The Best Goosebumps Books to Read for Spine-Chilling Fun

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Having just spent the past four days at Comic Con with a veritable monsoon of Goosebumps book fans, I'm so happy to know that another generation of kids is going to be haunted by that evil ventriloquist's dummy, Slappy, thanks to the new Disney+ series. During the panel, showrunners Nicholas Stoller and Rob Letterman spoke about how they were influenced by the books from RL Stine. They said that they wanted kids and adults who read the books to be excited about it, but also they added a level of continuity for the show that the books don't have, namely, the show follows a set of characters, and the only "set" character from the books is the freaking evil dummy. (Also, they had actors dressed as Slappy for the premiere party, and I was terrified.)

The new Disney+ show is sure to bring interest back to the classic Goosebumps series this Halloween season. But with hundreds of titles in the catalog, it can be a daunting task to sift through all of them to find the best ones worth reading — which is where I come in. I curated this list of best Goosebumps books as a great entry point to the series and to introduce you and your kids to books you might not have read before. My kids and I have read almost every book on this list and thoroughly enjoyed them from cover to cover.

Check out our favorite Goosebumps books below — and don't forget, RL Stine is the gold standard of kid's horror for a reason!

'Monster Blood' by RL Stine

I think this was the first Goosebumps book I ever read, and I know it's the first one I bought for my kids. When a kid is sent to his great aunt's house, he decides to do a silly thing and buy an old can of "monster blood," knowing it's just a silly thing — until it isn't.

'One Day at HorrorLand' by RL Stine

If you've ever wondered what Six Flags would be like if it was full of real monsters, that's what you get at Horrorland. For one family, each scream in the park could be their last. Would you eat the funnel cake there? I would like to think I'd try it.

'Night of the Living Dummy' by RL Stine

Enter Slappy. This Goosebumps book is where we meet the stupid wooden evil nightmare for the first time. Lindy thought the dummy was fun. Lindy was dumb. And so begins the creepiest first memory of many millennial horror readers. It's a tale of sibling rivalry gone horribly, horribly wrong.

'Werewolf of Fever Swamp' by RL Stine

I was Team Vandal long before I was Team Jacob, but all I know is that my reading choices later in life make so much sense, given how many of these I've read. This is the quintessential werewolf book. Grady's dog, Vandal, maybe more than he ever dreamed possible.

'Say Cheese and Die!' by RL Stine

I was terrified of cameras for so long after reading this book. Hilariously, my children read this book and loved it, but apparently, they both believed someone was messing with the digital images. Oh, those sweet, summer, digital-age children. Because in this book, when the camera can tell the future, they're developed on good, old-fashioned film.

'Scariest. Book. Ever' by RL Stine

What do you do when you find out that your uncle is in possession of the "scariest book in the world?" You try to keep it safe and hide it from would-be readers. In order to do this, though, you're going to be putting yourselves in some serious peril.

'The Cuckoo Clock of Doom' by RL Stine

Part time-travel, part annoying sibling story, part "how do I get one of these clocks as an elder millennial," This story is about a cuckoo clock that has the ability to open a spell that makes the person who unlocks the spell get younger by the minute. Not great when you're 9.

'The Barking Ghost' by RL Stine

I think this was my gateway to reading Cujo the next year, and honestly, this may have scared me more. Ever wonder what it would be like to be possessed by an evil dog? Me neither, and even after reading this a mere 28 years ago, I can still confidently say I never want to know what it's like, even after this book spelled it out.

'Chicken Chicken' by RL Stine

You'd think that being a former goth kid, I wouldn't like the story about the goth girl/resident witchy kid slowly turning into a chicken, but it's hysterical. More camp than anything, this is one of the more ridiculous RL Stine books, and that's what makes it great.

'Attack of the Jack o Lanterns' by RL Stine

Would it be a pre-Halloween round-up of RL Stine without Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns? I don't think so.

Trick or treating forever sounds like a good time, doesn't it? Not if evil Jack o' lantern-headed monsters are the ones forcing you to do it.

'Deep Trouble' by RL Stine

Two words: evil merpeople. Yes, you read that right. Evil half-fish, half-humans living in the coral reefs off of the coast of Deep Island. As you expect, many shenanigans ensue, and yes, there are kids in massive amounts of peril. This one is not great for kids just learning to swim.

'You Can't Scare Me!' by RL Stine

Ever dream of sticking it to someone you don't like? So did Eddie, and it backfires spectacularly when he lures Courtney to Muddy Creek, where it's rumored the mud monsters live. But it shouldn't matter because Eddie knows that mud monsters aren't real. But what if they are?

'Phantom of the Auditorium' by RL Stine

What happens when the dramatic kid gets really into character and weird things start happening? That's precisely what happens when Zeke is cast in the titular role of the Phantom. Notes begin to be left behind. Strange things seem to follow Zeke wherever he goes. But is it Zeke's method of acting or something more sinister?

'The Haunted Car' by RL Stine

Homework is so lame, especially when there's a cool car parked right downstairs. You've never seen this car before. It's almost like it's calling to you. What's the worst thing that could happen if you pause your homework to go check it out and maybe even take a ride?

'Welcome to Camp Nightmare' by RL Stine

What could be worse than going to camp when you don't want to? Going to camp where people start disappearing, and your parents don't answer your letters, and there might be monsters chasing you. That's what happens at Camp Nightmare, and your kids will be so amped to go to sleepaway camp next year or not.

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