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Goosebumps #60

Werewolf Skin

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IT'S A FULL MOON...DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR WEREWOLF IS?

Picture this—Alex Hunter, photography freak, hanging out in Wolf Creek. Who lives in Wolf Creek? Alex's uncle Colin and aunt Marta. They're professional photographers.

Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta are pretty cool. They only have two requests. Don't go into the woods late at night. And stay away from the creepy house next door.

Poor Alex. He just wanted to take a couple of pictures. But now he's about to find out the secret of Wolf Creek. Late one night. When the moon is full...

125 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

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3646 people want to read

About the author

R.L. Stine

1,679 books18.6k followers
Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

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5 stars
1,046 (29%)
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985 (27%)
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97 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
Profile Image for ✨Bean's Books✨.
648 reviews6 followers
October 24, 2019
#60 "All dressed up and no place to howl!"
Alex is not supposed to go over to the Marlin's house. They are weird and his uncle and Aunt have strict instructions to stay away from there. But Alex is an amateur photographer and wants to take some shots. He finds the place interesting. He's about to find out why his aunt and uncle told him to stay away.
Profile Image for Ken.
2,562 reviews1,375 followers
September 8, 2021
Just like Vampire Breath, Stine takes an iconic monster and adds he’s own Goosebumps twist to the legend.
This time werewolves must shed their skin at daybreak and hide it in a secure place.

It’s a fun story in the series with a traditional effective trope of the young protagonist Alex having to stay with relatives in the ominously named Wolf Creek.
Throw in the Halloween setting, makes this one of the enjoyable entries in the series.
Profile Image for Oliver Clarke.
Author 99 books2,041 followers
December 22, 2023
Genuinely entertaining junior werewolf tale. I had a lot of fun with it.
Profile Image for Brandon.
308 reviews13 followers
October 14, 2024
Title : Werewolf Skin

What I thought about this book as a kid: I don't have a ton  of nostalgia for this book unfortunately.I do remember reading this book in my principals office and thinking it was ok.I did have a weird obsession with werewolves as a kid and I thought The Werewolf Of Fever Swamp was the best of the two.God willing I'll reread that book at some point and I'll have a better definitive answer.My copy does still have the mask in it,which I'm pretty sure is the same copy I had as a kid

Plot: The story begins with our main protagonist Alex.He is going to be staying in Wolf Creek with his aunt and uncle for what I belive is like two weeks.He's even going to a new school for a little while.We learn that Alex is really into photography  and is planning on taking some scary pictures for this thing at his school.His aunt and uncle are also into photography and they have to travel alot ,or stay out late.They begin talking about Halloween  when one of the relatives ask what Alex wants to be for Halloween.The couple flip out though as Alex states he wants to be a Werewolf for Halloween,almost slamming into a truck.Alex and the couple make it to their house and it's surrounded by woods.He does,however have neighbors on each side.One house is the house of the Marlings,a supposedly  exclusive couple that doesn't really get along with other people.Alex begins to hear noises coming from the house next door  and even sees some animal like thing jumping out of the neighbors window.Alex meets the neighbor Hannah and she claims that the Marlings are werewolves.And when he meets two other kids and claims he wants to be a werewolf for Halloween they get really weird also.The school is also weird as Alex in his first day of class and they learn about lycanthropy,a study on werewolves.Stine mixes it up a bit though and says the full moon only gives the werewolves stronger power and doesn't necessarily need the moon to transform and that werewolves  shed their skin and that's what transforms them.One day two of the kids he meet tells him that they can prove werewolves are real and for Alex to meet them in the woods at midnight.That night though Alex gets ready to leave only to discover his room is locked and the window is barred from the outside.When he returns to schoolit turns out it was a prank by the school kids.But Alex has a plan to prove them wrong.He is going to sneak out of his house and get pictures of these werewolves.This is where I'm going to leave the plot because after this is where the werewolf action takes place and its really good.

What I thought of this book as an adult: I always thought The Werewolf Of Fever Swamp was a better book and this one was just ok.This time not much has changed.This book is definitely better then I remembered,but it was still kinda slow in some parts.I felt like some of the pacing could've been worked out a bit better.But the scenes in the woods and the mystery surrounding the Marlings was very well done I'd give Werewolf Skin a four our of five stars.
Profile Image for Mikala.
642 reviews237 followers
October 28, 2024
This one genuinely creeped me out towards the end when the main character makes a shocking discovery. I also love how Goosebumps books tend to have a fun twist ending!
Profile Image for Josiah.
3,485 reviews157 followers
April 17, 2019
A werewolf curse is again the subject of a Goosebumps book, but with a few new rules of engagement to spice things up. When twelve-year-old Alex Hunter's parents are abruptly called away on business right before Halloween, he's sent to stay with his Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta, professional photographers who live in the rural town of Wolf Creek. Being away from home at Halloween and attending an unfamiliar school for two weeks isn't Alex's idea of the perfect holiday, but it isn't so bad: Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta are welcoming enough, and Alex meets a neighbor his age named Hannah and they become friends. The only thing that seems out of sorts is the next-door neighbors, the Marlings, whose house is a rotting mess. Alex's aunt and uncle warn him not to go near the Marlings. They're weird, irritable people who don't like kids, and he's better off steering clear of them.

Within days of his arrival, Alex hears rumors that the Marlings aren't merely cranky: they're werewolves who hunt in the dark, deep neighborhood woods every night for weaker animals to devour. Alex is skeptical, but the other kids in town all express unquestioning belief in werewolves, even Hannah, who regards the Marlings with raw fear. Then Alex sees something at night which validates the claims of werewolf activity, and he decides to investigate. Like Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta, Alex is a prodigious photographer, and he's been dying to get a winning shot to enter in an upcoming photography contest. What could do the trick better than a picture of a real werewolf in action? But Alex isn't aware of everything going on around Wolf Creek. There's danger from people he doesn't yet perceive as threats, and that danger could be his undoing. When you wander the moonlit woods with no one to protect you, and a pair of werewolves is out on the prowl for their nightly kill, bad things can happen.

Comparing the two werewolf novels from the original Goosebumps series, I prefer The Werewolf of Fever Swamp to Werewolf Skin. The mystery is better explained, with fewer loose ends that are never tied up. Werewolf Skin is one of the last entries in the original series, but it has some zip on it, with an imaginative plot and characters described as evocatively as in any earlier Goosebumps book. I suppose it's possible I'd give Werewolf Skin one and a half stars. This book is a must to read and own for Goosebumps collectors, and I'm sure new generations will derive as much entertainment from it as previous ones. Have fun! I know I did.
Profile Image for Miles Madonna.
351 reviews66 followers
August 26, 2023
honestly this one was great. had such a good time. some gross body horror for kids and a crazy ending
Profile Image for Zoey De Leon.
197 reviews
October 9, 2023
What do I expect? It's mostly similar to the story structure of The Werewolf of Fever Swamp but instead the main character is mainly goes after what he suspects to be the werewolves and also has a kind of unique plot devices put into the werewolf mythology which is wolfskins but it isn't implemented in the story a whole lot except in the last half of the book and it kinda leads to the ending being rushed? I think..

This could have been a more better story than it what presented it is in my opinion, it's almost can be tied in with Werewolf of Fever Swamp which I preferred more, both had great atmosphere and spooky. it's almost there, I just didn't get satisfied as it doesn't explain more about the wolfskins as they come in the later part of the story plus with how the situation they dealt with is easy and the main characters managed to have their plan worked, like how much is the chance of that working based on their guess of that plan?

I still enjoyed this one, it's mainly a high 4 stars read.
Profile Image for Teresa.
422 reviews
August 16, 2008
These books are good. Odd and creepy enough for children who are into that kind of thing but not enough to give anyone nightmares. Great reading material
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,008 reviews262 followers
April 23, 2025
This was one of the better Goosebumps books I’ve read recently. Had a crazy RL Stine ending that’s so fun, some good intrigue.
Profile Image for Heather.
463 reviews12 followers
December 30, 2023
This was a very mediocre read in the series. A lot of loose ends and not enough suspense. But then again, werewolves aren’t really my thing.
Profile Image for Hailey Sawyer.
Author 1 book53 followers
October 29, 2023
So I have a nearly half a shelf worth of Goosebumps books that I inherited from my brother at some point in my past. This was sadly not one of the inherited ones and I really don't know why.

(Despite warnings from his aunt and uncle to stay out of the woods and the creepy house next door, photography freak Alex Hunter can't resist going out late one night to take pictures during a full moon.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads

I loved the direction the story takes with a couple of the characters. So throughout the story, are set up to be the werewolves. However, it turns out that the real werewolves were In the case of it's a really nice bit of subtle misdirection, to the point where I can honestly say that if you're looking to learn how to do misdirection right, this is a wonderful example to use.

Its take on the werewolf mythos was delightfully unconventional. Instead of the more common route of people becoming werewolves through the bite of another werewolf and whatnot, this story has people become werewolves through magical skins that need to be burned or taken from them long enough in order to lift the curse. Not only that, but I loved how it painted a real good picture of what it's like to wear these skins, such as the skin feeling heavy, tight, and sweat prone until the wearer gets to the wolf phase, how the skin melts back into a cape when the night is almost done, and so on.

Speaking of the skins, I loved what this story did with the werewolf skins themselves. So the werewolf skins are actually an allegory for addiction. It makes you age considerably, it makes it difficult to function normally in day to day life, it's next to impossible to break despite the solution being seemingly easy to implement, and so on. What's cool is that these parallels are planted quite subtly throughout the story in small, seemingly throwaway moments that don't linger for too long.

The cliffhangers were surprisingly effective. Yeah, one or two payoffs were kind of lame (like how ), but for the most part, the cliffhangers here did a wonderful job planting questions in my head and made me want to keep reading to get the answers. I had a real tough time getting myself to stop when I needed to. Seriously, in about a half hour or so, I had finished, like, half the story I'm not even kidding.

For a Goosebumps book, the kind of book aimed at eight to twelve year olds, this was surprisingly gory. Like, there are multiple instances where on-page werewolf attacks of animals happen and at one point, Yes, these parts were kind of tame compared to the stuff I've read and seen, but needless to say, I think if I read this as a kid, I would've absolutely been scared shitless.

Overall, Werewolf Skin was a story that, between its subtlety, cleverness, and willingness to take risks, has become one of my new personal favorites, the kind of story I can read over and over again and never get tired of.

Overall Grade: A+
Profile Image for Hannah.
557 reviews15 followers
December 30, 2009
Even for a children's book, Werewolf Skin was somewhat lacking. What it has going for it, is a relatable character (Alex had no real personality and only one interest, making it easy for the reader to make him anything they want him to be), short chapters to give a sense of achievement, and simplistic and obvious language.

It didn't take long to get back into the swing of the old Goosebumps books. Chapter 1 and 2 set the scene, and chapter 3 generally ends with some variation of "little did I know..." After then just about every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger (perhaps more appropriately a curb-stepper; they're pretty tame en in the climax). And the endings- that's what I had forgotten. Basically if you find yourself in a Goosebumps book, you're doomed right? Because no matter how neatly and completely you manage to get yourself out of trouble, the last paragraph will always be a new scenario plunging you back into peril.

So, Werewolf Skin specifically: Alex is off to visit his aunt and uncle in Wolf Creek. Immediately there are two mysteries: why is everyone so hung up on wolves, and what's the deal with the freakazoid neighbours next door? Curiously, Alex is attending school for the two weeks he will be away, and immediately makes friends with Hannah who not only believes in werewolves, but is frightened of them. In fact, in class he learns that all the students believe in werewolves, as well as the teacher who lectures about the history and circumstances of werewolves. I wonder where this fits in the curriculum? Days later it's Halloween and a full moon, and Alex and Hannah have figured out the mystery of the wolves who terrorise the locals. In a spectacularly cheesy climax, the wolves are revealed and released from their dreadful curse. But look out. Just when it's all looking peachy and we're heading home for cider and pancakes, there's a twist I bet you never saw coming!

I will concede, children will undoubtedly find this amusing insomuchas it's a simple and amusing tale, and one (if they have an imagination) they can place themselves in to have the adventure. However in terms of sheer cheesiness and use of language and story-telling, I could only bring myself to give this a 2.
13 reviews
January 3, 2011
name:Brianna age:10.......What i think about this book is that other kids that read gossebumps and the kids that dont read these kind of books would like them .......People goosebumps is really intresting..........u should read them........THEY ARE SO EASY TO READ THAT .........U CAN FINISH THIS IN 1 DAY.........IF U STICK TO IT AND READ!!!!!!!.......SO PEOPLE READ GOSSEBUMPS.......HOPE YOU LIKE THEM IF YOU SAW THIS.....THANK YOU FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SAW THIS AND NOW IS STARTING TO READ GOOSEBUMPS....THANK YOU :)......OH AND I FORGOT TO RATE IT SO NOW I AM RATING IT TODAY(2011)..........HAPPY LATE NEW YEARS.....:)
Profile Image for Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου.
Author 6 books384 followers
July 16, 2024
Αρκετά καλή πλοκή, αν και ο βασικός χαρακτήρας είναι κάπως επίπεδος, ίσως κι ελαφρώς αδιάφορος, με αποτέλεσμα να μην μπορούμε να ταυτιστούμε μαζί του ή να έρθουμε αρκετά κοντά του. Παρ' όλα ταύτα, το βιβλίο διαβάζεται αρκετά ευχάριστα, αν και θα ήθελα ένα τέλος που να με εκπλήξει λίγο περισσότερο.
Profile Image for Stacey.
142 reviews7 followers
October 30, 2025
I’m not a horror reader most of the time, which is why I like the Goosebumps books. This middle grade horror is just the right amount of spooky for me, and these are very nostalgic for me from growing up as a 90s kid.

This one was fun with the werewolf theme, and it took place a few days before Halloween which is when I read it. Was an enjoyable, quick and easy read that I started and finished in one sitting. Predictable ending with the spooky vibe I was looking for, definitely recommend this series if you enjoy horror written for younger readers and those who don’t like to be too scared.
Profile Image for Alex | | findingmontauk1.
1,565 reviews91 followers
July 26, 2023
Not bad, but not great. This one is very middle of the road for me. The mythos is not really explained as well and there seem to be quite a few loose ends. The twist is okay... but not totally jaw dropping or surprising in this one. Stine does twist up the typical werewolf trope some, but I still wanted a little more... because it was actually a neat concept! And I can imagine an R-rated version of this on screen!
Profile Image for Owen.
125 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2023
It's a good storyline of smart plots throughout the book like when the kids told Alex, the two boys would be in the woods but were not, and Alex was going to go to the woods to meet up but the door was locked and windows were caged. So he couldn't meet up with the Werewolf.
Profile Image for Troy.
252 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2023
Top tier. One of my favorites. Red it in 2 sittings. Nice little spooky adventure in a small town surrounded by the woods.
Profile Image for Cassandra Doon.
Author 57 books84 followers
March 4, 2023
Read the series when I was a kid.
Loved them so much! They are the perfect type of scary to read when your young.
Then I ReRead the whole series to my son.
And he loved them as much as I did.
Profile Image for Skylar.
496 reviews5 followers
April 14, 2025
the last couple goosebumps books are proving to be some of the best
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews

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