HAVRE, Mont. — A simple idea to get kids excited about reading turned into a Halloween treat for students at Sunnyside Intermediate School in Havre.
On Thursday, fourth- and fifth-graders met legendary Goosebumps author R.L. Stine during a virtual event, with two students even getting the chance to ask him questions live.
The whole thing started with school librarian Jade Miller.
WATCH: R.L. STINE VISITS WITH HAVRE STUDENTS
"I saw last year when we did an author talk that R.L. Stine was going to be coming up for this year, and I thought, I have to do this, we have to do this. We are going to do this," Miller said.
She enlisted the help of Havre Masonic Lodge #55, which donated 300 copies of Who Is R.L. Stine?, one for every student at Sunnyside.
"We had the books. They didn't know we were coming to the classrooms," said lodge member Joe Ross. "The kids just went crazy."
Things got even more exciting when Sunnyside was selected as one of three Spotlight Schools for the event, allowing fifth graders Payson Wittmer and Vista Holzworth to ask Stine questions live.
"I was shocked because I had no idea I was going to get picked for something like that," Wittmer said.
During the presentation, Stine shared stories about his career, including how his own son's struggle to remove a Halloween mask inspired his popular book The Haunted Mask.
"I should have helped him, right?" Stine joked, explaining that he started taking notes for a story instead.
Stine also revealed that he wasn't much of a book reader as a child until a librarian introduced him to the science fiction works of author Ray Bradbury.
It's a fitting connection for Miller, whose original goal was simply to get more students checking out books.
"Everything that I do in the library here, I really want it to expand beyond our four walls," Miller said. "I want the whole community to be excited about it."
And if Thursday's excitement was any indication, she's off to a pretty good start.
As Stine told the students before signing off: "Stay scary, everybody."
