Rereading My Childhood - Fear Street

The Mind Reader

It's happened.

I read a Baby-Sitters Club, Goosebumps, or Fear Street book once a week. I make my notes on each page and I flag any passages that I find particularly quote-worthy. I finally sit down at my computer and start writing a review. I usually have some topic from my childhood that I want to ruminate on using the book I just read.

But it's finally happened.

I read The Mind Reader a few weeks ago. When I sat down to write this, I realized that the only thing I could remember about this book is that the title is misleading. What happened? How can I equate this to my childhood? Who are the characters? Does anyone get killed?

Maybe my notes in the margins will help me. Clearly, we're going to rediscover this one together. Why can't I remember what happened in this one?

Ellie is the new kid in town and has visions of the future - premonitions. Also, she has a best friend named Sarah. And there is a new boy named Brian. This is all in the first few pages.

It's important to note that Ellie can't read minds - she just sees stuff. She can't jump Professor X-style into anyone's head. The title is already a problem.

Anyway, Ellie sees a hand buried in the forest. The police find a hand, but not before Ellie gets the opportunity to freak out a bunch and scream about hands beckoning her while the police search the forest. This is a Fear Street novel, after all, and we need some cliffhanger craziness.

Sarah shows up at the crime scene. Her father is a policeman and, apparently, that means Sarah can wander wherever she wants. She can poke the bodies and stick her hand in blood and use it for finger painting. She doesn't do that in the book, but she saunters into an active crime scene with the impunity of a sitting Republican Senator. Ellie finds a red piece of fabric and Sarah faints.

The next day, Sarah isn't at school and has some locker talk with a few side characters. They tell her that Sarah's older sister Melinda disappeared. Ellie comes to the conclusion that Melinda was the owner of the bones as well as the red fabric and she brought Ellie to the site. Ellie can talk to ghosts now, but she has yet to read a mind.

At Ellie's part-time job at the library, Brian appears and we witness their chemistry.

"Yeah? I'm at Waynesbridge." He followed her down the aisle. "You know. The community college."

"Oh. I didn't even know Waynesbridge had a college," Ellie replied. "My dad and I just moved to Shadyside."

"I know."

Her smile faded.

"This is where the book should be," he said. Reaching past her, Brian pointed to a shelf of books.

"How do you know?"

"Because they all have the same call number," he replied.

"No," Ellie said. "I mean, how did you know I was new in Shadyside?"

"Uh-" Doubt flickered in Brian's eyes. "Because this is the first time I've seen you at the library," he replied. "And you look like the kind of girl who hangs out at the library a lot."

Ellie's eyebrows shot up. "Huh? Is that supposed to be a compliment? What kind of girl hangs out at the library?" she demanded.

"Well . . ." He hesitated again. "A girl who likes to read?"

Ellie had to laugh at his embarrassed expression. Maybe Brian Tanner wasn't quite as smooth as he thought he was. The idea pleased her.