Getting elementary-aged students to read can be tough.* Getting elementary-aged students, especially boys, is marginally easier to do if it’s though a graphic novel. ** The resistance decreases even more if the book’s cover has a gross, but age-appropriate monster or mysterious being. If the audience already has name recognition, then the book is like butter in the hands of a kid who’s been outside all day in the summer heat. Stay Out of the Basement is a graphic novel that lives in the Goosebumps world, and checks off all of the boxes that young readers want.
If you saw the second season of the Goosebumps mini-series this graphic novel is that story. It was first published as a chapter book in 1992 and is probably better than the Disney + mini-series and the graphic novel. The original story was also turned into a two-part episode as part of the television series, Goosebumps. It originally aired in 1996, but thanks to VHS tapes and the internet, it’s living rent-free in the minds of many adults now. It’s a Goosebumps world; we’re just along for the ride.
It’s obvious that Stay Out of the Basement is an early reader graphic novel. That’s not meant as a slight, but rather to assure hesitant audiences or librarians that the book isn’t bloody or too scary. There are a couple of panels where the plant bares its teeth, unconscious bodies lie on the floor, or flora peeks out from under someone’s clothing.
Dr. Brewer is fired from his job at the university and starts doing plant experiments in the basement. He turns it into a humid, dark environment with lots of purple, green, and black, probably listening to Prince or Meshuggah. ^ His two children become concerned about his insular behavior. Their dad has an occasional green solution seeping from his body too. They sneak into the basement, despite being warned many times to Stay Out of the Basement.
The kids discover an evil clone of their father who is 100% plant. They’re able to remove their dad from the pod, but they have to confirm which entity is the real person. Both beings have green sprigs of varying length coming under their hat, one of them has an axe. Margaret, the sister, grabs the axe and makes an educated guess, forcefully swinging the blade in front of her.
Stay Out of the Basement is a fun graphic novel. It’s got that buzz that will get young audiences talking. “What if my parents were aliens/plants/evil clones?”, “My sister is like that” or “I wish my brother was a plant clone” are just some of the things they’ll parrot. These are the wacky, impossible-to-happen, but fun to think about situations that kids have rolling around in their heads. It’s because of that fact that Stay Out of the Basement is immediately shareable. Kids will dog-ear the pages with the evil-plant-dad. The more ‘Halloween’-inspired pages will be the ones that audiences will gravitate towards.
However, what will keep those young readers continually engaged in Stay Out of the Basement is the comedic tension and paranoia between the two siblings and the mystery. The family dynamics and their friendship ebb and flow, just like a normal family. The supernatural elements provide the big, neon light that attracts the moths, and the moths will come. This is a graphic novel that elementary school libraries need. The classrooms that are located just down the hall would benefit from a copy too. It’s silly, fantastical fun that ages six and up can get behind and enjoy. We all know that elementary kids want to read graphic novels and that they’re familiar with Goosebumps, so go ahead and release the Kraken.
Goosebumps Graphic Novel: Stay Out of the Basement is based on the story by R. L. Stine. The graphic novel is adapted by Maddi Gonzalez with color by Corey Barba and Amanda Barba. It’s available on Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.
There are affiliate links in this post.
*Yes, we’re aware that some of our posts have started out that way.
**There. That one is new.
^ We made up that last part.
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube