Survivalist Pro
Photo by BERK OZDEMIR Pexels Logo Photo: BERK OZDEMIR

What reading level is Goosebumps books?

They are written at a 3rd to 7th grade level. The chapters are a few pages each, and most if not all the chapters end with a cliffhanger.

Why can't you touch a meteorite with a magnet?
Why can't you touch a meteorite with a magnet?

Magnetic: Since most meteorites contain metallic iron, a magnet will often stick to them. For “stony” meteorites, a magnet might not stick, but if...

Read More »
What is the best survival food to store?
What is the best survival food to store?

Top Survival Foods With Long Shelf Life Canned Meat. These are the ultimate survival food for any survival situation. ... Beans. Beans are among...

Read More »

Last week, we released the 43rd episode of the Scholastic Reads podcast, "25 Years of Goosebumps." In this episode, I served as guest host with Suzanne McCabe. I got to talk with Goosebumps author R.L. Stine about the series, its 25th anniversary, and more. Being a huge Goosebumps fan growing up, I took this opportunity very seriously. I soon realized that I had not read a Goosebumps book in more than 10 years (at least). A week before the recording, in order to prepare, I checked 15 books out of the Scholastic Library. Checking out that number of books was optimistic on my part. In the end, I was only able to read eight. However, I learned a lot from those eight books! Here's what I read:

#1 Welcome to Dead House

#2 Stay Out of the Basement

#3 Monster Blood

#4 Say Cheese and Die!

#5 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb

#6 Let's Get Invisible

#7 Night of the Living Dummy

#11 The Haunted Mask

No one dies

With the exception of the family dog in Welcome to Dead House, no one actually dies in a Goosebumps book. (They may be trapped in a parallel dimension or stuck as a plant, sure! But not *dead* dead.)

They're still funny, but in a different way

I definitely spotted the jokes for kids as I read. But there were other lines that made me laugh as an adult–mainly when kids were overdramatic about little things. In Welcome to Dead House, for example, when the lead character realizes that she'll never eat breakfast in her childhood kitchen again, she refers to the thought as MORBID. Now, I'm sure as a tween I would have had the exact thought if I were in the same situation, but to see it described as morbid was hilarious.

Bullies are still scary

In the podcast, Stine mentioned how he loves to write bullies, and I can see why. They're scary even to adults! I can't remember being bullied too much growing up. But when one character punched another–I forget if this happened in Monster Blood or Say Cheese and Die!–I gasped and was shocked. In Stay Out of the Basement, a father turns into a plant and tells his children and wife not to worry. In The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, parents leave their child alone in a hotel room in Egypt and fly back to the United States. It's only for a few hours until the boy's uncle shows up, BUT STILL! And in Welcome to Dead House, the parents get captured.

Will you be married in heaven?
Will you be married in heaven?

Many Christians rely on Matthew 22:30, in which Jesus tells a group of questioners, "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in...

Read More »
How to detox your stomach?
How to detox your stomach?

The Most Common Ways to Detox Fasting for 1–3 days. Drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, water, and tea. Drinking only specific...

Read More »

In Goosebumps books, adults can't save you, not even your own parents. As a kid, that's terrifying. As an adult, I stopped to think: Would I believe my kids (to clarify: I do not have kids) if they came to me with stories of monsters, demon dolls, and mummies? At 32, I'm officially part of the problem.

Slappy the Dummy was second banana in his debut

Slappy the Dummy is by far the most popular character to emerge from the Goosebumps series. But do you remember Night of the Living Dummy? Mr. Wood is the main villain! This shocked me; I didn't even remember Mr. Wood from when I read the book as a child! (Something else I jotted down while reading this book: "Never read ancient spells out loud." Good advice.)

They're quick and consistent

All of these books are around 130-135 pages. They are written at a 3rd to 7th grade level. The chapters are a few pages each, and most if not all the chapters end with a cliffhanger. It was easy for me to devour the books as a child, and as an adult. On the podcast, Stine jokingly (?) said that the only thing for readers to "get" from the Goosebumps series was to learn to enjoy reading. Even if that's true, I think that's still a worthy achievement, and something all parents hope for when their child reads a book! For more on R.L. Stine and Goosebumps, listen to episode 43 of Scholastic Reads wherever you get your podcasts!

What knife do Navy Seals prefer?
What knife do Navy Seals prefer?

Ontario MK 3 Navy Knife The U.S. Navy Seals commonly deploy this knife. It features a stainless steel blade which is approximately 6 inches in...

Read More »
What is the least popular color 2022?
What is the least popular color 2022?

Least popular colors in 2022 Millennial pink, tangerine, light yellow, violet, and bright red were all found to be the least popular colors for...

Read More »
Which water filter doesn t remove minerals?
Which water filter doesn t remove minerals?

Activated carbon and ceramic filters don't remove minerals from tap water. Thus, popular Brita filters or other carbon-based or ceramic filters all...

Read More »
How old is the PS1 now?
How old is the PS1 now?

PlayStation, video game console released in 1994 by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Read More »