Stinetinglers by R. L. Stine: Book Review

 **I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

From New York Times bestselling author R.L. Stine, the master of horror for young readers, comes ten new stories that are sure to leave you shivering.

A boy who hates bugs starts to see them everywhere. A basketball player’s skin starts to almost drip off his hands―but no one else can see it. Three friends find a hole in the ground that just gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger... And each story is introduced by Stine himself, providing a personal touch sure to delight fans.

Laced with Stine’s signature humor and a hefty dose of nightmarish fun, Stinetinglers is perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Stine’s own Goosebumps books. These chilling tales prove that Stine’s epic legacy in the horror genre is justly earned. Dive in, and beware: you might be sleeping with the lights on tonight!

Before R. L. Stine made his name as the Stephen King of children's literature, he was the author of humorous fiction and an editor of Bananas magazine. He is the bestselling author of more than three hundred books, including the phenomenally bestselling Goosebumps series. It's the First Day of School . . . Forever! was Stine's first book with Feiwel and Friends.

As a child growing up in the 90s, I read a lot of Goosebumps. As I got older, I then moved onto Fear Street. Needless to say, R.L. Stine books certainly played a part in my own growing up years, and hold a very fond place in my memories. Now as a mom, I love that both of children have enjoyed the Goosebumps books (not to mention the movies and old TV show) as well. So, when I saw that R.L. Stine was releasing a book full of short stories, I knew it was going to be a great one to read my daughter!

And it absolutely was! Though I knew I had enjoyed his other books as a young reader, I really wasn't sure if I'd get much enjoyment out of these as an adult... but I absolutely did! They were just the kind of weird and creepy stories I loved in Goosebumps, without being too scary for even young readers. The stories were certainly a bit more modern with mentions of modern tech and pop culture references (my daughter really appreciated the mentions of Minecraft!) that remain appealing to newer readers. This was so fun to read together as the stories are shorter, but is great for kids to read on their own too. 

But of course, it's a child's opinion who really matters, right? So here is what my 9-year-old had to say on the topic:

"I like it and the parts with Minecraft. Its cool. I like the story with the baby sitter."

If you have a young reader who enjoys Goosebumps or other not-too-scary-tales, this is certainly one to add to their collection.