Goosebumps

Goosebumps Literary critics against the series claim it should be banned because the books are “too scary for children.” While the books are indeed scary, they serve more of a purpose than entertainment and terrifying children. Convincing a young boy to read a book for pleasure may be one of the most difficult tasks parents and teachers face today. With television, video games, and the countless other forms of distraction available today due to technology, children are not likely to sit down and read a book without being required to for school. However, children seem to be attracted to the novels by R.L. Stine. Goosebumps books caught on quickly after R.L. Stine began releasing them, selling a million copies a month. Sales grew to four million copies a month by the mid 1990’s. Children that feel the books are in fact too scary for them, have the choice to not read them. A principal at Johnsonville Elementary School in Blaine, Minnesota defended the books when several parents tried to have them banned. He said that while his eleven-year-old son read the books furiously and couldn’t seem to get enough of them, his ten-year-old daughter, who knew the books would be too scary for her liking, chose to read something else. Children who read for leisure will have an advantage over those who do not with a higher reading level. Not only does the series catch the interest of young children and encourage reading, but it introduces fear. While this may seem counterproductive to the cause of removing the series from the list of banned books, it is actually a very helpful aspect of the book that prepares kids for the real world. Fear, like almost anything else in the world, is harmful when there is too much of it. Also like other things in the world, facing fear without being prepared can be devastating. Goosebumps introduces fear in a safe way that weans kids onto it. Most situations presented throughout Goosebumps books are supernatural events that could never actually