YMMV / The Haunted Mask II

• Angel/Devil Shipping: Judging from the amount of fanart they both get online, Carly Beth/Steve seems to be really popular. The latter's Adaptational Heroism in the TV series helps.
• Base-Breaking Character: Steve. Some fans despise him for being an annoying and obnoxious Jerkass who really shouldn't be rooted for while some fans liked him and felt sorry for him when he started turning into an old man. His Adaptational Heroism in the TV series doesn't help his case.
• Contested Sequel: Most would agree it switches up enough to be a good starting point for a sequel but some are divided are how effective it was. Either it works at being a solid follow up that avoids the problems of most Goosebumps sequels, or it still wasn't enough due to an unsatisfying payoff.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Carly Beth's dad hanging up on Steve after thinking that he was a Dirty Old Man trying to get into his daughter's pants would normally be pretty serious if not for the awkward way Mr. Caldwell hangs up on him.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Steve's Jerkass traits are generally downplayed in the fandom and especially among shippers, possibly aided by the TV series Adaptational Heroism.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Steve's pet dog, Sparky, is a minor character yet he has tons of fans (most likely due to him being a Ridiculously Cute Critter of a dog).
• Harsher in Hindsight: Mr. Caldwell mistaking Steve for a pedophile becomes a lot harder to read as of the new 2010's due to the rise in reports of pedophiles/groomers.
• Squick: A minor one but Steve mentions green stuff coming out of the nostrils of the old man mask he's wearing.
• Values Dissonance: As noted in Harsher in Hindsight above, Mr. Caldwell mistaking Steve for a child molestor would normally be played much more seriously today than it was when the book first came out.