SOLVED. YA book from the 80s - a boy breaks into an abandoned house and meets a man there who trains him in psychic powers via a series of lessons, one each day. [s]

[Alloni]

Hi! So I read this book somewhere around '85-88 (I think). It's about a boy (whose name I want to say is Christopher, but I could be wildly wrong) who breaks into an abandoned house on a dare and finds a man there who trains his innate psychic powers. This is done by a series of lessons - the first one of which is a box that creates multicolored spots all over the walls of his house, and the only way he's able to get rid of them just before his parents get home is to relax his brain. Later, he learns things like shrinking and going into other people's minds (for the purposes of psychic healing and training). (view spoiler)[At the end, he tries to invade his father's mind, only to find that his father has been through the same training and is proud of his son for having done so. (hide spoiler)] Thanks a lot!

[Rainbowheart]

The Lives of Christopher Chant?

The Amazing Power of Ashur Fine?

[Alloni]

No, neither of those.

[Rainbowheart]

Psion?

Dr. Chill's Project?

The Antrian Messenger?

[Alloni]

Thanks for trying, but no. I'm shocked that this book seems to be completely unknown.

[Ayshe]

Maybe (... wait for it...) Christopher?

[Alloni]

...that was it! Why didn't it come up when I searched for Christopher before? Thanks!

[Alloni]

...oh, it didn't come up because Christopher has so many references. I feel less like an idiot.

[Ayshe]

You're welcome! Of course you're not an idiot. I just found it funny to have been titled exactly how you were remembering the boy's name.