Goosebumps

In this Goosebumps #4 installment, Greg and his friends Shari, Michael, and Bird explore a creepy abandoned house and find an old Polaroid camera hidden in the basement. When they take pictures, the developed photos show horrifying future disasters—like a wrecked car or a girl vanishing—that soon come true in real life, turning their boredom into terror. They must confront the camera's evil owner, Spidey, to break the curse before more tragedy strikes their town.

Twin sisters Lindy and Kris Powell are fiercely competitive. Lindy finds a ventriloquist dummy named Slappy in a dumpster, sparking Kris's jealousy, so their parents buy Kris her own dummy, Mr. Wood. Kris accidentally brings Mr. Wood to life by reading a magic incantation from his pocket, leading to malicious acts like spewing green liquid and declaring the girls his slaves. The sisters must unite to destroy Mr. Wood with a steamroller, but Slappy awakens at the end, hinting at ongoing evil.

Shy Carly Beth Caldwell, tired of being scared and bullied by her friends Chuck, Steve, and little brother Noah, buys the ugliest mask from a mysterious shop despite warnings. On Halloween night, the living mask fuses to her face, making her act viciously—attacking friends, frightening kids, and vandalizing—until she seeks help from the shopkeeper, who reveals the masks' monstrous origins. She must use a plaster mold of her face and kind acts to break free from the curse.

After their father, Dr. Brewer, loses his job at the university, he spends all his time in the basement growing bizarre, oversized plants that seem alive and menacing. The children discover human-like plant creatures, including one claiming to be their real father, leading to a terrifying confrontation to identify the true Dr. Brewer among imposters. The story builds suspense through creepy discoveries like discarded clothes and plant food consumption, culminating in a chilling twist.

In this Goosebumps installment, Sarah Maas attends water sports-focused Camp Cold Lake with her brother Aaron, but struggles to fit in and clashes with her bunkmates Briana, Meg, and Jan. After conflicts escalate, including a canoeing mishap, Sarah fakes drowning in the lake to gain pity. Her prank backfires when she meets Della, a transparent ghost with pale blue eyes who drowned there previously and now stalks Sarah, desperate for a permanent buddy in the eerie, wintry otherworld by the lake.

While touring the Tower of London, American siblings Sue and Eddie are stalked by a mysterious man in black and mysteriously transported back to medieval times. There, they discover they are royal children marked for execution by the Lord High Executioner and must use magical stones to return to the present. Loosely inspired by the historical Princes in the Tower, the story blends horror, adventure, and time travel in classic Goosebumps style.

In Monster Blood IV, the final book in the original Goosebumps series and fourth in the Monster Blood saga, Evan Ross visits his cousin Kermit and faces off against bully Conan Barber. They discover a blue version of the evil Monster Blood, which doesn't grow but multiplies into ferocious little blue monsters, leading to chaotic and horrifying adventures.

The Animorphs series follows five teenagers—Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias—and an alien named Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (Ax), who obtain the power to morph into any animal they touch. They use this ability to battle the Yeerks, a parasitic alien race that can take control of any living creature by entering and merging with their brain. The series explores themes such as horror, war, imperialism, dehumanization, sanity, morality, innocence, leadership, freedom, family, and growing up. The narrative is told in first person, with each of the six main characters taking turns narrating the books from their own perspectives.