cover image Wildfire-Blind Date (R)

Wildfire-Blind Date (R)

R. L. Stine. Scholastic, $2.25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-590-40326-9

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. (12-up)