R.L. Stine Just Released A New Book Of Spooky Short Stories For Kids

Did anyone know that kids really love to be scared before R.L. Stine gifted us with his stories? He just knew, perhaps before anyone else knew, that kids like a little jump scare as much as any adult. And he knows how to do it better than anyone; I mean, his job title on Twitter is “to terrify children” so he clearly takes his job very seriously. And now the master storyteller has a new spooky collection of short stories called Stinetinglers, the perfect transition into the fall season.

Stinetinglers, Stine’s first short story collection in years, dropped on Monday, just in time for back to school and Halloween. And the stories sound as spooky as his other collections, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and the ever-popular Goosebumps, which was turned into a television series and a movie starring Jack Black.

So what can we expect from Stinetinglers? “A boy who hates bugs starts to see them everywhere,” reads the synopsis. “A basketball player’s skin starts to almost drip off his hands — but no one else can see it. Three friends find a hole in the ground that just gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger... And each story is introduced by Stine himself, providing a personal touch sure to delight fans.”

There are 10 stories in the new collection, all of which are sure to include Stine’s own particular blend of humor and horror.

Stine’s new book is best for kids between the ages of 8 to 12, although there are definitely some adults who like to revisit them time and again. They just might not be for younger kids who might not be able to handle the scarefest. As Stine himself told Entertainment Weekly when asked to come out with a tagline for the book, “They may be short stories — but they're not short on terror — or thrills!”

Early reviews of Stine’s new collection confirm that these stories get the thrill factor just right. “Some of it was scarier than adult horror I've read. It's not terrifying because of gore or monsters, but the stories are scary because they're exaggerations of things that really frighten kids,” wrote one reviewer on Goodreads. “STINETINGLERS is so fun! It's the perfect blend of Goosebumps-esque nostalgia and fresh, new creeps sure to delight old-school fans and new readers alike. The stories are so clever, each of them bringing their own twist to small town suburbia and the horrors that lurk in their shadows,” wrote another.

Adults and kids can order their own copy of Stinetinglers today.