#11 "If looks could kill...."
Carly Beth has no idea what she wants to be for Halloween. But she knows it needs to be really scary. When she finds an old mask at a nearby party store she begs the man to let her buy the mask despite his reluctance. Everything seems good and scary at first, but when Carly Beth starts getting strange thoughts while wearing the mask and even has trouble getting it off, things start to get really creepy! ( )

This was one of my favorite Goosebumps books growing up. The idea of a mask that fuses to your face, the mask being that of the Unloved, it's such a cool concept and something that really hits home when you're little.

There's something great about the portrayal of it all, too. The exhilaration that Carly Beth initially feels at being able to frighten others rather than being scared herself, how quickly she takes it too far, how after a while she just gives into it completely in her need for revenge - the blurring of the line between how much of what she did was due to the mask and how much was simply her is great stuff in is a kid's book. The reaction of the shop owner, as well, is something I love. No fear, no anger, just a quiet sadness.

I still enjoyed this book a ton, and it was great reading it over again now that I'm older. I could see the old mental pictures coming back like a movie. Fun stuff.

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I think this one has stood up better than some other Goosebumps, but its take on bullying really shows how different things were before social media. ( )

The Haunted Mask is a children's chapter book form the Goosebumps series about an evil mask that takes over its wearer. I enjoyed this book. When I was younger I used to read the goosebumps series around halloween time with my family so I have always had a soft spot for this creepy novels. One reason that I likes this book is the plot. This book has an interesting plot that keeps you you guess about what is going to come next. I also enjoyed this book because of the writing. The book is a bit challenging but is written very well. The explanation and imagery are so fun and exciting. Ultimately, this book has a lot of twist and turns, it is definitely one of my favorites.

The Haunted Mask is a great children's chapter book age appropriate for children in second to fifth grade. This book is a great read for halloween and is an R.L Stine classic. The story centers around Carly Beth, a young girl who's constantly picked on by her peers. Carly is easily scared is repeatedly the butt end of pranks and jokes. A child's tarantula goes missing at a science fair Steve and Chuck, two of her classmates pretend to be the spider and pinch Carly's ankle which causes Carly to freak out and destroy her science project. Carly vows revenge on Steve and Chuck, and plans to go to a costume shop that has recently opened in her town. On Halloween day Carly goes to the mask shop and doesn't really find anything she deems suitable until she gets into the back room and finds some absolutely terrifying looking masks. The store owner refuses to sell Carly the mask but eventually allows her to purchase one. Later in the day, with a mold of her actual face that her mother has made her Carly attempts to find Steve and Chuck in her new bought mask. Carly and her friend sabrina go around the town and Carly becomes increasingly more aggressive and violent. Carly actually ends up choking her best friend and attacking random children trick or treating before she finally finds and scares Steve and Chuck at which point she loses the cast of her head. Carly ends up going back to Sabrina's house and is unable to remove the mask from her face. Carly begins to panic and goes back to the costume shop that sold it to her. The store owner tells her that the masks are actually real living deformed faces, and that they possess those that wear them. The owner then tells Carly that a symbol of love will allow the mask to be removed, but if the mask it put back on it will remain forever. Carly realizes that her mothers cast of her head is a symbol of her head is a symbol of love and goes out searching for it. Carly finds the cast and is able to remove the mask at which point she returns home. Carly returns home and tosses the mask away. Shortly after the book ends with her brother coming into her room wearing her mask asking how he looks. Especially considering this book takes place on halloween I thought it was a great october/Halloween read. I would rate this book 3/5 stars, I enjoyed reading the book but really disliked the ending. In terms of a central message, one idea you could take would be the damage that revenge can cause. Carly is picked on constantly, but all of this occurred because Carly wanted to get revenge on the kids that picked on her. This story illustrates fictional dangers of revenge, but revenge non the less is a very dangerous thing. Overall this is a great book younger readers, especially those looking for a scare. ( )