Thrills, Chills, and Controversy: The Success of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps

Abstract

This paper investigates the popularity of and controversy surrounding R. L. Stine‘s Goosebumps series. The books were very popular with children in the 1990s, yet the fact that they are series novels and they belong to the horror genre led many parents, teachers, and librarians to blast the novels as inappropriate and even evil. Others felt that it was important that their children were reading, period. Controversy ensued when attempts were made to ban the books from public and school libraries and restrict children from reading them. Many parents were angered by the attempts at censorship and felt that their children had the right to read whatever they wanted. Throughout the years, Stine‘s novels became less popular, but they never disappeared, and children everywhere continue to get goosebumps.