I had a huge obsession with reading anything scary or super fantasy like. I read the Scary Stories to tell in the dark trilogy so much the previous year that I wore out the books. So when I felt like I got enough use of the those book my little mind was trying to find something else that brought the scare factor to my world.

One day in my class the teacher was passing out the Scholastic Arrow book club ads before we were done for that day.

I never really look through those ads but I saw a book cover that caught my eye:

I was like whoa this looks interesting, creepy and scary I definitely want to read this! So when I went home that day I told my mom that I wanted to get a couple of books from the ad I bought home. My mom is the kind of person who never really understood my interests but she hardly questioned them. I guess she was just so excited I wanted to read because I hardly read at home. I mostly read at recess because I wasn’t really one to partake in activities. So then next day at school I was armed with my receipt of things I wanted to order and a check from my mom and happily forked over both items to the teacher.

AND THEN I FORGOT ABOUT THE BOOKS. Because I remember I finally got them and it took such a long time in my kid brain for my order to arrive. (Which upon reflection probably took 5-10 business days).

I saw pile of books on my desk and found “The Haunted Mask” in the middle of the pile. And anxiously waited for the teacher to say it was time for recess so I can run out and start reading this book!

So when recess finally was announced I tore open the book and I even did not leave the classroom! I spent the whole time at my desk reading this book! I remember enjoying the book so much that I continued to read it on my way home on the bus till the early evening hours of that day. I thought it was one of the coolest books I ever read and I beg my mom if we could go to the bookstore super soon to get more books. So began my book obsession with R.L. Stine books! And read all of the Goosebumps books that were out at the point. Some of my favorite Goosebumps books were:

Every time the teacher would hand out the Scholastic Books leaflet I would always order the newest Goosebumps book. I EVEN BOUGHT GOOSEBUMPS POGS!!!

My book obsession started to dwindle when I would get one of the books and finish it under an hour. I wanted more but always had to wait until a new book was release. But at the point I wanted to be scared and challenged. So that is when I found out about R.L. Stine’s other series:

 

But I’ll write about that book obsession for another entry!

What made these books worth reading for me is that when I was in kindergarten I HATED to read. The nuns would constantly talk to my mom about how unmotivated I was to learn how to read. But I felt like it was not that I was unmotivated or did not want to read. It was that the books that I was having to read from were never interesting to me. The content felt boring and I was always the kid who wanted to know about scary stuff like monsters, ghosts and folklore. So when I found these books not only did it make me want to read but I found out that reading is enjoyable and fun!

 

Do you have a favorite Goosebumps book?

 

Until next time!