How to Kill a Monster

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How To Kill A Monster

Author	R. L. Stine
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Goosebumps
Genre(s)	Horror fiction, Children's literature
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	August 1996
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	112 p.
ISBN	ISBN 0-590-56883-3
Preceded by	Ghost Camp
Followed by	Legend Of The Lost Legend

How To Kill A Monster is number #46 in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. It was also turned into an episode on the hit TV series. It originally aired on the 1st of February, 1997.

[edit] Plot

When their parents go away to Atlanta, Gretchen and Clark have to stay with their Grandparents in Mud Town. Their Grandma and Grandpa are so forgetful that they've gone and left Gretchen and Clark alone for the day -- with a terrible monster locked up stairs!

The story begins with Gretchen and Clark visiting their grandparents (who live in the middle of a marsh) while their parents go to Atlanta. Soon they begin to see strange things like their grandfather bringing a lot of food to the third floor, also when Gretchen wakes up one morning, she looks at the window and sees something moving from far away. When they are playing Hide and Seek, they discover that their grandparents have a monster in their house. Gretchen discovers the monster, but their grandparents have gone to the city and left them locked in the house to protect them from the things in the marsh, as well as leaving two letters to warn them. Gretchen and Clark open the first one in which they are told about the monster in that room. In that moment they hear the monster and Gretchen has an idea on how to kill it: she noticed that there is a hole in third floor which she tries use to kill the monster, though she doesn't succeed. She tries two more times to kill it, and at last they escape from the house. Outside, they read the second letter, which says that the monster in their house can't be killed and warning Gretchen and Clark not to go to the marsh at night because that is when the monsters appear. Ironically, they are in the marsh, and it is now night.

[edit] TV Adaptation

In the TV adaptation of this book, Gretchen and Clark kill the monster because it is allergic to children since the monster nearly ate Clark's fist, but exploded as a result of tasting it.