Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist born on October 8, 1943. He is renowned for his work in the horror fiction genre, particularly targeting younger audiences. Stine is often referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature."

He is the author of the Goosebumps series, a collection of horror fiction novels which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series has expanded into a media franchise, including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films.

Stine also wrote the Fear Street series, which has sold over 80 million copies and has been adapted into a trilogy of films. His other popular horror fiction series include Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, Nightmare Hour, and The Nightmare Room. In addition to horror, he has authored dozens of humor books for children under the alias Jovial Bob Stine.