KARAH RUCKER: THE AUTHOR OF THE POPULAR GOOSEBUMPS SERIES IS SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT AFTER REPORTS HE EDITED HIS ORIGINAL WORKS TO BE MORE POLITICALLY CORRECT.
THE SUNDAY TIMES REPORTED R.L. STINE AND SCHOLASTIC BOOKS MADE OVER ONE HUNDRED EDITS TO HIS CLASSIC CHILDREN’S HORROR FICTION SERIES.
BUT STINE IS EMPHATICALLY DENYING THAT CLAIM. THE AUTHOR TWEETED: “THE STORIES AREN’T TRUE. I’VE NEVER CHANGED A WORD IN GOOSEBUMPS. ANY CHANGES WERE NEVER SHOWN TO ME.”
JUST LAST MONTH, PENGUIN BOOKS CHOSE TO REVISE WORKS BY AUTHOR ROALD DAHL, INCLUDING ‘CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’ AND ‘MATILDA’. BUT AFTER AN OUTCRY FROM FELLOW AUTHORS AND THE PUBLIC –THE PUBLISHER DECIDED IT WOULD ALSO PUBLISH A CLASSIC COLLECTION WITH NO EDITS.
CHANGES TO BOTH AUTHORS’ WORKS INCLUDED REMOVING WHAT SOME CALL “INSENSITIVE LANGUAGE” — EDITING OUT REFERENCES TO WEIGHT, MENTAL HEALTH, OR ETHNICITY.
WHILE ROALD DAHL AGREED TO THE EDITS – R.L. STINE SAYS ANY CHANGES YOU MAY FIND IN NEW PRINTS OF THE GOOSEBUMPS COLLECTION WERE MADE BY HIS PUBLISHER WITHOUT PERMISSION.
