- "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 is a mischievous kid who can't stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, Jay gets in so much trouble, his family is forced to move. But there's something odd about Jay's new town. Why does everyone have lawn gnomes in front of their homes? And why is everyone afraid to go outside at night? Jay is about to learn that mischief can lead to terror. |
| 2 |
|
January 2013 | 134 | Jackson Stander is a good kid. His parents and teachers all trust him and know that he would never do anything wrong. But after visiting his grandfather's house and meeting Slappy, Jackson is compelled to do evil things. Slappy has almost all control over Jackson, he even starts referring to him as his son because of all the mischief being caused. Jackson must figure out a way to defeat Slappy. However, when he discovers that his sister Rachel appears to be Slappy's daughter, the question of if he will be Slappy's son starts to arise. So the question is, will Jackson really turn-out to be Slappy's son or not?! |
| 3 |
|
April 2013 | 140 | Kids, listen up. I want you to gather around while I tell you a story you may have never heard before. I’m sure you’ve been curious about this for your whole lives. Well, here it is. This is how I met my monster. I, Noah Bienstock, was a shy, lonely 6th-grader. Then I met Monroe Morton, the new kid in school. Monroe was assigned the seat next to me in school, and we instantly hit it off. But there were some strange things about my new friend. Sometimes when I looked at Monroe, he appeared to be someTHING else. If I only knew the trouble he would get me into. |
| 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 | When a group of comic book characters appear in the real world, twelve-year-old Richard Dreezer, must track down Dr. Maniac to save the day. Straight from the comic book of his worst nightmares, this evil genius will make sure he leaves stickers when you arrive. If Richard does not stop Dr. Maniac, he will destroy everything he loves. |
| 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 loves animals, especially unusual ones. So when she sees a pop-up ad on her computer for an amazing lizard from Australia, she has to have it. The ad says the lizard is actually a kind of chameleon — it can change its color to blend in with its surroundings. But what makes this lizard really strange is that it's a copycat — the ad says it can even change its shape. Kate's parents don't believe all the claims in the ad, but they tell her to go ahead and order it. They tell her not to be disappointed if it's just a plain old lizard. After anxiously checking the mail every day for two weeks, the package finally arrives. But when she finally opens it — there's no lizard inside. There's only an egg with a written warning. Is Kate ready for what's about to hatch? |
.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 in to three different stories, and the cover art for each book features a mysterious house in the background.
| No. | Book | Publish date | Pages | Blurb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
June 2014 | 174 | 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! |
| 2 |
|
September 2014 | 174 | The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and after you. For the second time ever, it's a Goosebumps Christmas! Kate Welles doesn't want to be special. She just wants to play the lead in her school's Christmas play. Her annoying "friend" Courtney is constantly getting in the way of that. Can you even call someone a "friend" if all they do is make fun of you and ruin everything all of the time? But Kate has to get along with Courtney or else neither of them will be allowed to take part in The 12 Screams of Christmas. |
| 3 |
|
July 2015 | 166 | It's Halloween and that means time for trick-or-treating. And scary parties. But this year, things are taking a turn for the terrifying. Scott Harmon and Amanda Gold throw a party at an old haunted house. There won't be any treats, only traps. Traps for a few bullies that are always bugging them at school. What could possibly go wrong? How about a Haunted House with a mind of its own? A house that would rather play its own tricks and set its own traps... |
| 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 and his friends visit Marple House, an abandoned mansion that is rumored to be haunted. |
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 for some reason. It is unknown if The Invisible Man was Brent Green making a returning appearance or a new character introduced in the series.
- 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.
- 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".
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 | |