This revised edition of It Came from Ohio (1997) brings Stine's highly entertaining memoir up to date. The conversational tone and often amusing anecdotes are still a pleasure to read. In addition to a few changes in the biographical chapters and the "Top 20 Most-Asked Questions" section, this edition adds five new chapters on Stine's activities since 1997, including anecdotes from his book-related trips to China, Russia, and Australia. He talks about the Mostly Ghostly, Rotten School, HorrorLand, and Goosebumps Most Wanted book series, as well as a television series and the forthcoming Goosebumps movie, with Jack Black playing the part of Stine. Given the renewed popularity of Stine's books and the impending August release of the film, this is a timely addition to library collections.

Gr 4-6 As a tie-in with the Goosebumps film slated for release in October 2015, this mildly self-effacing memoir, originally published in 1997, has been rereleased with a light edit and three new chapters by coauthor Lurie. Until he hit the big time with "Fear Street" and subsequent series, Stine led an unremarkable lifeexcept that his account of a writing apprenticeship demonstrates that his fluent, seemingly effortless prose and plotting are really the result of years of hard work, from a series of homemade joke books begun at age 12 through stints at a college magazine, an industry journal, and Junior Scholastic . The new material, which includes references to overseas tours, new series, and excited comments about the upcoming movie, fits seamlessly with the old. The gags, the hokey snapshot photos strewn throughout, the fan mail quotes ("Dear R.L. Stine, I've read forty of your booksand I think they're really boring!"), and the closing authorial FAQs haven't dated at all. VERDICT A sure hit with "Goosebumps" fans and certain to be a popular choice for biography assignments, too. John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City