R. L. Stine


Robert Lawrence Stine, sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor.
Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature" and is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room series. Some of his other works include a Space Cadets trilogy, two Hark gamebooks, and dozens of joke books. As of 2008, Stine's books have sold over 400 million copies.

Early life

Stine was born on October 8, 1943 in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Lewis Stine, a shipping clerk, and Anne Feinstein. He grew up in Bexley, Ohio. He comes from a Jewish family. He began writing at age nine, when he found a typewriter in his attic, subsequently beginning to type stories and joke books. according to the documentary Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television, R.L. Stine said that he remembered reading the popular/infamous Tales from the Crypt comic books when he was young and credited as one of his inspirations. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. While at OSU, R. L. Stine edited the OSU humor magazine The Sundial for three out of his four years there. He later moved to New York City to pursue his career as a writer.

Career

Stine wrote dozens of humor books for kids under the name Jovial Bob Stine and created the humor magazine Bananas. Bananas was for teenagers published by Scholastic Press for 72 issues between 1975 and 1984, plus various "Yearbooks" and paperback books. Stine was editor and responsible for much of the writing. Recurring features included "Hey – Lighten Up!", "It Never Fails!", "Phone Calls", "Joe", "Phil Fly", "Don't You Wish...", "Doctor Duck", "The Teens of Ferret High", "First Date", and "Ask Doctor Si N. Tific".
In 1986, Stine wrote his first horror novel, called Blind Date. He followed with many other novels, including The Babysitter, Beach House, Hit and Run, and The Girlfriend. He was also the co-creator and head writer for the Nickelodeon children's television series Eureeka's Castle, original episodes of which aired as part of the Nick Jr. programming block during the 1989–1995 seasons.
In 1989, Stine started writing Fear Street books. Before launching the Goosebumps series, Stine authored three humorous science fiction books in the Space Cadets series titled Jerks in Training, Bozos on Patrol, and Losers in Space. In 1992, Stine and Parachute Press went on to launch Goosebumps.
Also produced was a Goosebumps TV series that ran for four seasons from 1995–1998 and three video games; Escape from HorrorLand, Attack of the Mutant and Goosebumps HorrorLand. In 1995, Stine's first novel targeted at adults, called Superstitious, was published. He has since published three other adult-oriented novels: The Sitter, Eye Candy, and Red Rain.
In the first decade of the 21st century, Stine worked on installments of five different book series, Mostly Ghostly, Rotten School, Fear Street, The Nightmare Room, Goosebumps Horrorland and the stand-alone novels Dangerous Girls and The Taste of Night. Also, a direct-to-DVD movie '. Starring Emily Osment, the film was released by Universal Home Entertainment on September 4, 2007 and was successful enough to spawn a spin-off, anthology, TV series '
In 2014, Stine brought the Fear Street books back to life with his novel Party Games. The release of the Fear Street novel Give Me a K-I-L-L took place in 2017. Jack Black portrayed a fictionalized version of Stine in the 2015 film Goosebumps, while Stine himself made a cameo appearance in the film, playing a teacher named "Mr. Black". In the film's sequel, , Stine had another cameo, as Principal Harrison, while Black reprised his role as Stine in several scenes.

Awards and recognition

According to Forbes List of the 40 best-paid Entertainers of 1996–97, Stine placed 36th with an income of $41 million for the fiscal year. His books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide as of 2008, landing on many bestseller lists. In three consecutive years during the 1990s, USA Today named Stine as America's number one best-selling author.
Among the awards he has received are the 2002 Champion of Reading Award from the Free Public Library of Philadelphia, the Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Award for Best Book-Mystery/Horror and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. During the 1990s, Stine was listed on People Weeklys "Most Intriguing People" list, and in 2003, the Guinness Book of World Records named Stine as the best-selling children's book series author of all time. He won the Thriller Writers of America Silver Bullet Award in 2007, and the Horror Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. His stories have even inspired R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, 4D movie-based attractions at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

Personal life

On June 22, 1969, Stine married Jane Waldhorn, an editor and writer who later co-founded Parachute Press in 1983. The couple's only child, Matthew works in the music industry.

Original series

''Space Cadets''

  1. Jerks-in-Training
  2. Losers in Space
  3. Bozos on Patrol

    ''Goosebumps''

''Goosebumps Series 2000''

  1. Cry of the Cat
  2. Bride of the Living Dummy
  3. Creature Teacher
  4. Invasion of the Body Squeezers, Part I
  5. Invasion of the Body Squeezers, Part II
  6. I Am Your Evil Twin
  7. Revenge R Us
  8. Fright Camp
  9. Are You Terrified Yet?
  10. Headless Halloween
  11. Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls
  12. Brain Juice
  13. Return to HorrorLand
  14. Jekyll and Heidi
  15. Scream School
  16. The Mummy Walks
  17. The Werewolf in the Living Room
  18. Horrors of the Black Ring
  19. Return to Ghost Camp
  20. Be Afraid – Be Very Afraid!
  21. The Haunted Car
  22. Full Moon Fever
  23. Slappy's Nightmare
  24. Earth Geeks Must Go!
  25. Ghost in the Mirror

    ''Give Yourself Goosebumps''

  26. Escape from the Carnival of Horrors
  27. Tick Tock, You're Dead!
  28. Trapped in Bat Wing Hall
  29. The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek
  30. Night in Werewolf Woods
  31. Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter
  32. Under the Magician's Spell
  33. The Curse of the Creeping Coffin
  34. The Knight in Screaming Armor
  35. Diary of a Mad Mummy
  36. Deep in the Jungle of Doom
  37. Welcome to the Wicked Wax Museum
  38. Scream of the Evil Genie
  39. The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock
  40. Please Don't Feed the Vampire!
  41. Secret Agent Grandma
  42. Little Comic Shop of Horrors
  43. Attack of the Beastly Baby-sitter
  44. Escape from Camp Run-for-Your-Life
  45. Toy Terror: Batteries Included
  46. The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island
  47. Return to the Carnival of Horrors
  48. Zapped in Space
  49. Lost in Stinkeye Swamp
  50. Shop Till You Drop...Dead!
  51. Alone in Snakebite Canyon
  52. Checkout Time at the Dead-End Hotel
  53. Night of a Thousand Claws
  54. Invaders from the Big Screen
  55. You're Plant Food!
  56. The Werewolf of Twisted Tree Lodge
  57. It's Only a Nightmare
  58. It Came from the Internet
  59. Elevator to Nowhere
  60. Hocus-Pocus Horror
  61. Ship of Ghouls
  62. Escape from Horror House
  63. Into the Twister of Terror
  64. Scary Birthday to You
  65. Zombie School
  66. Danger Time
  67. All-Day Nightmare
    ''Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition''
  68. Into the Jaws of Doom
  69. Return to Terror Tower
  70. Trapped in the Circus of Fear
  71. One Night in Payne House
  72. The Curse of the Cave Creatures
  73. Revenge of the Body Squeezers
  74. Trick or...Trapped!
  75. Weekend at Poison Lake

    ''Fear Street''

  76. The New Girl
  77. The Surprise Party
  78. The Overnight
  79. Missing
  80. The Wrong Number
  81. The Sleepwalker
  82. Haunted
  83. Halloween Party
  84. The Stepsister
  85. Ski Weekend
  86. The Fire Game
  87. Lights Out
  88. The Secret Bedroom
  89. The Knife
  90. The Prom Queen
  91. First Date
  92. The Best Friend
  93. The Cheater
  94. Sunburn
  95. The New Boy
  96. The Dare
  97. Bad Dreams
  98. Double Date
  99. The Thrill Club
  100. One Evil Summer
  101. The Mind Reader
  102. Wrong Number 2
  103. Truth or Dare
  104. Dead End
  105. Final Grade
  106. Switched
  107. College Weekend
  108. The Stepsister 2
  109. What Holly Heard
  110. The Face
  111. Secret Admirer
  112. The Perfect Date
  113. The Confession
  114. The Boy Next Door
  115. Night Games
  116. Runaway
  117. Killer's Kiss
  118. All-Night Party
  119. The Rich Girl
  120. Cat
  121. Fear Hall: The Beginning
  122. Fear Hall: The Conclusion
  123. Who Killed The Homecoming Queen?
  124. Into The Dark
  125. Best Friend 2
  126. Trapped
  127. Party Games
  128. Don't Stay Up Late
  129. The Lost Girl
  130. Fear Street Super Thriller: Party Games & Don't Stay Up Late
    ''New Fear Street''
  131. The Stepbrother
  132. Camp Out
  133. Scream, Jennifer, Scream!
  134. The Bad Girl
    ''Fear Street Super Chiller''
  135. Party Summer
  136. Silent Night
  137. Goodnight Kiss
  138. Broken Hearts
  139. Silent Night 2
  140. The Dead Lifeguard
  141. Cheerleaders: The New Evil
  142. Bad Moonlight
  143. The New Year's Party
  144. Goodnight Kiss 2
  145. Silent Night 3
  146. High Tide
  147. Cheerleaders: The Evil Lives!
    ''Cheerleaders''
  148. The First Evil
  149. The Second Evil
  150. The Third Evil
  151. The New Evil
  152. The Evil Lives!
    ''The Fear Street Saga Trilogy''
  153. The Betrayal
  154. The Secret
  155. The Burning
    ''99 Fear Street: The House of Evil''
  156. The First Horror
  157. The Second Horror
  158. The Third Horror
    ''Cataluna Chronicles''
  159. The Evil Moon
  160. The Dark Secret
  161. The Deadly Fire
    ''Fear Park''
  162. The First Scream
  163. The Loudest Scream
  164. The Last Scream
    ''[Fear Street Sagas]''
  165. A New Fear
  166. House of Whispers
  167. Forbidden Secrets
  168. The Sign of Fear
  169. The Hidden Evil
  170. Daughters of Silence
  171. Children of Fear
  172. Dance of Death
  173. Heart of the Hunter
  174. The Awakening Evil
  175. Circle of Fire
  176. Chamber of Fear
  177. Faces of Terror
  178. One Last Kiss
  179. Door of Death
  180. The Hand of Power
    ''Fear Street Seniors''
  181. Let's Party
  182. In Too Deep
  183. The Thirst
  184. No Answer
  185. Last Chance
  186. The Gift
  187. Fight Team, Fight
  188. Sweetheart, Evil Heart
  189. Spring Break
  190. Wicked
  191. The Prom Date
  192. Graduation Day
    ''Fear Street Nights''
  193. Moonlight Secrets
  194. Midnight Games
  195. Darkest Dawn

    ''[Ghosts of Fear Street]''

  196. Hide and Shriek
  197. Who's Been Sleeping in My Grave?
  198. The Attack of the Aqua Apes
  199. Nightmare in 3-D
  200. Stay Away from the Tree House
  201. Eye of the Fortuneteller
  202. Fright Knight
  203. The Ooze
  204. Revenge of the Shadow People
  205. The Bugman Lives!
  206. The Boy Who Ate Fear Street
  207. Night of the Werecat
  208. How to Be a Vampire
  209. Body Switchers from Outer Space
  210. Fright Christmas
  211. Don't Ever Get Sick at Granny's
  212. House of a Thousand Screams
  213. Camp Fear Ghouls
  214. Three Evil Wishes
  215. Spell of the Screaming Jokers
  216. The Creature from Club Lagoona
  217. Field of Screams
  218. Why I'm Not Afraid of Ghosts
  219. Monster Dog
  220. Halloween Bugs Me!
  221. Go to Your Tomb – Right Now!
  222. Parents from the 13th Dimension
  223. Hide and Shriek II
  224. The Tale of the Blue Monkey
  225. I Was a Sixth-Grade Zombie
  226. Escape of the He-Beast
  227. Caution: Aliens at Work
  228. Attack of the Vampire Worms
  229. Horror Hotel Pt. 1: The Vampire Checks in
  230. Horror Hotel Pt. 2: Ghost in the Guest Room
  231. The Funhouse of Dr. Freek

    ''[Mostly Ghostly]''

  232. Who Let the Ghosts Out?
  233. Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?
  234. One Night in Doom House
  235. Little Camp of Horrors
  236. Ghouls Gone Wild
  237. Let's Get This Party Haunted!
  238. Freaks and Shrieks
  239. Don't Close Your Eyes!

    ''Rotten School''

  240. The Big Blueberry Barf-Off!
  241. The Great Smelling Bee
  242. The Good, the Bad and the Very Slimy
  243. Lose, Team, Lose!
  244. Shake, Rattle and Hurl!
  245. The Heinie Prize
  246. Dudes, the School is Haunted!
  247. The Teacher from Heck
  248. Party Poopers
  249. The Rottenest Angel
  250. Punk'd and Skunked
  251. Battle of the Dum Diddys
  252. Got Cake?
  253. Night of the Creepy Things
  254. Calling All Birdbrains
  255. Dumb Clucks

    ''The Nightmare Room''

  256. Don't Forget Me!
  257. Locker 13
  258. My Name is Evil
  259. Liar Liar
  260. Dear Diary, I'm Dead
  261. They Call Me Creature
  262. The Howler
  263. Shadow Girl
  264. Camp Nowhere
  265. Full Moon Halloween
  266. Scare School
  267. Visitors
    ''The Nightmare Room Thrillogy''
  268. Fear Games
  269. What Scares You the Most?
  270. No Survivors

    ''Goosebumps HorrorLand''

;Special Edition
  1. The Badlands of Hark
  2. The Invaders of Hark

    ''Dangerous Girls''

Both were re-released in 2010 under the name 'Bitten.
  1. Dangerous Girls
  2. The Taste of Night''

    Stand-alone novels

Crosswinds

The books followed the standard Choose Your Own Adventure formula, but also featured "flagged" choices that were determined by choices earlier in the book. The books attempted to introduce a further "role-playing game-like" element with the inclusion of randomization to determine events such as the outcome of a battle or success of a spell. These RPG-like elements were designed for young readers, and were thus very simple, as opposed to the complex mechanics of the teen-oriented Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf series of gamebooks.

Citations