Blind Date

After a series of crank telephone calls, Kerry thinks a blind date will change his luck, unware that his date is secretly bent on revenge

Grade 7-10 Kerry has a memory lapse. He has shut out some horror in his life, and no one will tell him what has happened. (It's been a year, and miraculously, no one has slipped, and he hasn't been all that curious, either). Then things start happening. He accidently breaks the star quarterback's leg; he is kicked off the football team, and his schoolmates hate him and beat him up. A mysterious girl suddenly calls for a date, and he is lured into her trap by her sexy voice. The subject of his brother, Donald, keeps creeping up, and finally Kerry learns that Donald is not dead, he's in a mental hospital, or he was until he escaped. Kerry's best friend Josh is a prizefull of wit and personality. It's nice to have Josh around because the rest of the people weave in and out of a complicated and not too believable storyline in a rather superficial way. The writing flows well enough to keep readers' attention, regardless of the fact that once the book is finished, they will surely say something like, "Now, come on, that couldn't happen." So it couldn't happen. So what? It's mindless entertainment. Judie Porter, Media Services Center, Portsmouth School Department, R.I.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When Kerry accidentally breaks the star quarterback's leg during football practice, it seems like the whole school is against him. The quarterback's girlfriend, Sharon, starts threatening Kerry, and he gets mysterious phone calls that he assumes are from her. He also gets calls from a girl named Mandy; he's never met her, but she wants to date him. On their first date, Kerry ends up at a house where people he's never seen know himand hate him. The other, horrible phone calls keep coming. His brother Donald, a mental patient, also calls Kerry; his words also carry with a threat. Then in a gruesome climax, Mandy takes Kerry to a secluded cabin, ties him up and starts breaking his bones with a mallet. Donald saves Kerry, who suddenly remembers that he was the driver in a car accident that killed a girl; Mandy believes she is the girl's sister, avenging her death. Though the plot is convoluted and some details are stomach-churning, Stine moves the story along, handling the red herrings with finesse.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.