Editing Goosebumps (section)

==Structure and genre==
[[File:Goosebumpscastwithstine.PNG|thumb|left|An illustration of R. L. Stine with some of the franchise's monsters. This illustration was from the cover of Stine's autobiography, ''It Came from Ohio!: My Life as a Writer''.]]

The ''Goosebumps'' series falls under many genres but mainly [[Horror fiction|horror]] and [[thriller (genre)|thriller]], although Stine characterizes the series as 'scary books that are also funny'.{{sfn|Foerstel|2002|p=222}} Each book features different child characters<ref name="characters">{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Joyce M. |title=Goosebumps: So successful they're scary |work=[[Lawrence Journal-World]] |date=October 27, 1996 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rpcyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6505,6031347 |access-date=December 25, 2010 }}</ref> and settings.{{sfn|Westfahl|2000|p=44}} The primary [[protagonist]]s are middle class and can be either male or female.{{sfn|Morris|2000|p=69}} In ''Goosebumps'' stories, the central characters are often placed in remote or isolated locations, diverging from common societal conventions. This can range anywhere from comfortable suburban areas to [[boarding school]]s, foreign villages or campsites.<ref name="foreign">{{cite web |title=Get Goosebumps with R.L. Stine |work=ChennaiOnline |url=http://chennaionline.com/Books/Author/GET-GOOSEBUMPS-WITH-RLSTINE.aspx |access-date=December 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114021633/http://chennaionline.com/Books/Author/GET-GOOSEBUMPS-WITH-RLSTINE.aspx |archive-date=January 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Books typically feature characters who either recently moved to a new neighborhood or are sent to stay with [[Kinship|relative]]s.{{sfn|Morris|2000|p=69}}
The books in the ''Goosebumps'' series feature similar plot structures{{sfn|Morris|2000|p=68}} with children being involved in scary situations.{{sfn|Morris|2000|p=71}} At his peak, Stine was known to complete these stories extremely quickly, some of which were written in only six days.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rl-stine-goosebumps_n_5870902|title=R.L. Stine Explains How He Could Write An Entire 'Goosebumps' Book In 6 Days|date=2014-09-23|work=HuffPost Canada|access-date=2018-07-10|language=en-CA}}</ref> The books are mostly written in first person [[narrative]], often concluding with [[twist ending]]s.{{sfn|Coats|2004|p=170}} They contain [[Surrealism|surreal]] horror,{{sfn|Morris|2000|p=69}} with characters encountering the strange and [[supernatural]].{{sfn|Cullinan|Person|2005|p=707}}

The author has plot devices he follows throughout his ''Goosebumps'' books. Stine says he does not have any death in his stories, and the children in his novels are never put into situations that would be considered too serious.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goosebumps-writer-rl-stine-looks-to-his-childhood-for-book-ideas/2012/09/04/1e5db00c-dcb2-11e1-af1d-753c613ff6d8_story.html |title='Goosebumps' writer R.L. Stine looks to his childhood for book ideas |date=September 4, 2012 |publisher=[[Reuters]] |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref> He attributed the success of his books to their absence of drugs, [[wikt:depravity|depravity]] and [[violence]].<ref name="beavercountytimes">{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Frazier |title=TV special aims to give kids goosebumps |date=July 20, 1997 |work=[[The Beaver County Times]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GqRUAAAAIBAJ&pg=2888,4489200 |access-date=December 29, 2010 }}</ref>

All ''Goosebumps'' books are written at a reading level ranging from 3rd to 7th grade<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oomscholasticblog.com/post/i-read-eight-goosebumps-books-one-week-heres-what-i-learned|title = I read eight Goosebumps books in one week & here's what I learned &#124; on Our Minds}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/series-characters-authors/goosebumps-classics.html|title = 25+ Goosebumps Classics for Kids}}</ref> (8-12 years old, in the US education system).