‘They laughed at me. Threw things. They’ve always laughed.’

My TBR pile is currently grumbling fairly loudly at me but I couldn’t let the 50th anniversary of Carrie’s introduction to the world pass without a reread. I was twelve years old when I was introduced to Carrie White. A major departure from The Baby-Sitters Club, which I’d been reading prior, this was my gateway book to the Kingdom, and horror in general.

Carrie wasn’t the first telekinetic person I’d met. That honour goes to Matilda Wormwood, who found her way into my heart a couple of years earlier. It was Carrie, though, who taught me righteous anger.

Our high school experiences were nothing alike, yet I related to Carrie, this hurt, wronged girl railing against injustice. The angry part of preteen me found her scorched-earth approach appealing. There are a few people who knew me when I was a teenager that should be very grateful my telekinesis never kicked in.

‘Flex.’

This book had both short and long term impacts on me. Throughout high school, I thought of Carrie every time I changed back into my school uniform after PE. She also changed my reading landscape, opening up a world of books that weren’t written with kids in mind, ones that would challenge, scare and ultimately enbiggen my world.

She appealed to the outsider in me, who spent high school and a significant amount of time afterwards trying to find someone who could understand me. Carrie was the first hero/villain I cheered on as they unleashed hell on those who had hurt them and the randoms whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know this story so the only thing I’ll say about this specific reread is that it’s the first time I’ve thought about how appropriate Ewen High School’s colours are: white and red.

Over thirty years after my first read and several rereads later, my love for Carrie - the book and the person - remains as strong as ever. If anything, I appreciate her even more now.

‘I don’t like to be tricked.’