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Fear Street #25
Der Ferienjob
Sommer am Meer, aber Amanda Conklin muss zur Schule. Zumindest muss sie nicht auf ihre kleine Geschwister aufpassen. Das ist Chrissy's Job.
Chrissy scheint die perfekte Babysitterin - so nett und verantwortungsvoll. Aber Amanda entdeckt bald Chrissy's schreckliches Geheimniss. Babysitting ist Chrissy's Job - aber töten ist was sie am Besten kann!
Chrissy scheint die perfekte Babysitterin - so nett und verantwortungsvoll. Aber Amanda entdeckt bald Chrissy's schreckliches Geheimniss. Babysitting ist Chrissy's Job - aber töten ist was sie am Besten kann!
155 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1994
20 people are currently reading
2385 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
July 6, 2019
3.5
Couldn't put it down after a bit. Intense times.
Couldn't put it down after a bit. Intense times.
July 5, 2019
This was a re-read. I did not remember anything from reading this book back in my preteen years. Chrissy is the “mother’s helper” for the Conklin family. But Amanda and her cat, Mr. Jinx and her birds, Salt and Pepper, don’t like or trust her. 3 animals can’t be wrong Conklin family! I liked this one a bit more than the usual Fear Street book. There was more suspense and the ending was intense for YA.
August 29, 2021
Progressively gets more and more bonkers with every turn of the page.
HIGHLY entertaining and unpredictable with a satisfyingly cinematic ending that had me HOWLING (or rather, cackling).
HIGHLY entertaining and unpredictable with a satisfyingly cinematic ending that had me HOWLING (or rather, cackling).
August 25, 2016
I mean, what the hell was this book?!
Moral of the Story: Calico cats can survive the wickedly evil.
Body Count: 1 for sure, 2 probably
The Usual Suspect(s): Chrissy... it's not even debatable.
Tagline: Chrissy is perfect... perfectly evil!
Plot: Well. Can I just say that more animals die in this novel? I'm so done with it. Can that stop?! Anyway, this one is so over-the-top I didn't enjoy it. Also, as usual, it was far too compressed to really get a grip on things. So Amanda Conklin, her brother, Kyle, and her sister, Merry, are on the way to their summer house. Amanda's mom is harshing her mellow because she failed algebra (Amanda did, not her mom). Therefore Amanda's parents have to hire a live-in nanny to watch Kyle and Merry for the summer since Amanda will be at summer school. I had to take Algebra 2 three times, so I feel Amanda's pain.
Almost immediately upon arrival a Wakefield twin look-alike struts through the Conklin's front door and says she is interested in the nanny position. Amanda tells her that her parents are out, but she is welcome to wait. Amanda likes her for about ten pages until Mr. Jinx, Amanda's cat, hisses at Chrissy. Always trust animals, ya'll. I was quite surprised that Amanda did not seem to be duped by Chrissy at all. She literally turns on her very suddenly. But that also made the pace of the book feel way too fast. And ridiculous. Wait for it...
Much like Sunburn, this book is a series of weird occurrences. The first one happens when Chrissy is out in the front yard with Kyle and Merry. I should mention, however, that Amanda's super-smart parents hire Chrissy without even getting through to her references. They should definitely run a business.
So Chrissy and the kids are out front and all of a sudden a car picks up speed out of nowhere and comes careening at them. The car doesn't hit them... but it hits Mr. Jinx, who was out in the yard too. Of course he was. Sigh. So the cat hissed at Chrissy and now he's dead... pretty obvious what's going on already. Amanda is devastated about the cat and begins to feel that something is up with Chrissy, especially since the driver of the car said he had no idea how it happened. Amanda goes to summer school and meets hottie Dave who seems better at algebra than her. He offers to help her, and Amanda's ovaries burst. Amanda voices her concerns about Chrissy, but she's not totally freaked out... yet.
One night Amanda passes by Chrissy's room and notices her floating off the ground. Huh? That's what Amanda's parents say, too, when Amanda tries to tell them about it. You dumb dumb. Parents never understand. Amanda wants more information on Chrissy, so she calls an old friend, Suzi, and asks her to look in the archives for her about a Chrissy Minor. Suzi promises to do just that, but before they hang up, guess what? The phone literally melts in Amanda's hand, and she hears Chrissy's voice through the speaker. Or is it all in her head? Because when she returns to the phone shortly afterwards, it is back on the hook, looking perfectly normal.
Since her parents won't listen, Amanda can't help but tell Dave about her increasing dread over Chrissy. Dave takes her out on a jetski to a private island close by that he likes to stay on. The island has a stash of food... and a knife, which Dave gives to Amanda. He tells Amanda that if she places it in Chrissy's drawer, her parents will have to fire someone who keeps weapons in the house. But if Chrissy could manipulate a phone so easily, it shouldn't be that hard to manipulate a knife, right?
Exactly. When Amanda goes to put it in her room, it starts spurting blood of its own free will. It gets on everything, including all of Chrissy's clothing and the carpet. Chrissy races upstairs with Amanda's parents and catches Amanda in the room... and then they all notice that the birds' throats have been slit. HOW COULD YOU, RL?! Amanda is still holding the bloody knife so, naturally, she is assumed to be the guilty party. Instead of hauling Amanda away to the funny farm, though, she is just made to see a psychiatrist. Amanda soon receives news that her friend Suzi is in a coma after bleeding mysteriously out of her nose and eyes. It happened while she was looking up the information Amanda requested. Amanda is desperate to get ahold of more newspaper clippings that she found in Chrissy's room. They spoke of Chrissy's family and twin, Lilith, whom Chrissy claims was evil (Lilith is dead).
After visiting the psychiatrist, Amanda decides to play along and agree that all of this is the result of being stressed out by algebra (I mean... it could happen). This is a pretty smart move, if you ask me. After all, Chrissy can literally melt the fucking phone, so I'd say pretend to be friends with her while you can. Amanda confronts Chrissy and apologizes, and Chrissy seems to believe her. In the meantime, Dave comes over and offers to take Chrissy out so that Amanda can sneak in her room again. (Oh, and at this point Amanda has found another cat - a calico! Just like mine! And she's hid the cat in her room). Chrissy heads to the movies with Dave, and Amanda bolts up the stairs in search of more newspaper clippings. She finds one that mentions the Minors - but nothing about Chrissy. Apparently, Amanda's dad was involved in a case that disgraced Chrissy's family. Now Amanda understands why Chrissy sought them out and all these evil things have been happening.
Chrissy and Dave come home early and Amanda is almost caught, but she ducks under the bed until Chrissy walks out in the hall again. As fast as she can Amanda darts downstairs and out the door with Dave. While driving, she shows Dave a copy of the newspaper clipping and what it means for her family. But they don't make it very far because... here comes Chrissy! She bolts their doors shut and makes Dave's face freeze up, and he promptly starts pouring blood just like her friend Suzi. Amanda can hear Chrissy's voice in her head and see her nearby. Amanda finds a screwdriver and pounds a hole in the window, but not before speculating how it's always easier to break glass in the movies. LOL. Outside of the car we have the obligatory "why I'm evil" speech from Chrissy. Of course she wants revenge for Amanda's dad "ruining" her family. Chrissy forces Amanda back in the car (with her mind, natch), and sends the car over the edge of a cliff. In some Jurassic Park-type shit, the car remains wedged between two huge boulders. In some Tom Cruise-type shit, Amanda manages to push her way out of the car safely before it crashes into the ocean. Thus begins some Wild-type shit as she treks back to the summer house. Oh, and Dave died before the car crashed. That bitch.
Once back at the house, Amanda sneaks into the kitchen for food, because she is starving. She shoves Cheerios into her mouth, not realizing that the open box will give her away. Chrissy approaches before she can put it back up, and so Amanda has to run like fire to get away. It doesn't matter. She can still hear Chrissy in her mind (I'm not sure how she can operate from such a distance?). I do mean fire, by the way... Chrissy turns into a fireball and burns the house down (Amanda has the calico, thankfully!). Amanda grabs a jetski and heads to the island, with Chrissy taunting her about killing Merry all the while. Amanda can't take it anymore and heads back, but she notices a boat with Chrissy, Merry, and Kyle in it. The kids are tied up. Merry is sobbing, finally realizing that Chrissy is evil. So a huge LOTR-type battle ensues with the kids and Amanda almost going over the skiff. But when Amanda realizes the water is shallow she manages to get out with the kids and it's Chrissy who ends up drowning. The boat is never found, though, and Amanda is charged with her murder (because her brother is in shock and not speaking) and at a psych ward in the beginning of the novel.
However, the psychiatrist seems to have a lot of good news all at once. First, Kyle has started talking and verified Amanda's story. Second, Chrissy was actually Lilith. There's no twist here... Chrissy WAS actually evil, a first for RL (because it's not ever who you actually suspect). Amanda is released, rejoins her cat and family, and all's well that end's well... except who's that girl in the white dress waving goodbye to them as they drive back to Fear Street?
Gaping Plot Holes: There is no mention of what powers Chrissy actually has... they are a combination of mind reading, telekinesis, fire starting....
The Actual Suspect(s): Chrissy
Moral of the Story: Calico cats can survive the wickedly evil.
Body Count: 1 for sure, 2 probably
The Usual Suspect(s): Chrissy... it's not even debatable.
Tagline: Chrissy is perfect... perfectly evil!
Plot: Well. Can I just say that more animals die in this novel? I'm so done with it. Can that stop?! Anyway, this one is so over-the-top I didn't enjoy it. Also, as usual, it was far too compressed to really get a grip on things. So Amanda Conklin, her brother, Kyle, and her sister, Merry, are on the way to their summer house. Amanda's mom is harshing her mellow because she failed algebra (Amanda did, not her mom). Therefore Amanda's parents have to hire a live-in nanny to watch Kyle and Merry for the summer since Amanda will be at summer school. I had to take Algebra 2 three times, so I feel Amanda's pain.
Almost immediately upon arrival a Wakefield twin look-alike struts through the Conklin's front door and says she is interested in the nanny position. Amanda tells her that her parents are out, but she is welcome to wait. Amanda likes her for about ten pages until Mr. Jinx, Amanda's cat, hisses at Chrissy. Always trust animals, ya'll. I was quite surprised that Amanda did not seem to be duped by Chrissy at all. She literally turns on her very suddenly. But that also made the pace of the book feel way too fast. And ridiculous. Wait for it...
Much like Sunburn, this book is a series of weird occurrences. The first one happens when Chrissy is out in the front yard with Kyle and Merry. I should mention, however, that Amanda's super-smart parents hire Chrissy without even getting through to her references. They should definitely run a business.
So Chrissy and the kids are out front and all of a sudden a car picks up speed out of nowhere and comes careening at them. The car doesn't hit them... but it hits Mr. Jinx, who was out in the yard too. Of course he was. Sigh. So the cat hissed at Chrissy and now he's dead... pretty obvious what's going on already. Amanda is devastated about the cat and begins to feel that something is up with Chrissy, especially since the driver of the car said he had no idea how it happened. Amanda goes to summer school and meets hottie Dave who seems better at algebra than her. He offers to help her, and Amanda's ovaries burst. Amanda voices her concerns about Chrissy, but she's not totally freaked out... yet.
One night Amanda passes by Chrissy's room and notices her floating off the ground. Huh? That's what Amanda's parents say, too, when Amanda tries to tell them about it. You dumb dumb. Parents never understand. Amanda wants more information on Chrissy, so she calls an old friend, Suzi, and asks her to look in the archives for her about a Chrissy Minor. Suzi promises to do just that, but before they hang up, guess what? The phone literally melts in Amanda's hand, and she hears Chrissy's voice through the speaker. Or is it all in her head? Because when she returns to the phone shortly afterwards, it is back on the hook, looking perfectly normal.
Since her parents won't listen, Amanda can't help but tell Dave about her increasing dread over Chrissy. Dave takes her out on a jetski to a private island close by that he likes to stay on. The island has a stash of food... and a knife, which Dave gives to Amanda. He tells Amanda that if she places it in Chrissy's drawer, her parents will have to fire someone who keeps weapons in the house. But if Chrissy could manipulate a phone so easily, it shouldn't be that hard to manipulate a knife, right?
Exactly. When Amanda goes to put it in her room, it starts spurting blood of its own free will. It gets on everything, including all of Chrissy's clothing and the carpet. Chrissy races upstairs with Amanda's parents and catches Amanda in the room... and then they all notice that the birds' throats have been slit. HOW COULD YOU, RL?! Amanda is still holding the bloody knife so, naturally, she is assumed to be the guilty party. Instead of hauling Amanda away to the funny farm, though, she is just made to see a psychiatrist. Amanda soon receives news that her friend Suzi is in a coma after bleeding mysteriously out of her nose and eyes. It happened while she was looking up the information Amanda requested. Amanda is desperate to get ahold of more newspaper clippings that she found in Chrissy's room. They spoke of Chrissy's family and twin, Lilith, whom Chrissy claims was evil (Lilith is dead).
After visiting the psychiatrist, Amanda decides to play along and agree that all of this is the result of being stressed out by algebra (I mean... it could happen). This is a pretty smart move, if you ask me. After all, Chrissy can literally melt the fucking phone, so I'd say pretend to be friends with her while you can. Amanda confronts Chrissy and apologizes, and Chrissy seems to believe her. In the meantime, Dave comes over and offers to take Chrissy out so that Amanda can sneak in her room again. (Oh, and at this point Amanda has found another cat - a calico! Just like mine! And she's hid the cat in her room). Chrissy heads to the movies with Dave, and Amanda bolts up the stairs in search of more newspaper clippings. She finds one that mentions the Minors - but nothing about Chrissy. Apparently, Amanda's dad was involved in a case that disgraced Chrissy's family. Now Amanda understands why Chrissy sought them out and all these evil things have been happening.
Chrissy and Dave come home early and Amanda is almost caught, but she ducks under the bed until Chrissy walks out in the hall again. As fast as she can Amanda darts downstairs and out the door with Dave. While driving, she shows Dave a copy of the newspaper clipping and what it means for her family. But they don't make it very far because... here comes Chrissy! She bolts their doors shut and makes Dave's face freeze up, and he promptly starts pouring blood just like her friend Suzi. Amanda can hear Chrissy's voice in her head and see her nearby. Amanda finds a screwdriver and pounds a hole in the window, but not before speculating how it's always easier to break glass in the movies. LOL. Outside of the car we have the obligatory "why I'm evil" speech from Chrissy. Of course she wants revenge for Amanda's dad "ruining" her family. Chrissy forces Amanda back in the car (with her mind, natch), and sends the car over the edge of a cliff. In some Jurassic Park-type shit, the car remains wedged between two huge boulders. In some Tom Cruise-type shit, Amanda manages to push her way out of the car safely before it crashes into the ocean. Thus begins some Wild-type shit as she treks back to the summer house. Oh, and Dave died before the car crashed. That bitch.
Once back at the house, Amanda sneaks into the kitchen for food, because she is starving. She shoves Cheerios into her mouth, not realizing that the open box will give her away. Chrissy approaches before she can put it back up, and so Amanda has to run like fire to get away. It doesn't matter. She can still hear Chrissy in her mind (I'm not sure how she can operate from such a distance?). I do mean fire, by the way... Chrissy turns into a fireball and burns the house down (Amanda has the calico, thankfully!). Amanda grabs a jetski and heads to the island, with Chrissy taunting her about killing Merry all the while. Amanda can't take it anymore and heads back, but she notices a boat with Chrissy, Merry, and Kyle in it. The kids are tied up. Merry is sobbing, finally realizing that Chrissy is evil. So a huge LOTR-type battle ensues with the kids and Amanda almost going over the skiff. But when Amanda realizes the water is shallow she manages to get out with the kids and it's Chrissy who ends up drowning. The boat is never found, though, and Amanda is charged with her murder (because her brother is in shock and not speaking) and at a psych ward in the beginning of the novel.
However, the psychiatrist seems to have a lot of good news all at once. First, Kyle has started talking and verified Amanda's story. Second, Chrissy was actually Lilith. There's no twist here... Chrissy WAS actually evil, a first for RL (because it's not ever who you actually suspect). Amanda is released, rejoins her cat and family, and all's well that end's well... except who's that girl in the white dress waving goodbye to them as they drive back to Fear Street?
Gaping Plot Holes: There is no mention of what powers Chrissy actually has... they are a combination of mind reading, telekinesis, fire starting....
The Actual Suspect(s): Chrissy
Read
July 26, 2021Spend enough time shuffling down the winding, leaf-plastered pavement on Fear Street, and you'll think you've read it all. And then you read ONE EVIL SUMMER, and you're forced to reevaluate. Furiously bonkers action from Stine and/or the ghostwriter here, packaged up with all the hissing and cackling charm of its teenage villain. Arson, coma, kidnapping, multiple car crashes, boat chase, spontaneous brain-bursting, electrocution, telekinesis (!!), double feline reincarnation (!?!): the drive-in totals are ::high:: for this one evil entertainment.
July 18, 2023
3.5 stars
August 29, 2021
Cars careen off cliffs. Blood spurts out of knives (and eyes and mouths). Houses goes up in flames. Kids get kidnapped and see weird shit go down and will probably end up in therapy the rest of their lives.
The WACK FACTOR is high with this one!!
I give this book 5 out of 5 psychiatric evaluations! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The WACK FACTOR is high with this one!!
I give this book 5 out of 5 psychiatric evaluations! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 9, 2019
One of his better books, more 'mystery' than usual and *gasp* an animal death! Normally it's only the teenagers who die. Anyway, I wasn't sold on the supernatural explanation, but I might have been when I was 12.
February 23, 2021
I really loved that ending.
January 9, 2012
I really liked this entry. The characters reacted realistically to what was going on. You know how in horror movies you're always yelling at the characters to do the smart thing? Well, in this book, they do. I actually liked the characters this time around as well. The plot, though, was a little schizophrenic.
March 4, 2024
This is the most Goosebump-y of the Fear Streets I've read so far, especially with the parents not believing the protagonist about a weird happening but that made it enjoyable. It's fun for how silly it gets without getting so stupid that I'm shaking my head. It helps that the protagonist is likable and that Chrissy is a fun memorable villain. Fun stuff.,
UPDATE; Full blog review https://spongey444.wordpress.com/2024...
UPDATE; Full blog review https://spongey444.wordpress.com/2024...
October 29, 2018
I really liked this book, since Amanda is in summer school the family hires Chrissy to help out. But Chrissy isn't who she says she is.
September 11, 2020
Aplaudo la habilidad del autor de hacer que el lector quede prendado de cada capítulo. Tiene momentos descartables y muchos cabos sueltos, de adolescente seguro la habría disfrutado más.
July 12, 2022
One of the more fun Fear Streets.
Amanda’s parents are the absolute worst.
Chrissy is a truly terrifying villain.
The ending is out of this world.
Amanda’s parents are the absolute worst.
Chrissy is a truly terrifying villain.
The ending is out of this world.
July 17, 2022
4 stars (originally 3 stars). I remember the first summer I read this book in 2008 and what a time. I will never forget how many times Chrissy was mentioned as evil. It always stuck with me. So what better way to spend my summer fourteen years later than rereading this romp! I really loved this one. It was so nostalgic, but the ending is too rushed and cramped and wrapped up in a weird little bow. I will say that Stine took more creative liberties than he usually does like a location outside of Shadyside and a retelling of events through an innovative dialogue. Full thoughts to come later.
July 3, 2019
I really love those books. I loved them as a teen, and I still love them now. They're for any age. I wish I could own them all.
September 8, 2020
I still like RL Stine books very much always short and very easy reads. I liked the characters especially Amanda she was a very sympathetic character she tried very hard to be believed when it came to Chrissy it took until the end for the truth to come out. I really liked the plot it did not take long for the horrible things to start to happen and the pace moved pretty fast from the start. So overall I really liked this book reading this series again reminds me why RL Stine is a favorite childhood author of mine.
June 10, 2025
This was pure and utter chaos, and dare I say EVIL?? There were so many ways this story could go, I definitely didn’t expect that ending 😂😂😂 Ultimately very fun, I was sucked into the book trying to figure out if Chrissy was really awful or if Amanda and I were being gaslit.
June 4, 2019
If only this family remembered to call the BSC before heading off to not-Sea City.
August 7, 2024
RL Stine is the OG. Fun, short read.
Read
July 3, 2025MM $8.67 Ebay 7/3/25
November 27, 2024
I have a vague recollection of reading One Evil Summer as a kid, but I didn’t remember any specifics. I was glad for this because it ended up being the most fun I’ve had reading a Fear Street book in a while. It had some of the familiar Fear Street tropes but avoided the most over-used ones. It was unhinged in all the right ways. Things got off to a strong start with Amanda being locked up in a psychiatric facility and no one believing her. I really felt for (and related to) Amanda’s character not being listened to in spite of all the mounting evidence that something was fucked up about Chrissy. It was genuinely unnerving how little mind they paid to their own daughter. I think that was the true horror of this book. Chrissy had a lot of classic Stine villain inconsistencies regarding her motives, at least until one bit of information was revealed after the jump. I won’t go into spoiler-level details here, but in light of that one revelation, I think this book missed an opportunity to go even weirder than it did. Any inconsistencies and criticisms aside were small enough that they didn’t bother me. I also know that I can forgive a lot when I am genuinely enjoying a book. I am here to be entertained, after all. On that front, One Evil Summer more than delivered, and it easily ranks among the best in this series.
Score: 4.5
For my snark-filled, spoiler-laced, deep-dive review; check out my blog:
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Score: 4.5
For my snark-filled, spoiler-laced, deep-dive review; check out my blog:
Blog Review I Instagram I Twitter
February 17, 2024
This had everything I wanted in a Fear Street book. You question a reliable narrator, there's car crashes, carbon monoxide poisoning, knives squirting blood, levitation, hearing evil voices and cars falling off cliffs. The pacing is so fast and every single night I was excited to come back to this. I read it mostly during my summer vacation and loved it.
June 17, 2023
We are introduced to our main character, and we learn this isn't the beginning of the story. The first chapter tells us that Amanda is a juvenile detention center because apparently it's believed that she murdered someone but Amanda knows the real reason why she is there and we get the backstory as the main set up of the plot.
So the Conklin family is heading off to Seahaven for the summer which is great except that Amanda sucks at algebra and has to attend summer school! I didn't know you could to summer school while on vacation I mean I had to come in on Saturdays for math workshops when I was in school but I could do that at the beach? Damn, I kind of want to live in this universe!
Amanda isn't the only one bummed because now her mother has to find a helper/nanny/babysitter to watch her eight year old brother Kyle and her three year old sister Merry because she can't. Apparently even going on vacation they plan on working a little and going out to dinner cocktail parties or something. So they arrive at the beach house to drop off their belongings but discover they need some food so Amanda's parents and her siblings go off into the town while Amanda stays behind to put their pet birds, Salt and Pepper, and their family cat, Mr. Jinx, out of their cages into their summer surroundings.
A knock comes to the door where a pretty blonde girl named Chrissy Minor has come to answer Mrs. Conklin's ad and Amanda tells her not to leave as she tries to get her parents back home as Chrissy says she has another interview to get to. Amanda reaches them in time but she already has a bad feeling about Chrissy because the cat does not seem to like Chrissy.
Mr. Jinx hisses and reacts in fear at the girl and Amanda then sees unbeknown to Chrissy the girl hissing back in just the same aggressive fashion at the cat. Also, the birds don't chirp or sing around her either almost huddling together in a trance of fear. So this is a big red flag to me because animals are a very good judge of character and the flag goes even more haywire when Amanda's mother can't reach Chrissy's references and decides to hire her anyway. Amanda calls Mom out on this and gets a lecture about being just as irresponsible for failing algebra and putting her parents in the situation for help in the first place...harsh!
Of course Chrissy gets the job and the family falls in love with her but Amanda is still wary because of the animals and the fact that they still can't reach the other families that Chrissy has worked for. When she heads to summer school things look up for Amanda as there is a very cute guy in the class named Dave Malone who gets to be her partner. Being a local, Amanda asks Dave about Chrissy and he says he doesn't know anyone by that name or any other of the names that Chrissy gave for her aunt and her cousin.
Later that day, while the family is playing badminton, a car almost kills Kyle and Merry as it lurches up onto the lawn! The driver says he couldn't control the speed as if the vehicle had a mind of its own and poor Mr. Jinx is the only casualty, which devastates Amanda. She thinks she sees an evil smile of satisfaction on Chrissy's face at the cat's death and later in the evening, Amanda swears she sees Chrissy floating off the floor in her room!
Her parents think Amanda is just stressed at the death of her pet and that maybe she thinks Chrissy is taking her place but Amanda is sure that there is something off and evil about Chrissy. The girl has old newspaper clippings about the death of her parents by carbon monoxide poisoning and how her twin sister Lilith is in a coma...what is she hiding?
Amanda calls back to Shadyside to ask her friend Suzi if she can look up some more information than Amanda can find in the small town of Seahaven and she agrees while Amanda seems to be developing a summer romance with Dave. She tells him about Chrissy and he doesn't think she is crazy at all, they go out to a shed on an island where Dave and his brothers have taken over an old hunters' cabin.
They kiss and Amanda has to hold on to his waist as they take a wave runner to and back and it's so sweet that Amanda has someone on her side. Dave also says he has a way that might get Chrissy out of the house by placing a hunting knife in her drawers that will have her parents kicking the girl out once they see it.
Getting back to the house, Chrissy throws herself at Dave and he uses this to distract her while Amanda can plant the knife but things take a turn to the weird and horrible as blood sprays out of the knife, all over Amanda and Chrissy's clothing and then the birds are found with their throats slit! So now basically Amanda's parents think their daughter is going crazy, killing the birds and trying to frame Chrissy for it along with everything else and send her to a shrink.
Good Lord Amanda just can not get a break! Amanda knows that Chrissy has something sinister up her sleeve and that her family is in danger but what can she do when no one believes her? Is she really going crazy with jealousy or are her instincts right? Why is Chrissy out to get the Conklin family and when will her charade finally stop?
This was a very hard Fear Street not to spoil for those who haven't read it and it is a very suspenseful story with supernatural elements. Think of it as a combination of Jennifer's Body and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle with some of the same plot points here and there but not exactly like the first and teenage rehash of the latter. You know how The Best Friend is like Single White Female? Go with that!
The ending is okay I suppose but I think a good twist might have made it a little better be it a downer ending or not. There is also a little bit of maybe inspiration from the Lois Duncan novel Summer of Fear and not anything outright plagiarized so in a nutshell a good read. When it comes to characters, I'm not too fond of Amanda's parents and we don't get a lot of time focusing on her younger brother and sister so I'm neutral on them.
I know the parents aren't really that bad but they don't really do anything in my honest opinion to deserve any praise. Chrissy is our villain but she just seems like a normal mean girl, alpha bitch so I don't really love her or hate her knowing her motives and back story either way.
The only characters I like are Amanda and Dave because you are suppose to identify and feel for Amanda and well Dave, he is the only one who believes Amanda. They have chemistry and even if you think it is far fetched for him not to believe this girl he doesn't know is crackers, I still like him anyway.
One Evil Summer is a fear Street book I can highly recommend.
So the Conklin family is heading off to Seahaven for the summer which is great except that Amanda sucks at algebra and has to attend summer school! I didn't know you could to summer school while on vacation I mean I had to come in on Saturdays for math workshops when I was in school but I could do that at the beach? Damn, I kind of want to live in this universe!
Amanda isn't the only one bummed because now her mother has to find a helper/nanny/babysitter to watch her eight year old brother Kyle and her three year old sister Merry because she can't. Apparently even going on vacation they plan on working a little and going out to dinner cocktail parties or something. So they arrive at the beach house to drop off their belongings but discover they need some food so Amanda's parents and her siblings go off into the town while Amanda stays behind to put their pet birds, Salt and Pepper, and their family cat, Mr. Jinx, out of their cages into their summer surroundings.
A knock comes to the door where a pretty blonde girl named Chrissy Minor has come to answer Mrs. Conklin's ad and Amanda tells her not to leave as she tries to get her parents back home as Chrissy says she has another interview to get to. Amanda reaches them in time but she already has a bad feeling about Chrissy because the cat does not seem to like Chrissy.
Mr. Jinx hisses and reacts in fear at the girl and Amanda then sees unbeknown to Chrissy the girl hissing back in just the same aggressive fashion at the cat. Also, the birds don't chirp or sing around her either almost huddling together in a trance of fear. So this is a big red flag to me because animals are a very good judge of character and the flag goes even more haywire when Amanda's mother can't reach Chrissy's references and decides to hire her anyway. Amanda calls Mom out on this and gets a lecture about being just as irresponsible for failing algebra and putting her parents in the situation for help in the first place...harsh!
Of course Chrissy gets the job and the family falls in love with her but Amanda is still wary because of the animals and the fact that they still can't reach the other families that Chrissy has worked for. When she heads to summer school things look up for Amanda as there is a very cute guy in the class named Dave Malone who gets to be her partner. Being a local, Amanda asks Dave about Chrissy and he says he doesn't know anyone by that name or any other of the names that Chrissy gave for her aunt and her cousin.
Later that day, while the family is playing badminton, a car almost kills Kyle and Merry as it lurches up onto the lawn! The driver says he couldn't control the speed as if the vehicle had a mind of its own and poor Mr. Jinx is the only casualty, which devastates Amanda. She thinks she sees an evil smile of satisfaction on Chrissy's face at the cat's death and later in the evening, Amanda swears she sees Chrissy floating off the floor in her room!
Her parents think Amanda is just stressed at the death of her pet and that maybe she thinks Chrissy is taking her place but Amanda is sure that there is something off and evil about Chrissy. The girl has old newspaper clippings about the death of her parents by carbon monoxide poisoning and how her twin sister Lilith is in a coma...what is she hiding?
Amanda calls back to Shadyside to ask her friend Suzi if she can look up some more information than Amanda can find in the small town of Seahaven and she agrees while Amanda seems to be developing a summer romance with Dave. She tells him about Chrissy and he doesn't think she is crazy at all, they go out to a shed on an island where Dave and his brothers have taken over an old hunters' cabin.
They kiss and Amanda has to hold on to his waist as they take a wave runner to and back and it's so sweet that Amanda has someone on her side. Dave also says he has a way that might get Chrissy out of the house by placing a hunting knife in her drawers that will have her parents kicking the girl out once they see it.
Getting back to the house, Chrissy throws herself at Dave and he uses this to distract her while Amanda can plant the knife but things take a turn to the weird and horrible as blood sprays out of the knife, all over Amanda and Chrissy's clothing and then the birds are found with their throats slit! So now basically Amanda's parents think their daughter is going crazy, killing the birds and trying to frame Chrissy for it along with everything else and send her to a shrink.
Good Lord Amanda just can not get a break! Amanda knows that Chrissy has something sinister up her sleeve and that her family is in danger but what can she do when no one believes her? Is she really going crazy with jealousy or are her instincts right? Why is Chrissy out to get the Conklin family and when will her charade finally stop?
This was a very hard Fear Street not to spoil for those who haven't read it and it is a very suspenseful story with supernatural elements. Think of it as a combination of Jennifer's Body and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle with some of the same plot points here and there but not exactly like the first and teenage rehash of the latter. You know how The Best Friend is like Single White Female? Go with that!
The ending is okay I suppose but I think a good twist might have made it a little better be it a downer ending or not. There is also a little bit of maybe inspiration from the Lois Duncan novel Summer of Fear and not anything outright plagiarized so in a nutshell a good read. When it comes to characters, I'm not too fond of Amanda's parents and we don't get a lot of time focusing on her younger brother and sister so I'm neutral on them.
I know the parents aren't really that bad but they don't really do anything in my honest opinion to deserve any praise. Chrissy is our villain but she just seems like a normal mean girl, alpha bitch so I don't really love her or hate her knowing her motives and back story either way.
The only characters I like are Amanda and Dave because you are suppose to identify and feel for Amanda and well Dave, he is the only one who believes Amanda. They have chemistry and even if you think it is far fetched for him not to believe this girl he doesn't know is crackers, I still like him anyway.
One Evil Summer is a fear Street book I can highly recommend.
January 9, 2025
Dreadful, I wonder if this was ghostwritten as it doesn't read like a Stine.
I think this would have worked better if Amanda was actually having a mental break. There's no suspense at all because there's no other explanation than 'Chrissie is evil' which the tagline has already told you. A complete skipper.
I think this would have worked better if Amanda was actually having a mental break. There's no suspense at all because there's no other explanation than 'Chrissie is evil' which the tagline has already told you. A complete skipper.
March 5, 2021
It is one of those cheesy books where the main character knows the real villain but her parents don't believe her. Besides that, it was a good book. If you're looking for a super scary, gory book, this is not for you.
July 22, 2019
I know this is Fear Street, but the bad guy is way OP and unrealistic even for R.L Stine's writing. I mean... come on!
January 14, 2024
it was not really bad! not my fave, but still it had its exciting parts.
December 6, 2024
A good addition to the series. Nice little revenge piece
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