Did anyone know that children love to be scared before RL Stine regaled us with his stories? I just knew, maybe before anyone else did, that kids love a little jump scare as much as any adult. And he knows how to do it better than anyone; I mean, your job title on Twitter is “terrorizing children”, so he clearly takes his job very seriously. And now, the master storyteller has a spooky new collection of short stories called stintinglersthe perfect transition to the fall season.
stintinglers, Stine’s first collection of short stories in years, launched Monday, just in time for back-to-school and Halloween. And the stories sound just as creepy as her other collections, Scary stories to tell in the dark and the ever popular Goosebumpswhich was made into a television series and a movie starring Jack Black.
So what can we expect from stintinglers? “A boy who hates bugs begins to see them everywhere,” says the synopsis. “A basketball player’s skin almost starts to drip from his hands, but no one else can see it. Three friends find a hole in the ground that keeps getting bigger and bigger… And each story is introduced by Stine himself, providing a personal touch that is sure to delight fans.”
There are 10 stories in the new collection, all of which are sure to feature Stine’s particular mix of humor and horror.
Stine’s new book is ideal for children between the ages of 8 and 12, although there are definitely some adults who like to reread it over and over again. They may not be for younger kids who can’t handle fear. As Stine himself said entertainment weekly when asked to come up with a tagline for the book, “They may be short stories, but they’re not without terror – or thrills!”
Early reviews of Stine’s new collection confirm that these stories capture the thrill factor perfectly. “Some of it was scarier than any adult horror I’ve ever read. It’s not scary because of the gore or the monsters, but the stories are scary because they are exaggerations of things that really scare kids,” wrote a reviewer on Goodreads. “STINETINGLERS is so much fun! It’s the perfect mix of Goosebumps-esque nostalgia and new, new chills that are sure to delight old-school fans and new readers alike. The stories are very clever, each bringing their own spin on small town suburbia and the horrors that lurk in its shadows,” wrote another.
Adults and children can order their own copy of stintinglers This day.
