Creepy Creatures: Goosebumps Ghoulish Graphix Tales by Gabriel Hernandez, Greg Ruth, and Scott Morse Date of Publication: 2006 ISBN: 0-439-84125-9 Number of Pages: 139

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Low Intermediate: Low
GENRES: Graphic novel/Horror
THEMES : Good versus Evil - Life versus Death - Family - Prejudice - Appearance versus Reality - Survival

SUMMARY:
In The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, Grady has just moved into the area and, along with his sister and two new neighbours, he sets out to explore the nearby Fever Swamp. Mysterious occurrences have been happening in the area, and Grady learns the local hermit of the swamp is under suspicion. The hermit turns out to be nice, but events continue. When Grady's newfound pet, Wolf, is held responsible, he sets out one night to prove Wolf's innocence...but will Grady himself survive the experience?

In The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, two children are visiting their grandparents' farm. Unlike previous visits, something seems wrong with the older folk, and the mentally-challenged hired hand Stanley and his son Sticks also seem a little "off." When Mark and Jody see scarecrows that seem to be "walking," they believe that Sticks is up to his usual pranks. Soon, however, the children have to face the realization there's nothing funny about these scarecrows....and they may just cost the children their lives...

In The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena, the Garcia kids are excited to hear they will be accompanying their photographer father on a trip to Alaska. Mr. Garcia has been hired to capture some photos of the Abominable Snowman reported hiding in the area. The local travel guide doesn't appreciate the skepticism of the Garcias, and when he eventually leaves them alone in the tundra, disaster strikes -- and so does the Abominable Snowman!

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- likes graphic novels and stories told with pictures
- likes scary stories (e.g. Goosebumps)
- is interested in drawing, cartooning, and art
- needs pictures to understand narrative
- likes anthologies

WHAT ELSE?
As scary as these graphic novel adaptations are, they aren't graphic in the violent sense. The illustrations are done by three different graphic artists, and the different techniques they choose to use make for a fabulous art lesson. Tremendous discussion could follow, not only on the plots and believability of the tales, but on the effectiveness of the three styles and the biographies of the artists.

There are three or four other graphic novel anthologies of Stine's in this series.