to Summer Sports Camp, but he's competing against Cory. Then Lee receives a good luck charm in the mail and his life seems to change immediately . . . until bad things start to happen.

R. L. Stine always comes up with spine-tingling titles that are sure to catch the attention of readers. A book title is very important to R.L. Stine, and the first thing he does when writing a new book is to create the title.

Can you make up a title that would give readers the chills? Create your own Goosebumps title and post it in the Comments. Don’t forget to make it extra spooky!

—Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

 

 

 

R.L. Stine Answers Your Questions!

A few weeks ago we asked you to write in your questions for the Master of Fright, Goosebumps author, R.L. Stine. He answered questions from 10 lucky readers, so read on to see if yours was chosen!

Q from SilverSnake: Which character do you think is most like you? Which character is most unlike you?
R.L. Stine: I like to think I'm like all my crazy characters—Slappy the dummy, who's so rude and awful; Dr. Maniac; The Ooze; The Menace, the evil villain from HorrorLand. But in real life, I'm more like Evan, the poor kid who lets the Monster Blood loose and doesn't have a clue how to defeat it.

Q from Raggweed: Since Goosebumps creeps me out, how can you not be scared, and keep making them? They freak even my older relatives out, so are you afraid of your own creations too?
R.L. Stine: Scary stuff NEVER scares me. Horror always makes me laugh instead. When I go to a scary movie, I don’t get scared—I just laugh. Same for writing Goosebumps books.

Q from Mysterygirl123: If you could be a monster for a day, what monster would you choose? Why? R.L. Stine: I would be a giant jellyfish from Deep Trouble because I like to swim a lot.

Q from ArtAthena13: What would you say to a kid who wants to be an author?
R.L. Stine: Write something every day. Keep a journal or a diary. And make sure you read a LOT!

Q from cnahk: Do you ever want to write something less scary?
R.L. Stine: I love writing funny books, too. That's why I wrote the Rotten School book series. I also try to put a lot of funny stuff in Goosebumps.

Q from Niki: Who's your favorite character? Why?
R.L. Stine: Slappy the evil dummy. I like writing all the insults and rude things he says to people.

Q from AstronomyAble3: Who is your inspiration and icon?
R.L. Stine: Many writers have inspired me. I think the sci-fi author Ray Bradbury was a big influence. Also, Rod Serling, who wrote The Twilight Zone.

Q from Lexi: Are you a prankster with scaring people?
R.L. Stine: No. Maybe I scared my little brother a few times when we were kids. But I'm not really into pranks and jokes. Too busy writing!

Q from CheerfulHeart15: What's your favorite book of Goosebumps that you wrote? Were you good at telling ghost stories when you were young?
R.L. Stine: My favorite Goosebumps book is The Haunted Mask. I was too shy to tell ghost stories when I was a kid. I was a very quiet kid.

Q from OreoPie09: How do you come up with such creepy stuff and do you believe in ghosts?
R.L. Stine: I don’t know where the ideas come from. I've never seen a ghost—but I keep looking!

Q from Megan: Would you ever consider doing like a Nancy Drew type of book series for girls?
Q from Georgia: When you do your next book why not call it Zombieland?!
Q from NinjaCobra1: Why don't you make a Goosebumps book about a boy who likes scary movies, and finds out that all the monsters are coming to life?
Nice ideas. Thanks for the suggestions.
-- R.L.

Create a Caption: Goosebumps

Thrills & Chills! With the weather getting chilly and daylight hours getting shorter, it's getting to be that time of year again. . . Halloween! From all the talk in the hallways about what costumes to wear, to the snarling jack-o-lanterns guarding the neighbors' front porches, Halloween preparations are well under way! For those of you who are looking for more frightful fun than "trick-or-treat," October is the perfect month to pick up your favorite scary stories, or sink your teeth into some new ones for an added chill factor! Leave it to Goosebumps to get you in the mood for the thrills and chills of the season.

Last week, you got a sneak peek of the new Hall of Horrors: Why I Quit Zombie School. This week, we want to invite you to Get Goosebumps. Get your terrific-ly terrifying creative hats on and write a caption for the Goosebumps picture below of the troublemaking ventriloquist dummy.

Dare to get Goosebumps? Post your caption in the Comments below.

—Amabel, Scholastic Media