The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1) – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1)

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book1993

74%

WISE Score

4.6

Amazon

The OG origin story of why Fear Street is so cursed—spoiler: it involves a 17th-century burning and a really petty family feud.

The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1)

book

1993

74%

WISE Score

4.6

Amazon

The OG origin story of why Fear Street is so cursed—spoiler: it involves a 17th-century burning and a really petty family feud.

4.6

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4.6

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Screenwise Verdict

R.L. Stine usually plays in the 'spooky but safe' sandbox, but the Fear Street Saga is where he actually takes the gloves off. This isn't just a ghost story; it's a multi-generational epic about two families who really, really hate each other.

It's surprisingly brutal—we're talking burning at the stake and exploding skulls—so it's definitely not for the elementary school crowd. However, for a middle schooler who wants a horror story that actually feels like it has stakes, this is a 90s classic that still moves fast enough to keep a modern attention span. It's 'candy' reading, sure, but it's the high-quality stuff that actually makes you want to finish the trilogy.

Age Fit

This is best for 12 to 15-year-olds. It’s too intense for the Goosebumps crowd but might feel a bit simple for older teens who have moved on to Stephen King.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a story built on the back of a multi-generational blood feud, false accusations of witchcraft, and a girl being burned at the stake. It's not aiming for 'kindness and cooperation'; it's aiming for revenge and supernatural malice.

Imaginative

R.L. Stine goes beyond his usual tropes here to build a detailed 300-year family mythology. The shift between the late 1600s, early 1700s, and 1900 creates a sense of scale and world-building that is genuinely impressive for YA horror.

Safe

While it's a book (so no ads or chat), the content is surprisingly graphic. We're talking 'exploding heads' and 'crucifixion as a scarecrow.' It’s a massive jump in intensity from Goosebumps, and the gore could be a shock for younger readers.

Enriching

It offers a decent, albeit dramatized, look at Puritan paranoia and the legal/social structures of the Massachusetts Colony. It also serves as a cautionary tale about how bitterness can poison an entire family tree.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Fast-paced pacing that holds up even for kids used to TikTok-length entertainment.
The historical setting provides a much-needed break from the '90s mall' aesthetic of other Fear Street books.
R.L. Stine's signature cliffhanger chapters make it a genuine 'one more page' read.
It provides the necessary context for the popular Netflix trilogy, making it a great 'deep dive' for fans.

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What to Watch For

The gore is higher than you'd expect: descriptions of melting faces and exploding skulls are present.
Themes of religious fanaticism and the execution of innocent people might be heavy for sensitive kids.
The female characters are often sidelined or used as pawns in the male-driven family feud.

Conversation Starters

"Why did the Fiers think it was okay to accuse someone of witchcraft just to stop a marriage?"
"Can a family really be 'cursed' by the actions of their ancestors, or do they just keep making the same mistakes?"
"If you were Susannah, would you have wanted your father to spend 20 years seeking revenge for you?"

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