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Mostly Ghostly

by R. L. Stine

The Mostly Ghostly series by R. L. Stine has 8 known books (8 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004).

Books
8 known books (8 novels)
Published
8
First published
2004
Status
completed
Shelved under
Horror
Last checked

Start here: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Who Let the Ghosts Out?

Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Who Let the Ghosts Out?

    Novel

    Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004) opens Mostly Ghostly by introducing Max Doyle and the two friendly ghost children haunting his house, Nicky and Tara, who are stuck reliving the same day from decades earlier and can't remember how they died. At 129 pages, it sets up the continuing mystery and relationship that carries through all eight R.L. Stine books, giving the series more emotional throughline than his typical monster-of-the-week format.

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  2. Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?

    Novel

    Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (2004) continues Max Doyle's evolving relationship with the ghost siblings Nicky and Tara, unlike most R.L. Stine series where each book stands entirely alone. At 140 pages, it's the longest entry in Mostly Ghostly, following Who Let the Ghosts Out? as the second installment.

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  3. One Night in Doom House

    Novel

    One Night in Doom House (2005) is the third Mostly Ghostly book, keeping Max Doyle's ongoing effort to help ghosts Nicky and Tara solve the mystery of their deaths at the center of the story. R.L. Stine runs it 126 pages, blending the series' comic middle-grade horror with its gentler, sadder undercurrent.

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  4. Little Camp of Horrors

    Novel

    Little Camp of Horrors (2005) sends the Mostly Ghostly cast to a monster camp setting, one of the haunted-house-and-Halloween-party scares R.L. Stine builds around Max Doyle's continuing bond with ghosts Nicky and Tara. It's the fourth book in the series, running 129 pages.

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  5. Ghouls Gone Wild!

    Novel

    Ghouls Gone Wild! (2005) is the fifth Mostly Ghostly entry, continuing the series' throughline of Max Doyle's relationship with the ghost children Nicky and Tara even as R.L. Stine layers in a new external scare. It runs 128 pages.

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  6. Let's Get This Party Haunted!

    Novel

    Number 6 in the Mostly Ghostly series, Let's Get This Party Haunted! was dated 2005. It was written by R. L. Stine. It is the shortest book in the series at 123 pages.

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  7. Freaks and Shrieks

    Novel

    Freaks and Shrieks (2005) is the seventh Mostly Ghostly book, part of R.L. Stine's eight-book run that builds Max Doyle's relationship with ghosts Nicky and Tara across a continuing mystery rather than standalone scares. It runs 129 pages, following Let's Get This Party Haunted!

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  8. Don't Close Your Eyes!

    Novel

    Don't Close Your Eyes! (2006) closes out Mostly Ghostly as its eighth and final book, wrapping up Max Doyle's continuing relationship with ghosts Nicky and Tara across R.L. Stine's eight-book series. It runs 130 pages and was later followed by a direct-to-video film trilogy loosely adapting the books.

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About the Mostly Ghostly series

Mostly Ghostly follows Max Doyle, an ordinary kid who discovers his house is haunted by Nicky and Tara, two friendly ghost children stuck reliving the same day from decades earlier, unable to remember how they died or move on. Unlike most of R.L. Stine's monster-of-the-week series, Mostly Ghostly builds a continuing relationship between its human and ghost leads across all eight books -- Max becomes genuinely invested in helping Nicky and Tara solve the mystery of their deaths, giving the series more emotional throughline than a typical Stine outing alongside the usual haunted houses, monster camps and Halloween-party scares.

The tone splits the difference between Goosebumps-style comic horror and something gentler and sadder underneath -- the ghosts are more sympathetic characters than villains, and later books lean into their unresolved backstory as much as any new external threat. It's aimed at the same middle-grade audience as Goosebumps but reads as one of Stine's more character-driven series rather than a pure anthology of standalone scares.

Running eight books from 2004 to 2006, Mostly Ghostly was adapted into a direct-to-video film trilogy (2008-2016), giving Nicky and Tara a life on screen beyond the source books.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Mostly Ghostly series?

8 books, published from Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004) through Don't Close Your Eyes! (2006).

What order should I read Mostly Ghostly in?

Publication order, used here -- the mystery of ghosts Nicky and Tara's deaths and Max's relationship with them develop across the series, so reading in order is more rewarding than with most R.L. Stine series.

Is Mostly Ghostly connected to Goosebumps?

No -- it's a separate R.L. Stine series with its own cast and continuing storyline, though it shares a similar middle-grade horror format.

Was Mostly Ghostly adapted into a movie?

Yes -- a direct-to-video film trilogy loosely based on the series was released between 2008 and 2016.

Is Mostly Ghostly finished?

Yes, the book series concluded in 2006 with Don't Close Your Eyes!

Reading order last verified .