European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Kaftol in . Stine has a read on children by Maureen Conlan Cincinnati Post a cos bigger than Crichton bigger than Grisham a bigger that Price Grafton and King. Today a Best Selling american author is a Dynamo who turns out 24 books a year. . Bob Stine a favorite author of most children Ages 9 to 13 a has 20 books on the Usa today list of the top 150 Best Sellers. By comparison John Grisham has three Mary Higgins Clark two and Michael Crichton one. Stine is a phenomenon in children a More than 23 million of his books Are in print according to his two publishers a Scholastic for his goosebumps series for younger readers and poc it books for his fear Street series for Young adult readers in the 12 to 15-year-old Range. Kids teachers librarians parents All say Stine is the favorite. He keeps the Well full a churning out two books a month. A a each of these might typically have an initial. Printing of 300,000 copies or Moho so he a adding More than a half million books to his total each month. Why do kids like his books so much a a they re scary says fan Brian Kraft 11, of Cincinnati. A. A they Arentt Yucky with guts coming out and stuff a says fan Jennifer Schneider 10, a but they Are a. And who says kids Don t read on april 14, Stine a goosebumps series Book deep trouble was the top Selling Book in America according to Usa today which polls More than 3,000 bookstores. Deep is a 117-Page paperback in Trio goosebumps series typically bought by an 11-year-old a a a it s about a boy named Billy who joins his Uncle on a Marine expedition in the Caribbean. Billy brinks he sees a sea monster but what he really finds is a Mermaid who rescues him from a shark attack Billy must then save the Mermaid a and the expedition Crew a when they Are threatened. By bad Guys. There Are some scares in this suspense Story but no graphic violence and the Good Guys win. That week deep trouble outsold All adult books a the new sue Grafton alphabet murder the hot Cylc sting prophecy Schindler s list and the latest Crichton and Grisham thrillers. Stine a fear Street series for older readers usually seventh and eighth graders Are a bit scarier and Deal with boy girl stuff. In new girl pocket Cory Brooks Falls in love with the ghostly Pale new girl at school. She remains elusive mysterious her brother Warris Cory to stay away. A is she a ghost what happened to her sister who died mysteriously in the chilling conclusion Cory learns Beauty is Only skin deep. Though scar there is no graphic violence a and again Good Guys Triumph. In an interview from his new York City apartment Stine 50, talked about his 25-year career writing for kids. He a got a Good natured voice and laughs often. As a boy Stine says he was shy and quiet. He stayed indoors writing when his Mother wanted him outdoors playing. A archway paperbacks writer . Stine a the books arc a lot like Riding a roller coaster a a very fast ride very he knew he wanted to be a writer at age 9, when he dragged an old typewriter Down from the attic and began typing stories. And he read. A i loved All the Norse legends a greek myths Edgar Allen Poe baseball stories. I. Was a fanatic about talks from the crypt scary comic books and mad Magazine changed my life a at Bexley High school in suburban Columbus Ohio a i was a real smart Aleck a Stine recalls. At Ohio state he was editor of the Campus humor Magazine. After graduation he moved to new York. Success is still new. Stine says its a thrill to walk into a Bookstore and see kids talking about which of his books they at. Ready have which they want to buy. He had been writing humor books for kids when he chanced upon writing a scary one five years ago lie knew right away he was on to something big a my very first horror novel Blind Date a i can to believe i spent three months writing that Book now i can write six in that time a immediately became a Best seller. Then twisted really the Surprise says Stine was a that boys were Reading Quot that a what makes Stine a series unusual. Most children a series Appeal to either girls or boys a predominantly girls. Stine began getting fan mail from boys and realized he had a series that would be read by boys and girls doubling Bis potential audience. Here a Why he thinks kids like his stories a the books Are a lot like Riding a roller coaster a a very fast ride very exciting. A a you think you Are going to go one Way and go am other. It twists you around. There Are All kinds of surprises. You end up Safe and sound and you know you Are of the whole Lime a Home Safe in your room Reading this Book.�?�. Tina Moore owner of two Blue Marble children a bookstores in Cincinnati and a Board member of the american booksellers for children agrees its the thrill that Sells. A they arc exciting Page Turners. They the Cov cars look horrible but they Are More bark than bite. The books tap into kids fascination with horror and being Julie Sherman another children a bookseller says a i say they Are books of literary Genius. But there Are two philosophies a getting kids Reading terrific literature or getting kids to read. The kid who will never read will read these books. A part of the reason is its a genre for kids like we read Romance or mystery or westerns. A the kids in the books Are the same age As kids Reading them. Some themes Are things they Are thinking she said the books sell so Well its difficult to keep stocked when a new title arrives. A if we get it on a wednesday Well be out by the Bev Paeth an eighth Grade Reading teacher said . Stine was voted favorite author in a Survey at the school. The staff has to buy a new set of his books every year they Are so worn or missing. Paeth whose program just won a National award for excellence for federally funded chapter 1 programs says the series gets no readers Reading. A the covers and the titles of the books catch their Eye a she said a a they la try them and usually the Reading is pretty easy. The stories Are always inter. Esting and there a always a twist. A every chapter ends with a what a going to happen next a they can to put them Down. A they get reluctant readers hooked on books. Then i try to4ntroduce them to other authors a Walter Dean Myers and Gary Scripps Howard nows service a Stine a strategy for Success , Stine says he a constantly looking for a fresh Supply of ideas for the 24 books he turns out in a year. His wife who edits his work and 13-year-od son provide some a a couple of halloween ago my son jihad on a Green rubber monster mask. He pulled it Over his head and get it off. I thought i what a great idea. The haunted mask novel that resulted is about a mask that becomes part of a Gills face. A she. Can to get it off and it starts telling her what to Stine says the secret to turning out so Many books quickly is a i outline every he writes�?T20 pages a Day. Here is the process he uses a get the Basic idea. A think of a title a figure out the ending who did it. A fill in with what they did or who s doing what to them. A figure to fool the Reader keep them from guessing the ending a a determine what the big surprises Are going to be. A make a list of characters to populate the Book. A develop a chapter by chapter outline of everything that happens a make sure each chapter has a Cliffhanger and a shocker. A then when i sit Down to write in be done All the work. I can just enjoy the writing Quot he said Stine starts in the morning and usually knocks off by about 4 . When not writing he spends time with his family. He and his son he does no to read dads books but negotiates to get his friends in them As characters just re turned from Disney world. /. Maureen conlan20 sunday july 31,1904
