The Haunted Mask facts for kids
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| Author | R. L. Stine |
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| Cover artist | Tim Jacobus |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Goosebumps |
| Genre | Horror fiction, children's literature |
| Published | September 1993 Scholastic |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 121 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-590-49446-5 |
| OCLC | 28659535 |
| LC Class | MLC R CP01287 |
| Preceded by | The Ghost Next Door |
| Followed by | Be Careful What You Wish For... |
The Haunted Mask is a super popular book from the original Goosebumps series. It's the eleventh book and was written by the amazing R. L. Stine. This scary story is about a girl named Carly Beth. She buys a creepy Halloween mask from a strange store. But when she puts it on, things get really weird. Carly Beth starts acting differently and soon finds out the mask is stuck to her face! She can't take it off. R. L. Stine got the idea for this book from his own son. His son had put on a Frankenstein mask that was hard to remove.
The Haunted Mask became a bestseller. It was featured on the USA Today and Publishers Weekly lists. One reviewer even said it was "ideal for reluctant readers and Halloween-themed sleepovers." In the mid-1990s, the book was made into a TV episode. This episode was released on VHS on March 12, 1996. The story was so popular that it has three sequels: The Haunted Mask II, The Scream of the Haunted Mask, and Wanted: The Haunted Mask.
Creating The Haunted Mask Book
The author, R. L. Stine, wrote The Haunted Mask. The original pictures were drawn by Tim Jacobus. Stine shared that the idea for the book came from his son, Matthew Stine. One Halloween, Matthew put on a Frankenstein mask that he had trouble taking off. Stine also mentioned that he included a duck costume in the book. This was inspired by a duck costume his parents once got him for trick-or-treating.
The model for the book's cover was Tim Jacobus's niece. The book was first released in September 1993 by Scholastic. An audiobook version was published in 2015. It was read by Jorjeana Marie.
Story of The Haunted Mask
Carly Beth Caldwell is an 11-year-old girl. She is shy, easily scared, and believes things easily. Two boys, Steve Boswell and Chuck Greene, often tease her at Walnut Avenue Middle School. They play tricks on her, like offering her a sandwich with a live worm inside.
After school, Carly Beth goes home. Her mom has made a plaster mold of Carly Beth's face. This was a gift to show her love. Later, her younger brother Noah scares her. He wears a duck costume that their mom also made.
At the school science fair, Steve causes a panic. He pretends his pet tarantula has escaped. He then pinches Carly Beth's leg. This makes her think the tarantula bit her. Carly Beth gets very scared and causes a big mess. She feels embarrassed in front of her teachers and classmates.
Carly Beth tells her friend Sabrina how upset she is. She promises to get back at Steve and Chuck. She plans to visit a new shop that sells scary costumes. She hopes to find something there to scare the boys.
Inside the shop, Carly Beth finds a secret back room. It has a row of really ugly and deformed masks. The shop owner doesn't seem happy about it, but he sells her one. Carly Beth is thrilled and goes home. She successfully scares Noah with the mask.
On Halloween night, she puts on the mask again. She manages to scare Chuck and Steve, just as she planned. But as the night goes on, her voice gets deeper. She starts acting mean and violent. She even scares kids she doesn't know. Carly Beth then discovers she can't take the mask off. She realizes with horror that the mask has become part of her skin.
Carly Beth rushes back to the shop. The shopkeeper tells her a scary truth. The "masks" in the back room are actually living faces. He says they can only be removed by a "symbol of love." But if a mask sticks to someone again, it will be permanent. Suddenly, the other masks in the shop come to life. They start chasing Carly Beth.
While running, Carly Beth remembers the plaster mold her mother made. She realizes it's a symbol of love. Carly Beth finds the mold and uses it. It helps to keep the other masks away and removes the mask from her face. She goes home to her mom, throwing the mask away. Later, Noah bursts in. He asks her, "How do I look in your mask?"
More Haunted Mask Books
Three sequel books were published after The Haunted Mask:
- The Haunted Mask II came out in October 1995. It was the thirty-sixth book in the original Goosebumps series.
- The Scream of the Haunted Mask was released on August 1, 2008. This was the fourth book in the Goosebumps HorrorLand series.
- A stand-alone story, Wanted: The Haunted Mask, was published on July 1, 2012. This book celebrated the 20th anniversary of Goosebumps.
Another book, The Haunted Mask Lives!, was listed on the illustrator Tim Jacobus's website. However, it was never released.
