`GOOSEBUMPS' FEVER : GHOULISH BOOKS DRAW YOUNG FANS TOGETHER.

Byline: Erlina Tulabut Daily News Staff Writer

With their ghoul-heavy, neon-splattered covers and titles such as ``How I Got My Shrunken Head'' and ``Egg Monsters From Mars,'' the ``Goosebumps'' book series would surely make Dr. Seuss faint in dismay.

But they've hit it big in the prepubescent literary scene. So big that dozens of faithful readers and budding critics gather once a month to discuss and critique the latest issue of the R.L. Stein books.

The children, who range in age from 6 to 12, turn out at their local Bookstar or Barnes & Noble to voice opinions and give the latest cliffhanger a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. The Woodland Hills group has around 15 regulars whose opinions run the gamut of simplistic to highly descriptive, said ``Goosebumps'' club co-creator Chris O'Flaherty.

``The kids love the books, and that always surprises me because I might think that a particular one might be no good,'' said O'Flaherty. ``But they always end up liking the latest one best, no matter what the plot is. Like with pizza, the last slice is always the best.''

Overall, the reviews have been good for the suspense thrillers, which average a little over 100 pages long. In appreciation, Stein - a New York-based author who also pens the children's ``Fear Street'' series - sent the club an autographed book jacket.

O'Flaherty, 27, and his friend Jessica Wilson came up with the club idea shortly after he began working at the Woodland Hills Bookstar in 1994.

``I thought, `I wish I would have had a book like that when I was 10,' '' O'Flaherty said, noting that he grew up with ``Encyclopedia Brown'' books and ``Twilight Zone'' reruns.

After the unexpected attendence of 50 to 60 children at the first few meetings, the group branched out into several other store locations. There is no fee, and meeting dates and times vary at each store, which include Bookstar outlets in Studio City and the Beverly Connection and the Barnes & Noble stores in Encino and Burbank.

Although O'Flaherty no longer works for Bookstar, he still heads the Woodland Hills group and writes the ``Goosebumps'' club bimonthly newsletter, available at all Bookstar locations.

In addition to the critiques, the children also take part in an occasional writing contest, craft project and ``whatever I can pull out of my hat,'' O'Flaherty said. Past projects have included the re-creation of a ``Goosebumps'' creature named Grool.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Chris O'Flaherty, 27, leads the ``Goosebumps' ' club meeting at Bookstar in Woodland Hills.

(2) Fans who meet at local bookstores to discuss the R.L. Stein series range in age from 6 to 12.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News