Center for Teaching & Learning

Carrie White looks--and believes she is--normal. She lives with her extremely religious, abusive mother. At school Carrie is also bullied and mistreated by her classmates. But as prom approaches, Carrie begins to develop telekinetic powers. She starts manipulating her mother and some of her bullies from school. On prom night Chris, the girl who has tormented Carrie most, gets her for good. Carrie furiously lashes out, injuring or murdering everyone at prom, especially the people who have hurt her the most.
This thriller by Stephen King intrigues and thrills with every scene of action and revenge. King includes interviews and journal entries from survivors of prom night. He also incorporates definitions of Carrie’s powers and other pieces of the book that readers might not understand, so they never have to feel lost. Readers will find it impossible to put this novel down--so much so that they may read it in a day. However, I advise against reading Carrie before bed.
Reading this book, I was always a little creeped out to read how King described the scenes involving Carrie’s mother the night of prom. Throughout King always had me feeling what he wanted to convey. Whether it was sympathy or horror, I was convinced. I read this book in one day, mesmerized by every scene, unable to take my eyes of the page. The book is very fast-paced, but you shouldn’t read too fast, or you’ll lose your understanding of what is happening.
If you are interested in trying a thriller, Carrie would be a good transitional read—one that’s more creepy than terrifying. I would recommend that students thirteen years and over read this book because it can be alarming when Carrie’s mother is abusive but at the same time hurts herself. If you read this, you must be prepared to have an intense fear of your mother!
I rated Carrie a ten. I thought King was creative in this novel. He has written other thrillers just amazing as this read, and there has also been a movie made of this irresistible book.
Jolie
Pocket Books, 193 pages