- "The villains you want to have. The books you have to read!"
- ―The series' tagline
Goosebumps Most Wanted is a series of Goosebumps books written by R.L. Stine. It began in 2012 with Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask, and ended in 2016 with The Lizard of Oz. The series contains ten main series books, four special edition books, and a standalone novel.
Like with the previous series, most of the books contain an introductory section. In this series, Stine introduces the main villain of the book in the "Welcome You Are Most Wanted" section. The cover art for the books feature the main villain of that book with a colored background behind them, suggesting that it is some kind of "Wanted Poster" for them. The cover art for the books take on a more detailed and realistic look compared to Goosebumps Hall of Horrors and Goosebumps HorrorLand 's book covers, which had a more cartoony art style.
Books
| No. | Book | Publish date | Pages | Blurb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask
|
June 2012 | 240 | Lu-Ann Franklin usually loves Halloween. Not this year. Her best friend, Devin O'Bannon, is going away for the week. And she has to go to a boring party where nothing exciting could ever happen. But when Lu-Ann comes face-to-face with The Haunted Mask, major trouble lies ahead. Devin O'Bannon didn't want to leave his best friend Lu-Ann Franklin behind on Halloween. He didn't ask to go on this trip. And that was before he heard the strange scratching on his windows and saw the shadows moving around in the fields. Something is out there and it doesn't seem to want Devin around! |
| 1 |
|
October 2012 | 125 | Jay Gardener can't seem to stay out of trouble. Even after a fresh start in a new neighborhood, he keeps finding himself in bad situations. But it's not his fault! Jay wants to be a good kids, he really does, it's just these strange things keep happening to him. What kind of a place did his family move to? And why does every house have so many lawn gnomes in their yard? Jay better learn quickly that there are things a lot more scary than his parents... |
| 2 |
|
January 2013 | 134 | Jackson Stander is every parent's dream. He doesn't get into trouble, he always does his homework, and he never ever lies. His teachers all trust him completely. He even volunteers at the local Youth Center. But that was all before Jackson came across an evil ventriloquist dummy. Now he must deal with Slappy wreaking havoc on his family and friends. Jackson will soon see that two Slappys are not better than one! |
| 3 |
|
April 2013 | 140 | Noah Bienstock can't help being so shy and nervous; he's always been like that. His best friend, Lissa Gardener, lives in the same building, but aside from her, Noah isn't very popular. So when he learns that the new student in his class is also his neighbor, Noah's excited to have a new person to hang out with. But as the boys spend more time together, Noah starts to worry all over again -- is there something strange about his new friend? |
| 4 |
|
July 2013 | 136 | Kat is reluctant to visit her uncle, Vic Frankenstein, because of all the rumors about him. People in the small town where he lives say he's a mad scientist like his great-grandfather, Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster that came alive and terrorized the town. But Kat is relieved to find that even though he lives in a dark, old castle-like mansion, Uncle Vic is a quiet, gentle man, a scientist interested in building robots with artificial intelligence. Also, Kat loves Poochie, Vic's small, adorable, fluffy white dog, funny and playful. But after an accident occurs in her uncle's lab, strange things begin to happen. Has Kat created a monster? Or is something else responsible for the horror that is unleashed? |
| 5 |
|
September 2013 | 136 | Richard Dreezer loves reading comic books. He spends a lot of his time at the Comic Book Museum in his neighborhood. He even dreams of being a superhero with strange and amazing powers. But when the insanely devious Dr. Maniac appears in the real world, Richard has his hands full. If Richard doesn't do something fast, everything he knows will be destroyed. But how do you reason with a Maniac? Richard better figure it out fast because the doctor is now in...sane. |
| 6 | Creature Teacher: The Final Exam
|
February 2014 | 133 | It doesn't take long for Tommy to find out he's in big trouble. His whole family is obsessed with winning and he's being sent off to a special camp to help make him into a "winner." When Tommy gets there, he sees that something isn't right. All of the kids are so competitive. It's almost like their lives depend on it. Can Tommy survive The Final Exam? |
| 7 |
|
February 2015 | 148 | Ray Gordon really likes the circus. His uncle, Theo is a performer in Koko's Klown Academy and he invites Ray to come join him for the summer. At first, Ray's parents are reluctant-they know their son has a habit of getting himself into strange situations. But Ray manages to convince them that he'll be on his best behavior. The circus itself is very cool. The clowns stay in their makeup all day and only go by their clown names. Ray becomes a clown-in-training named Mr. Belly-Bounce. But the longer he's there, the scarier things become. There are whisperings about a place called Clown Street and nobody, including Murder the Clown, wants to go there. Will Ray be able to survive the dark secrets of the circus? |
| 8 |
|
September 2015 | 136 | Ben and Jenny Renfro are terrified of puppets and they don't know why. It's just been a fear that the twins have shared for as long as they can remember. Yes, they are creeped out by all kinds of puppets, but especially marionettes. Something about all of those wires is extra scary. The twins are determined to defeat their class rivals by winning their school's talent contest. And that means doing whatever it takes. Even if they have to surround themselves by the thing they hate most--puppets! But there is more to these guys than just string and glue. Something evil is hanging around. Will Ben and Jenny be able to take control? |
| 9 |
|
February 2016 | 140 | Kelli and Shawn Anderson are not excited about having to move to another state - especially because their new home is directly next to a giant swamp. But their dad is a scientist and he's going down there to study the local flora and fauna. Unfortunately for Kelli and Shawn, there seem to be some very strange creatures that live around their house. They keep hearing about the legend of the Shaggedy (Swamp Monster), an ancient beast that lives far below the surface of the swamp and can cause a whole lot of damage. Can Kelli and Shawn convince their dad to move back home before it is too late? |
| 10 |
|
September 2016 | 135 | Kate Lipton's family has some strange ideas. Her dad is convinced that their family should be running a farm for lizards. Who doesn't love lizards? The whole family takes a trip to Australia to find the most exciting and rare species. They return home with a mysterious egg.
Kate can't wait for the egg to hatch. It feels like it's taking forever! But when it does, strange things start to happen. She can't help but notice certain changes around her house. Will Kate and her family be able to survive this Lizard of Oz? |
.jpg "Planet of the Lawn Gnomes (Cover).jpg (1,002 KB)")
.jpg "Son of Slappy (Cover).jpg (503 KB)")
.jpg "The Lizard of Oz (Cover).jpg (778 KB)")
Goosebumps Most Wanted: Special Edition
Goosebumps Most Wanted: Special Edition is a side series of Goosebumps Most Wanted. The special edition books slightly differ from the normal books. They are roughly 40 pages longer, are separated into three different parts, and the cover art for each book features the same mysterious house in the background.
| No. | Book | Publish date | Pages | Blurb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
June 2014 | 174 | Kenny Manzetti was the new kid in town. His family moved back into an old house to help take care of his grandfather. Everyone in his new neighborhood is obsessed with zombies – even Grandpa Mo. But then a new family moves in next door and their choice of furniture is... interesting.
Kenny is convinced that there is something strange about the new neighbors but his parents won't listen to him. So Kenny and his friends go in for a closer look. A bad idea on any day but definitely the wrong choice on Halloween. Will Kenny survive long enough to go trick-or-treating? |
| 2 |
|
September 2014 | 174 | Kate Welles just wants the lead in her school's Christmas play. Her annoying "friend" Courtney is constantly getting in the way of that. But Kate has to get along with Courtney or else neither of them will be allowed to take part in the production of The 12 Screams of Christmas.
Even worse, Kate and Courtney's teacher decides that they need to find a special place to rehearse. A certain house with a lot of history. They kind of place that Kate would normally be pretty frightened to go into. The kind of place that gives new meaning to the term "Christmas Spirit." |
| 3 |
|
July 2015 | 166 | Scott Harmon would be the kid who is most afraid of everything at his school. That is, if it wasn't for his best friend, Amanda Gold. They really don't have it easy. Scott's younger sister spends her time frightening them. She'll do whatever it takes to get them to scream.
Scott and Amanda are also tormented by some neighborhood kids. But this Halloween, Scott and Amanda are determined to get over their fears, even if that means spending time in the creepy old house that everyone else says is haunted. And if Scott and Amanda can stop being so afraid, maybe they can even finally get some revenge... |
| 4 |
|
July 2016 | 175 | Sammy Baker is a quiet kid who wishes he wasn't so shy and timid. He is easily frightened but eager to prove he can be brave. On Halloween night, he follows his friends to the Marple House, an abandoned mansion on the other side of town.
Just past midnight, he feels a cold tingle at the back of his neck. The chill spreads across his body. It's unlike anything he's ever felt before. Soon, his whole head feels like a block of ice. He's about to scream – but the frigid sensation vanishes. Sammy doesn't realise that he has just met The Haunter... and that his nightmares are only just beginning. |
List of characters
Villains Most Wanted
Regular
Special Edition
Other Villains
| |
Children/Protagonists
| |
Other Characters
| |
Trivia
- There were several characters on the back cover of Wanted: The Haunted Mask making comments on its story. One of them was a character called The Invisible Man, who ended up not making the cast in Goosebumps Most Wanted. It is unknown if The Invisible Man was Brent Green making a returning appearance or a new character introduced in the series.
- Some of the characters on the "Most Wanted" list aren't actually the antagonists of the story, such as Murder the Clown, Poochie, and The Shaggedy.
- Zombie Halloween and The 12 Screams of Christmas are the only books in the series to have unique back taglines.
- The books in this series all start with the "Welcome. You Are Most Wanted." section except for Wanted: The Haunted Mask, The 12 Screams of Christmas and Trick or Trap.
- Several characters that have appeared in previous Goosebumps books make a return in this series, such as Slappy and Mrs. Maaargh.
- Almost every book in this series has its title referencing something:
- Planet of the Lawn Gnomes is referencing Planet of the Apes.
- Son of Slappy is referencing Seed of Chucky.
- How I Met My Monster is referencing How I Met Your Mother.
- Frankenstein's Dog is referencing Frankenstein's monster.
- Dr. Maniac Will See You Now is referencing the phrase, "the doctor will see you now".
- A Nightmare on Clown Street is referencing A Nightmare on Elm Street.
- Night of the Puppet People is referencing Night of the Living Dead and possibly Attack of the Puppet People.
- Here Comes the Shaggedy could be a reference to Here Comes the Devil.
- The Lizard of Oz is referencing The Wizard of Oz.
- The 12 Screams of Christmas is referencing the song The 12 Days of Christmas.
- Trick or Trap is referencing the phrase, "trick or treat". Its title also resembles the title of the Give Yourself Goosebumps book Trick or...Trapped!
References in other Goosebumps media
- Murder the Clown is the only character of this series that appears in the Goosebumps film.
| Goosebumps series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main series | Original series • Series 2000 • HorrorLand • Hall of Horrors • Most Wanted • SlappyWorld | |
| Spin-off series | Tales to Give You Goosebumps • Give Yourself Goosebumps • Goosebumps Presents • Triple Header | |
| Other series | Collector's Caps books • Goosebumps Gold • Classic Goosebumps • Goosebumps film books | |