It’s October- a time for ghosts, goblins, and other things that go bump in the night. So what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than by showcasing the Children/Young Adult series “Goosebumps” by R.L. (Robert Lawrence) Stine.
Before being knocked out of first place by the story of a young wizard with an English accent, Stine was the bestselling children’s author of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records; but his books share something in common with that wizard- a spot on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Banned Books; “Goosebumps”, as a series, squeaked in at #94 on the register for 2000-2009. It might not seem so bad coming in near the bottom of the list, especially considering that they were at #15 throughout the 1990’s.
With their mix of supernatural mystery and fantasy, Stine’s novels have been likened to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew; and Stine has been described as the “Stephen King for kids”, but his books contain no offensive language, and his central characters never die.
Nevertheless, Stine’s books like Say Cheese and Die and Piano LessonsCan Be Murder are being challenged even though children are grabbing for these books quicker than Halloween candy.
Complaints against the series assert that they contain “excessive violence” for books intended for children under the age of twelve; and charges of depicting occult or satanic themes.
Some parents have argued that the books violated zero tolerance policies on violence in schools; other parents, and even some school officials, around the country have alleged that the books might provoke harmful thoughts or behavior, and encourage disrespect for people and property. The claims went so far as to accuse Stine of having an ulterior motive of hooking young children with the collection as a prelude to more graphic and perverse books like the “Fear Street” series.
In January, 1997, a Minneapolis, Minnesota parent sought to have Goosebumps banned in schools because she felt it was “too scary” for children. Ironically, though, she admitted that her son had only read for school reports before he started avidly reading the novels. “I had to force him to do that,” she conceded.
Double Date was removed from the Crawford County, Georgia Middle School Library in 2004 for no other reason than because the book deals with complex issues teenagers confront.
On September 15, 2011, the ACLU of Texas released their annual report on books banned in the State’s school districts. The list included R.L. Stine, a Gossip Girl novel, and a previously-covered story, “And Tango Makes Three.”
Dotty Griffith, of the ACLU of Texas, acknowledged that, “Censorship of Young Adult books is concerning because these books motivate youth to read, improve literacy levels, and drive interest in literature. The ACLU of Texas absolutely respects a parents’ right to choose what books their children read, and to work with teachers to find alternate titles when parents have concerns. But efforts by a single parent, or small group, to ban a book and keep all students from reading it infringes on the rights of other parents to make their own choices. That is the effect of banning books.”
Following the release of the first “Goosebumps” novel, the books’ popularity quickly spread, selling a million copies a month after they were first published and four million copies a month by the mid-1990s. The books appeared on such lists as the New York Times Best Seller List for Children, the USA Today bestseller list, and the Publishers Weekly bestseller list. Some of the books even stayed on USA Today’s list for over 115 weeks; forty-seven of the sixty-two books made the 2001 Publishers Weekly list of bestselling children’s books of all-time. The series is also a hit in many other countries, including England, France, and Australia. They have been translated into thirty-five languages, such as Chinese, Czech, Spanish and Hebrew.
To let these books be banned would be a horror more terrifying than anything written on their pages.
For a complete list of titles covered and more information about the Banned Books Awareness and Reading for Knowledge project, please visit www.deepforestproductions.com
Sources: Wikipedia, Amazon, American Library Association, CNN, Business & Heritage Clarksville, Infoplease, Yahoo! News, Marshall University, Houston Press
© 2011 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions
As always Wolf, another great blog on banned books. Though I can honestly say I have never read any of the R.L. Stine "Goose Bump" books. Mostly because I just am not a horror novel fan and this stems to way back. Though I do remember my younger sister loving these books. Every time I read your blog I can't help but to thank my parents for letting us choose what we wanted to read not what they wanted us to read. Because of this it helped instill a great love of reading into all of my siblings and my life.
As always, Becky, thanks for following along. While I didn't read these either, I did read similar stories. I don't think I really even had a favorite genre while growing up, and I think that's what helped me be as well-rounded as I am. I, too, didn't have parents who restricted what I could read or watch. I remember being a wee nipper and being allowed to see The Exorcist. The main reason I could is because I had a mother who taught me fantasy versus reality, and fact versus fiction. I knew it was JUST a movie.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this post
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DO NOT read “The Family Curse!”
DO NOT read ANY Goosebumps books!
This man IS a satanist.
Do not let demons from hell near your family!!
HEED MY WORDS!
Jesus
I truly appreciate that you have taken time out of your big day to offer commentary on my article. Happy birthday, by the way!
Whether or not R.L. Stine really is or is not a Satanist is irrelevant. You may have dominion over the heavens but your father has given man the gift of free will. we, therefore, find it not very nice to tell people what they can or cannot read. (Turning the other cheeks/living thy neighbor, and all that Jazz)
Oh, I do notice that the Almighty needs a reminder that Hell is the proper name of a place and should be capitalized in this context. I will let that grammar goof go. Consider it a birthday present.
Blessed be and Merry Youmas.
I truly appreciate that you have taken time out of your big day to offer commentary on my article. Happy birthday, by the way!
Whether or not R.L. Stine really is or is not a Satanist is irrelevant. You may have dominion over the heavens but your father has given man the gift of free will. We, therefore, find it not very nice to tell people what they can or cannot read. (Turning the other cheek/loving thy neighbor, and all that jazz)
Oh, I do notice that the Almighty needs a reminder that Hell is the proper name of a place and should be capitalized in this context. I will let that grammar goof go. Consider it a birthday present.
Blessed be and Merry Youmas.
When I was a middle school teacher back in the day a lot of students were reading the R.L. Stine books. Some students gave me some of the books and I read them. They were not provocative or graphic. I’m curious, the people that advocate banning these and other books, have they ever read any of them? Probably not.
No, they do not read them. Most of the time they cherryick a passage and ignore the context.
As a conservative Mother of two, I would surely allow my children to read Goosebumps. I could not wait for the school book fair to come to my school so I could buy my new series. Reading these stories took me to a safe place and away from reality. I enjoyed them very much. I used to sit out on my roof under a tree branch and read them until I finished. Ah, good times!
I love memories like this. 😊