If Goosebumps came before BSC, would Dawn have read them

[Sideshowjazz1]

Okay, so I'm a Goosebumps collector. RL Stine's books may not be the best ever (although Ann Martin mentioned she has actually met him), but they're fun to collect and a trip to read. So my thoughts are...would Dawn have read them?

I ask this because Dawn loves scary stories. I just get vibes from her reading More Stories To Give You Goosebumps whenever she's reading one of her books of horror stories. Yes, thirteen is a little too old to start reading Goosebumps. But I can imagine a seven-year-old Dawn seeing a creepy cover with a dark house or an ivy-strewn hand, or green goo dripping all over some stairs - I feel like that could be a starting point for Dawn. Except, of course, that Goosebumps came after the BSC.

But what do you think? Can you see a younger Dawn enjoying Goosebumps?

[anzuhana]

I think Dawn would enjoy it regardless of age and when she started reading them. What does Ann think of RL Stine?

[oldhickory]

I think Dawn might have liked them as a younger reader, but would have outgrown them by 13. Dawn read proper spooky stuff, so I don't think Goosebumps would have scared her enough even when she was really young.

[sparklymouse]

Dawn liked "true" ghost stories or things that could plausibly happen. I don't think the Goosebumps books fell into that category.

[CharlotteTJohanssen]

I think she might have read them when she was younger before graduating on to more scary stuff. Some of them were kind of gross, I can imagine Jeff taking them and enjoying her hand me down books.

[booboobrewer]

Lol yes, Jeff would have probably dug Goosebumps.

[oldhickory]

Yes, exactly. I didn't read much Goosebumps, but what I remember was kiddie humor and cartoony covers. It feels like it's for kids who like gross stuff, not scary stuff.

[Sideshowjazz1]

Aug 17, 2021 7:38:23 GMT -5 anzuhana said:

I think Dawn would enjoy it regardless of age and when she started reading them. What does Ann think of RL Stine?

I'm not sure. She just mentioned in a letter at the back of a book (probably #80), talking about authors she'd met and he was one of them. She mentioned Paula Danziger in particular as a good friend.

[Sideshowjazz1]

Aug 18, 2021 11:42:05 GMT -5 oldhickory said:

Yes, exactly. I didn't read much Goosebumps, but what I remember was kiddie humor and cartoony covers. It feels like it's for kids who like gross stuff, not scary stuff.

Depends on the book. I find body horror scary, so Chicken Chicken was terrifying. The book before it, How I Learned To Fly, is more about competiton and the dark side of fame. That's scary in a more realistic way. And if you really want scares, just take a look at the cover of The Curse Of Camp Cold Lake. It's a by-your-numbers ghost story, but the cover...everyone will tell you it's the best part of the book.

[sparklymouse]

RL Stine's personality reminds me of Peter Lerangis. I think they are both a little wacky. If RL Stine had written any BSC mysteries he probably would have killed half the club off.

[Sideshowjazz1]

Aug 18, 2021 17:13:51 GMT -5 sparklymouse said:

RL Stine's personality reminds me of Peter Lerangis. I think they are both a little wacky. If RL Stine had written any BSC mysteries he probably would have killed half the club off.

I would read that book.

[booboobrewer]

My sister is deathly afraid of of puppets, and there’s a Goosebumps book about ventriloquist dummies, right? I remember one of the characters being named Lindy. Man. I only had to read a few words out of that book and she would bolt from the room…lol

[anzuhana]

^ Yeah, there was Slappy. While I didn't read the Goosebumps books where he appeared, I watched at least one Goosebumps episode where he appeared.

[booklover85]

Dawn would be wild about Goosebumps when she was younger. However, she would have gotten tired of it by the time she moved to Stoneybrook for the first time and handed her books over to Jeff.