Book Review: R.L. Stine "Goosebumps #11: The Haunted Mask" by Devin Joseph Meaney

R.L. Stine

Goosebumps #11: The Haunted Mask

Scholastic, September 1, 2003
First edition published in 1993

Ah... R. L. Stine. The man who gave me nightmares as a child, but yet, I still read his books. Recently, due to this self-isolation stuff we are all having to deal with, I have been reading a lot of books. This quest for interesting text led to me picking up ''Planet of The Lawn Gnomes,'' which I reviewed about a week ago.

Because of that, I dug out a bunch of Goosebumps books that were in a chest in my Mother's room. There were eight in total, and one of them was ''The Haunted Mask.'' All the other ones looked interesting... but I chose to read this one next. Nostalgia, you know?

Needless to say, just like Planet of the Lawn Gnomes, I fully enjoyed everything about this book. While reading, I felt like a kid again... forgetting that I am now actually nearing 30 years old. And R. L. Stine has always been a great inspiration for writing, so I managed to get a fair but of fiction written due to my re-introduction to the Goosebumps series.

Taken from the back of the book: ''How ugly is Carly Beth's Halloween mask? It's so ugly that it almost scared her little brother to death. So terrifying that even her friends are totally freaked out by it. It's the best Halloween mask ever. It's everything Carly Beth hoped it would be. And more. Maybe too much more. Because Halloween is almost over. And Carly Beth is still wearing that special mask. . . .''

All in all, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy anything by R. L. Stine. At least I have up until this point in my life. Let's just say I am glad ole' Bob has written these works. I'm sure (very sure) that they were loved and enjoyed by many... young and old. Hell, I did. From age eight to age thirty (almost).

For the sake of nostalgia, if you read this series as a child. Please... read them again! I promise it will be a rewarding experience. And if you didn't read them already... I will say just the same. Great work, R. L. I hope you are keeping at it...

You rule! –Devin Joseph Meaney