Goosebumps Series 2000: Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls, is a 1998 entry in the Goosebumps series of YA horror fiction, or more accurately, in the Goosebump Series 2000 line of books. Is mentioned in the previous sentence, it published in 1998, but "Series 2000" signified that this was not your dad, or slightly older brothers, Goosebumps. This was edgy, extreme and grim and gritty. Or at least, as much as it could be and still get into a Scholastic Book Fair. This is not the best Goosebumps book I've read recently, but it was the most recent.
Spencer Kassimir is a slightly nerdy middle school student in the town of Highgrave, who is bullied by kids in his class. He has a female best friend, Audra. Highgrave is called that because it has a supposedly haunted graveyard above the town, and when a mishap has Spencer get trapped in the graveyard at nighttime, he finds out that the legends are true. The ghouls are real, and one of them steals Spencer's body. Spencer has to hijack a rat, return to his home, and try to get his body back from the spirit that is possessing it---who is now going insanely destructive, with all the blame being cast on Spencer. Switching between the bodies of a rat, spider, cat, and finally his own brother, Spencer battles the ghoul inhabiting his body, trying to stop his spree of arson and (literally) ax-crazy murder. And as is often the case, there is a twist at the end, which I will return to in a bit.
As mentioned, the book tunes up the gore and violence, and despite the fact I've read horror books written for actual adults, I found myself honestly revolted. Of course, with that, there is a bit of a trade-in: other Goosebumps books were better at establishing psychological tension, and this one goes right for the action. There is one psychologically interesting idea, and one that has intrigued me for years: how much of our tastes and appetites could change while maintaining our identity? As a rat, Spencer finds himself suddenly hungering for worms, and finds himself torn between disgust and hunger. This entire question of identity is suspended as the action resumes.
Another interesting point, and one I have thought about before, has to do with the ending. At the end of this book, Spencer and Audra, who were both possessed, end up regaining bodies---but switch around, so Spencer is now in Audra's body and vice-versa. Transgender themes have been present in popular media for a long time, but it was usually seen as something solely in a fantasy context. This book could end with a preteen boy in the body of a girl with no fears of political or social statements, but it would be very curious to see how that would turn out today!