telepathy or telekenesis

[orax]

Does anybody know a book that fite this:
In the early 1980s I read a book about young people with telepathy or telekinesis.
It involved psychic, or perhaps telepathic, young people (I don’t think they were children, maybe more like teenagers, though I can’t be sure). It took place in a fairly ordinary, everyday setting (not space, alien worlds etc).
I’m inclined to remark that one of the main characters was a little reticent or unwilling to accept his (or her) powers or attributes. It took the involvement of others with similar powers to have the main character accept how things were.

 

[PaulMmn]

More plot details!

Closest I can think of right now is Zenna Henderson's stories of "The People." One collection was "The People - No Different Flesh." People fleeing a doomed planet land and live on Earth. They're 'human,' indistinguishable from native Earthmen. Stories focus on (mostly) youngsters who have to deal with their powers, while hiding them from the natives.

Many stories deal with school teachers who have to deal with these 'special' children, while not knowing of their abilities. Many are hired at one-room schools, where all of the children in the community attend. One deals with a community where everyone shuffles their feet. Teacher sets up a rule that while in school, there's no shuffling. Shuffling is because they can all levitate, and need to hide this ability.

Time period of these stories is 1930s-40s, possible early 1950s.

 

[Pyan]

Possibly The Chrysalids by John Wyndham?

 

[Danny McG]

Maybe The Golden People by Fred Saberhagen?

The Golden People by Fred Saberhagen

The Golden People by Fred Saberhagen - book cover, description.

www.fantasticfiction.com

 

[Pete_100]

This closely matches a novel I read as kid back in the late seventies. It was a novelization of a British TV series, The Tomorrow People. (There was a remake a few years ago. It was awful. )

The premise of the show is that mankind is beginning to evolve. A handful of people, teenaged to early twenties, have developed the powers of telekinesis, telepathy and the ability to teleport (or "jaunt").

The three part story arc "One Law" matches your description. Mike is just discovering his abilities. He is initially reluctant to join the others in their team. He is kidnapped by a criminal gang who want to use his abilities to open bank vaults. He eventually turns the tables on them, and decides to join up with the others.

Novelization by Roger Price.

This particular story was down to earth, with the team only facing human criminals. Other stories in the series featured time travel, robots and aliens.