The Third Eye (Lois Duncan novel)

infobox Book |
name = The Third Eye
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Lois Duncan
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Young adult
publisher = Little, Brown and Company
pub_date = April 1984
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 220 pp
isbn = ISBN 0316195537
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Third Eye" is a 1984 novel for young adults by Lois Duncan. It is a supernatural/suspense novel and tells the story of a girl with a psychic gift. In the UK, the book was re-titled "The Eyes Of Karen Connors".

Plot Summary

The Third Eye is based on high school senior, Karen Connors. Karen has never wanted to stand out, but when she discovers that she has psychic powers her life suddenly changes

Karen is over at the Zenner residence to baby-sit Stephanie and her older brother, Bobby. Bobby leaves to go and play with his friends, but doesn’t show up at dinnertime. Karen walks around asking nearby families if they’d seen him, and when they all reply they haven’t, she contacts the police.

The police arrive around the same time that the Zenner’s get home. Officer Wilson questioned what happened, but Karen couldn’t explain properly. Suddenly, Karen sees Bobby in a box or something like that. She could tell that he was scared and he looked sick. Then she envisioned a license plate and tells the police. Karen noticed the license plate on the car and the police opened the trunk to find Bobby.

When Karen arrived home she was asked by Officer Ron Wilson if she would be willing to help locate a missing girl named Carla Sanchez. Going against her parent’s wishes, Karen says that she will help. Officer Wilson drives Karen to Ms. Sanchez’s house that afternoon. Karen goes to Carla’s room and picks up hers clothes and toys in an attempt to receive a vision of Carla, but nothing happens. They leave and a new vision leads them to a riverbank were they find a pair of sandals and a bicycle. Karen feels weak and hunger fills her stomach. A flash goes in front of Karen’s face and she sees Carla’s last moments before she drowns.

Karen is on her way to work a few days later when a car pulls over and a lady asks her how to get to the Daycare. Karen was already headed there, so when she was offered a ride for directions Karen agrees. The lady driving the car is named Betty Smith and Karen suspects her of foul play. Betty had said Karen’s’ name without being told what it is. Karen tries to escape from the car, but the doors are locked. Betty drives her to an apartment where a guy named Jed ties her down and pushes her to the floor. After Jed and Betty leave, Karen cleverly uses her feet to trigger a smoke alarm and a firefighter rescues her.

Right after Karen gets home Ron comes by to tell her that eight children have been taken from the Center and that its been shut down. There are a lot of news reports about Karen going on at the moment, so Karen and her mother plan a getaway to San Francisco. Karen ditches the vacation to try and help Ron to find the missing children.

Karen and Ron go see phychic, Anne Summers, in Dallas to try and find the kidnapped kids. They find her in the hospital, after being shot at her house. Luckily, she held up a trash bag to slow down the shot, which would have hit her in the heart. There, Karen has another vision. The kidnapped kids are in Colorado. Ron and Karen head out to where the house is. It takes two days until they had reached the house.

Ron gets out of the car and a dog attacks him, he shoots the dog. Jed and Betty hear the shot and capture Ron and Karen. Karen’s mother, a psychic also, has a vision that Karen and Ron are in danger and contacts the police. The police come find them and all eight kids. Betty and Jed are taken away

Karen then realizes that she is in love with Officer Wilson. She has a vision of beautiful blue eyes (identical to Ron’s) and figures out that she was having dreams and an angel is appearing before her in her dangerous times. Her mother confesses she saw the same visions of an angel when she was younger, and that the angel that came to her rescue would be her future daughter, Karen. Karen was fascinated and decided she would use her abilities to help others and wait for her future daughter also.

Awards

*1985: Nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Award
*1985: Jr. Literary Guild
*1985: Selected for Children's Books of the Year Exhibit, England
*1985: Indiana Young Hoosier Award
*1986: Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year citation
*1986: Nominated for Land of Enchantment, New Mexico Young Readers Award
*1987: West Australian Young Readers Award
*1987: Nominated for Texas "Spring Jackrabbit" Young Readers Award
*1988: Nominated for Volunteer State Book Award, Tennessee
*1989: Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
*2001: ALA "Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults" selection