as for me, i read Down a Dark Hall, and Stranger With My Face this week. the former was familliar and i may have read it when i was younger, but the latter was definitely new to me and really scared me
i tried to astrally project all the time when i was in high school - i even used an audiocasette with subliminal messages… if i had read that book back then, it would have frightened me off it! as it was, i tried lots of occult stuff - hexing my sister with a defaced photo and some of her hair (!) the ouiji board was my favorite sleepover activity.
i had forgotten all about those crazy things i did until i delved into this ’supernatural’ chapter…

For this week I read The Girl with the Silver Eyes which was one of my all time favorites. I can’t remember who wrote the essay in Shelf Discovery but I think they got it exactly right when saying that this book appeals because of the nerdiness and bookishness of Katie as much as because of the supernatural powers. I think I always felt a little bit of an outsider and would have loved to discover that there was a secret group of kids just like me that would become my best friends. Of course for me those kids would have the power of reading a lot and never having the exact right clothes rather than telekinesis. But still, it would be good to have a group.

Because I’m reading it now with my son, I think the modern equivalent is The Mysterious Benedict Society. Not as much supernatural giftedness (except Constance and her ESP) but still the nerdy/odd gifted kids finding their own tribe. Also, of course Harry Potter.