Not long after Scholastic Books made the announcement that the works of beloved children’s author R.L. Stine would be altered in the name of inclusion, the author himself leapt to his own defense, insisting that he has nothing to do with the edits in upcoming editions of “Goosebumps”.
Stine took to Twitter to dismiss the claims that he had a hand in editing the books, writing, “the stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.” Stine also linked to an article that confirmed he had no ties to any changes made to the “Goosebumps” book. So suck on that, Scholastic!
Even without the author’s cooperation, Scholastic plans to make more than 100 edits throughout Stine’s “Goosebumps” series. For example, the word “plump” has been changed to “cheerful”, “silly” is now the inoffensive version of “crazy” and a character no longer paints his face black (their Halloween costume was “a dark and stormy night”–it’s not like they were going in blackface). It doesn’t seem as if titles will change, so don’t expect to see “Night of the Living Silly Boy” or “Say Cheese and Take a Long Nap!” on shelves.
In their statement, the publisher explained their decision to tinker with Stine’s “Goosebumps” series. “Scholastic takes its responsibility seriously to continue bringing this classic adolescent brand to each new generation. When re-issuing titles several years ago, Scholastic reviewed the text to keep the language current and avoid imagery that could negatively impact a young person’s view of themselves today, with a particular focus on mental health.”
The initial claims that R.L. Stine himself took an eraser to his “Goosebumps” could have left a major red mark on the author’s reputation. But since he claims it’s the publisher’s doing, Stine does now feel like yet another victim. After all, Stine isn’t the only prominent children’s book author to have his works altered as of late, as Roald Dahl has also been a target. Penguin Random House, who publishes Dahl’s books, eventually partially relented on their decision, saying, “We’ve listened to the debate over the past week, which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation…As a children’s publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care…We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahl’s classic texts in print.” On the more adult-friendly fare, some of Ian Fleming’s James Bond books are also being revised to remove outdated terms.
What do you think of R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” books being revised? Should there be reprints with the original text as well, as done with the works of Roald Dahl? Let us know your take below.