The Cheater (Fear Street, No. 18) [Paperback]

R. L. Stine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

Under pressure to perform well on her math exam, Carter Phillips persuades math whiz Adam to take the test for her in exchange for one date, but one date is not enough for the dangerous young man.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R.L. Stine invented the teen horror genre with Fear Street, the bestselling teen horror series of all time. He also changed the face of children's publishing with the mega-successful Goosebumps series, which Guinness World Records cites as the Best-Selling Children's Books ever, and went on to become a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, and their dog, Nadine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671738674
• ISBN-13: 978-0671738679
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Horror

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but not bad either., August 11, 2005

By 

Raj "raj_thatsme" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cheater (Fear Street, No. 18) (Paperback)

Carter Phillips has everything going for her; she's smart, she has the perfect boyfriend, Dan Mason, she has her best friend Jill Bancroft, her dad is the criminal court judge in Shadyside...well, almost everything. Her father keeps pressuring her to get a score of 700 or above on her math achievement test so that she can get into Princeton. Carter tries her best, but knows she cannot get a score like that. One day, a guy named Adam Messner overhears her cry for help, and tells her that he will take the test for her, in return for a date with Carter. Carter feels that it is an easy compromise and agrees. At first things seem to go well, and Carter actually finds herself a little attracted to Adam. But Adam wants more...much more! From dragging Jill into Adams gang, and putting an animal's heart into her bag, to blackmailing for money, Carter feels that Adam has total control over her. No matter what Carter does, Adam blackmails her further, to the point where Carter starts thinking of murdering him. Is she capable of doing this, and will all her troubles actually come to an end?

This book started off well, and when Adam showed up, it became even more interesting. But I felt like the ending was a big let down. Because the story worked its way up more and more with suspense and intrigue, you feel like the ending will be great! However, after you finish reading this book, you feel like R. L. Stine gave up towards the end of the book, and found the easy way out by just trying to make a lame ending. True, there's nothing wrong with this ending, and it did provide a good moral, but I just didn't get the same thrill out of it, like I did when reading other Fear Street books like `Wrong Number' or `The Surprise Party".

In conclusion, I wouldn't put this book among my favorite Fear Street books, but if you feel bored and you have nothing else to do, then this is a good read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cheater, June 14, 2000

By 

Book_Freak - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cheater (Fear Street, No. 18) (Paperback)

R.L. Stine has done it again! He came up with an amazing plot in this book. Carter Phillips is so worried about taking the math achievement test...But then she gets an idea. Why not get the math genius, Adam to take it for her? Adam says that all he wants is one date, but he knows he can get much more than that. Poor Carter can't do anything about it though, or Adam will tell everyone her secret. Then Carter gets another one of her brilliant ideas...Why not murder Adam?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cheater,cheater!, October 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cheater (Fear Street, No. 18) (Paperback)

This book was awesome.It was about a girl named Carter Phillipes and she wants to make a 700 or above on her Advance math exam to make her father happy.This freaky kid,named Adam Messener, says that he will take the test for her in exchange for 1 date.Carter agrees,and when she got her test scores back she made a 730.She goes on the date with Adam And he wants to go out agian.He starts Blackmailing her telling her to "be careful or-i'll brake daddy"s heart".Carter can't get rid of him.She starts to think murder is the only way out.This book is trilling and you can't put it down.I recommend this book to R.L.Stines fear street Fans.