In a 2015 New York Times interview on his personal reading habits, author R.L. Stine states, “Don’t ask me about nonfiction. I never read it. I hate anything real.”
The legendary children’s horror writer – who spent 20 years writing humor books before penning his infamous Goosebumps series – grew up on comic books. He cites the blend of humor and horror found in his early readings of EC Comics’ “Tales From the Crypt” and “The Vault of Horror” as a major influence to his later writings.
Sharing a reading list of his favorite scary stories for Halloween with Scholastic, Stine included classics by Mary Shelley, Roald Dahl and Ray Bradbury, as well as newer tales of vampire rabbits and mutant ant infestations. Read on for the list, and for a deeper insight into his horror writing process, check out Stine’s MasterClass on writing for young adults.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Bunnicula by James Howe & Deborah Howe
The Twits by Roald Dahl
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Infestation by Timothy J. Bradley
Half-Minute Horrors by Susan Rich
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (also rec’d by Patti Smith)
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
I’m always looking for books my son might like since he devours books constantly, and there are so many good possibilities from RL Stine himself! And I love his quote about non-fiction… too funny 🙂
He looks like he is 80