The Wrong Number (Fear Street, No. 5) [Mass Market Paperback]

R. L. Stine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1990

It begins as an innocent prank, when Deena Martinson and her best friend Jade Smith make sexy phone calls to the boys from school. But Deena's half-brother Chuck catches them in the act and threatens to tell their parents, unless the girls let him in on the fun. Chuck begins making random calls, threatening anyone who answers. It's dangerous and exciting. They even enjoying the publicity and the uproar they've caused. Until Chuck calls a number on Fear Street.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-- Jade and Deena find typical adolescent amusement in harmless crank calls until Deena's half-brother, Chuck, joining them, overhears a murder being committed. The three teenagers' bravado in seeking out the crime scene leads them into grave danger. This is a good thriller-type mystery in the style of Edith Maxwell's Just Dial a Number (Archway, 1988), but is limited by the stilted dialogue of the adult characters and an unconvincing, overwrought portrayal of the killer. The dominant theme, which could have been excellent, is undermined by inappropriate melodramatic scenes. However, high-traffic murder-mystery sections in young adult departments would not be downgraded by adding this title .
-Alice Cronin, Mountainside Public Library, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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

• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671694111
• ISBN-13: 978-0671694111
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No one to call for help - when murder is on the line!, February 28, 2001

By 

E. Conforti (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wrong Number (Fear Street, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

To Deena and her best friend, Jade, making sexy and innocent phone calls to the boys from school was their idea of fun. But Deena's half brother, Chuck, decides to take the game one step further: making dangerous threats to those who answer their phones. That's when he calls the wrong number on Fear Street, a number where the gruesome murder took place. Now, the person knows who they are and where they live, but could all three of them call for help? There's nowhere to go when murder is on the line.

With great suspense and wonderfully written, "The Wrong Number" will have you gripping on the edge of your seat! A book that you will not put down until it's read from cover to cover.

I love reading the Fear Street books, and I'm 22 years old. Hey, I know you're laughing at me! I bet you there are people my age or older who read R.L. Stine.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!, December 27, 2007

By 

Menchu Fernandez "cD mOnStEr" (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Wrong Number (Fear Street, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Deena has a new phone so she and her best friend use the phone to make prank phone calls. But Chuck finds out that Deena and Jade are making phone calls. He insists that they let him join or else he'll tell. So Deena and Jade let him join. Then Chuck calls a house on Fear Street and interrupts a murder. Deena, Jade and Chuck go to the address to help the woman screaming. But it's too late because the woman is already is dead. A masked man chases the three warning them to mind their own business. One day after, the police drag Chuck to jail, now that everyone at Shadyside knows that Deena, Jade and Chuck are the ones behind the prank phone calls. The police say that someone saw Deena, Jade and Chuck that night. It was Mr. Farberson. Deena and Jade know that Farberson is wrong so they decide to find out more about him. If you want to find out more, read this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!, August 11, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: The Wrong Number (Fear Street, No. 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

One night, Deena Mertinson and her best friend Jade Smith start making prank calls to people from their high school. Whether it's the school's biggest nerd or the most popular guy, Deena and Jade have fun calling and teasing them. Now Chuck, Deena's half brother is coming to stay with them in Shadyside because he got into a lot of trouble in Central City (where he lived before). At first, he is totally rude to Deena and her dad, and also starts causing trouble at his new school. One night, he discovers Deena and Jade making prank calls to some students, and blackmails to let him in on their game. Deena gets scared when Chuck starts making threats in his calls. In fact, things become worse when, one day, to prove a point, Chuck calls a random number and they all hear a woman about to be murdered! From this point on, the story turns into a murder mystery, where Deena, Jade and Chuck have to find out who the killer is, and which one of them is going to be his next victim!

Author R. L. Stine has he nicely put all the right elements to make this a good murder mystery book, containing moments of horror and suspense throughout. Once you start reading this book, you will find yourself turning the pages to see what happens next, and won't be able to put the book down at all. As the story progresses, you will find yourself at the edge of your seat, anxiously figuring out as to whether everything will be ok in the end or not.

This is one of the best Fear Street books that the author has written, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading horror/mystery books.