1. JCKey618

    JCKey618 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2008
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    1

    Is R.L. Stine the only children's horror writer?

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by JCKey618, May 1, 2010.

    Is there any other series comparable to Goosebumps?
     
  2. Lavarian

    Lavarian Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2009
    Messages:
    4,562
    Likes Received:
    93
    Strange Matter.

    I used to read those all the time as a kid.
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 19, 2007
    Messages:
    36,161
    Likes Received:
    2,827
    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    I don't know, but I hope there is someone who writes better. I read several of them to my kids when they were young, and they finally called it quits. They couldn;t stop giggling at the horrible dialogue.
     
  4. Lydia

    Lydia Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2009
    Messages:
    5,919
    Likes Received:
    235
    Location:
    Somewhere out there.
    This probably won't help you, but I used to read these series called 'De Griezelbus' by Paul van Loon which is (as you can probably guess) Dutch. I had lots of nightmares, so I guess it was scary enough. :p
     
  5. RedRaven

    RedRaven Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2010
    Messages:
    156
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Around..
    I do remember those.. creepy!! :D
     
  6. Afterburner

    Afterburner Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2008
    Messages:
    205
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Wow... I had completely forgotten the Goosebumps books. Gah I miss those. Good times.
     
  7. Rei

    Rei Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2008
    Messages:
    7,864
    Likes Received:
    32
    Location:
    Kingston
    Certainly not. It's just that most are not nearly as famous. I don't read much horror, so I can't think of any at the moment, but I know they are out there.
     
  8. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2008
    Messages:
    1,275
    Likes Received:
    55
    Location:
    Seattle
    Well, there's this really good series called Harry Potter. :p

    Seriously though, the only other series that is sort of like Goosebumps that I remember reading as a kid is Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.

    Maybe there's a need for another good horror series for elementary-age readers since Stine seems to be the only one out there with stuff that is distinctly horror.
     
  9. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2009
    Messages:
    12,140
    Likes Received:
    257
    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I was going to reply, "In its levels of crappiness? No", but Cog already beat me to it. :)

    I don't know of any other horror writer for children, although IMO RL Stine could hardly be called a horror writer, he's so awful. Maybe it's a genre that's just not suitable for the younger ones, because scaling it back for kids isn't really horror?
     
  10. JCKey618

    JCKey618 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2008
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    1
    I agree that his writing isn't that 'hard' to do, but he really knows how to get his target audience. He could write the most beautifully and well-constructed plots out there, but if children couldn't hang on to it for five seconds, he'd be a failure in his field.

    Goosebumps was my gateway to reading, which led to a lot of awesome things in my life. As a grown up, I see other little kids reading the same Goosebumps books today that I read 10+ years ago, and that's awesome.

    And R.L. Stine may not be the best at dialogue, but he had some really cool ideas. I think his style of writing is perfect to have fun with a lot of just off-the-wall ideas that don't have to be taken too seriously. One of his latest books is the Little Shop of Hamsters. Of course, whatever plot this may hold would fail if the author attempted to write it as something to win awards, but it could still be a fun story there nonetheless.
     
  11. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2008
    Messages:
    7,851
    Likes Received:
    3,339
    Location:
    Boston
    I agree with JCKey on this one. While Stine may not be the best author out there, he knows what he's doing. The fact that children are still reading Goosebumps is evidence for that. I used to read these books a lot when I was a kid. The series was really what got me interested in reading, and I hope it has the same effect on other kids.

    As for the original question: Stine is the only children's horror writer I know. If there are any others out there, they are clearly all overshadowed by Stine.
     
  12. Unit7

    Unit7 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    Messages:
    1,148
    Likes Received:
    61
    While his writing isn't the best quality I think its alot of fun. I love his ideas, I enjoy the stories he presents and at the end of the book I am almost always loving the twist.

    I didn't read him when I was real young. I actually bought a few of his books at a garage sale and ended up laying dormant on my shelves collecting dust. Then in like eigth grade I had nothing to read and decided to read them and loved them. Even today I will sometimes pick one up and enjoy it.

    As for similar authors I can't think of one.
     
  13. Evil Flamingo

    Evil Flamingo Banned Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2009
    Messages:
    3,298
    Likes Received:
    27
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I totally grew up on Goosebumps. I think I had the collection before I grew too old for them. Not brilliant, nor really that scary, but as a kid I remember them being really cool. I started reading them at around the same time I learned to read so...that's their age group really. I never read any other author's work at that time I can remember though. It was just Goosebumps that I remember.
     
  14. RedRaven

    RedRaven Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2010
    Messages:
    156
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Around..
    Same here Flamingo.
    I remember them so well.. but here there are many great children's authors.
    I never thought Goosebumps to be creepy, but they were fun to read.
     
  15. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2009
    Messages:
    12,140
    Likes Received:
    257
    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I remember Goosebumps too, and I read those as a kid..... grew out of them by the age of about 7-8, which is when I read The Catcher in the Rye (yes, at 8 years old!) and delved into deeper writing.
     
  16. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Messages:
    4,186
    Likes Received:
    143
    Location:
    In the comfort of my stubborn little mind.
    I adore R.L Stine, and read all of his books as a child. Looking back, I guess sometimes the writing was poor in parts, but he enthralled and entertained me and millions of other kids, which essentially, is the most important thing for a children's writer to do in the first place. Everything else can follow.

    I believe he also is the reason why I got so into horror, and I thank him eternally for that. :)

    Some horror/horrorish kid's fiction:

    Darren Shan - Vampira and Demonata series (Darren Shan)

    Animorphs

    The Devil's Toenail (Sally prue)

    The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

    The Park In The Dark


    Hmm, that's all I can think of that I know. However, just look up 'Children's horror books' on google and you'll find about a million horror books for kids of all ages.

    However, in my opinion, R.L Stine simply has the BEST imagination, and I loved him :) (Still do, really)
     
  17. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2009
    Messages:
    12,140
    Likes Received:
    257
    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    ^ I loved Animorphs. :)
     
  18. Coda

    Coda New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Swansea
    Point horror rocked!

    No I read all of the point horror as a kid, they were well better than goosebumps. Loved em all........ahhhhh good times, good times.:rolleyes:
     
  19. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2009
    Messages:
    12,140
    Likes Received:
    257
    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I liked the RL Stine Choose Your Own Adventure books. Those were fun to flip through and try to take every path possible. :)
     
  20. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Messages:
    4,186
    Likes Received:
    143
    Location:
    In the comfort of my stubborn little mind.
    Oohh! Were those the ones in second person? I had one called 'Carnival Of Horrors' which had multiple paths and endings. That was the first book I read in 2nd person, (and last, I think!) so it was really educational writing-wise.
     
  21. jacklondonsghost

    jacklondonsghost New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2010
    Messages:
    1,039
    Likes Received:
    10
    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Goosebumps used to scare me when I was little. I think there was one about a dad who was growing a plant monster in the basement, and I refused to go down into our basement alone for about 4 months.

    The writing wasn't fantastic but I was ALWAYS entertained by his books. I have a few still. They were quick to read and always a good, fun story. I have a short attention span when it comes to books; I need a quick, short story that hooks you in and moves. When I was younger these certainly fit the bill.

    Other series that were scary.... Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, I, II and III. Those were absolutely terrifying and had these really horrible illustrations that used to give me nightmares. Some of the stories are kind of goofy but others are very, very scary when you are young.

    I also thought A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket was BRILLIANT though not exactly horror.
     
  22. Evil Flamingo

    Evil Flamingo Banned Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2009
    Messages:
    3,298
    Likes Received:
    27
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    That was one of the books that I read repeatedly. It's the one that turns people into plants right? Creepy. Kind of dumb now, but really cool back when I was little.
     
  23. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Messages:
    4,186
    Likes Received:
    143
    Location:
    In the comfort of my stubborn little mind.
    ^ I used to love that one as an episode on TV. The part where the kids almost get caught by their dad used to set me on edge, lol.
     
  24. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Messages:
    4,186
    Likes Received:
    143
    Location:
    In the comfort of my stubborn little mind.
    I only just remembered! Ages ago I sent a message to R.L Stine telling him that he was the one who inspired me as a kid to write horror, and how I still write it now because of his books.

    I got a genuine reply (I just dug this out from way back in my emails), not just an all-purpose email:

    I enjoyed your note very much. It makes me feel good that I have been such a bad influence on you that you want to be a horror writer. Good luck in school-- and with your writing! Scary Best Wishes, R.L. Stine

    :D

    I'm pretty sure it was him, because his email address seemed personal. Also, I got like 4 auto-emails along with it, where i'd clicked 'send' too many times. LOL.

    I think it's really nice that he bothered to reply to me...not alot of big authors would.
     
  25. Coda

    Coda New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2010
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Swansea
    OMG I would die!!!! love him :eek:
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice