If youre looking for a cute YA "horror" then this is definitely a great book to read for that. It was fast paced and super easy to read and made you want to keep reading. Not scary at all in my opinion but definitely had some creep factor to it. Perfect for all ages either as a regular read for younger audiences or as a palette cleanser for adults.

This was such a fantastic middle grade spooky story! It was honestly so creepy, even as an adult, and I think middle grade readers who like scary books will adore this one.

The book follows Avery, a girl who plans a séance at an abandoned theater to reconnect her with friends. But as it turns out, things don't go entirely as Avery had planned, and the kids may not be alone in the theater after all.

This was a short, quick read with lots of spooky ghost shenanigans. I especially loved the themes of friendship in the book, and I think this in particular will resonate with middle grade readers. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to kids who are looking for a scary book with deep themes.

Thank you to Random House Children's and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a fast-paced, exciting story that is sure to be a big hit. The setting in an old, abandoned theater is spectacular for a spooky story. The protagonist, Avery, is so relatable and a sympathetic narrator as a kid who is thrilled to be back with her old group of friends for a visit after moving away the year before, only to find that everything has changed. In an attempt to bring everyone back together, she comes up with a plan for an adventure that turns out to be a lot more than anyone could have anticipated. Young horror fans will be thrilled by the ghost, as well as the evil skull that can read people's deepest fears. Author Wendy Parris does a great job of creating high personal stakes and character growth along with the need to escape from a terrifying situation. It's the perfect novel to follow her amazing debut, Field of Screams.

What a fun, spooky, and thrilling ride!

The premise of this story pulled this thespian right in, and I also empathized so much with Avery being the odd one out after moving. Been there! So many of my students move or have moved, and I think it’s super important that they have stories like this that show the struggles of making new friends while trying to hold on to the old ones.

Speaking of the old ones, I loved the ensemble cast and how each character was unique with his/her own story & what they brought to the table, or in this case, the stage. It was great to see a central focus on Avery and Paige, but I loved that Tyler and Jaylen had some good page time, too!

The spooky qualities were AWESOME, making me cringe & gasp multiple times. Bravo! Horror & thrillers are a big “sell” on my shelves right now, and I know my readers will love experiencing Maddie and the theater’s scary spectacles!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to read and review prior to its publication. ☺️

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

13 year old Avery moved to Philadelphia last year, and she's very excited about her trip back to her hometown for the summer. She's excited about seeing her friends, and the treehouse, and reading mystery books with Paige, and just feeling like she belongs, because she's having a lot of trouble fitting in at her new school. However, those things don't seem to be waiting on Avery when she arrives. Instead, she finds her friends have grown apart and they do not seem to be enjoying things they used to. As a way to try and reconnect with her friends, Avery (who is scared of ghosts and horror movies) suggests a seance in an old abandoned theatre where a child died some years ago. Turns out, the ghost is very real, and there are evil things lurking inside the theatre that the kids were not prepared for. Suddenly, Avery and her friends are faced with the problem of getting out of the building, before their minds and bodies become trapped there forever.

This book is a fast paced read that held my attention from start to finish. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that I had to read another book, I would've finished this is one sitting. I thought it was nice to see Avery go through the ups and downs of friendship. While I love all things spooky and horror, I found myself relating to Avery. I also overthink everything, and sometimes I'm more about myself than my friends. Avery also expects the worst out of situations as I do. It was just nice to feel seen. The rest of the characters are believable.

Overall, this was a wonderful a read. I don't think it's too scary for the middle grade crowd, but certain parts could be a little intense. I will definitely be reading this again, especially near the spooky season.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wendy Parris for allowing me to review! As always, my review is my own opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram @fictionluxblog shortly.

This was a fun short horror adventure!

The story is geared toward a middle grade audience. This lightweight introductory horror story invites the reader to experience being locked inside a deserted theater with themes touching on re-establishing strained friendships, new crushes and working together to survive a scary situation.

Overall, I feel like this is a well written, thoughtfully put together tale. I can see how the author can be compared to Katherine Arden, author of Small Spaces and The Winternight Trilogy. I like Wendy Parris' work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to Random House Children's, NetGalley and to Delacorte Press for providing this title in exchange for an honest review.

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Avery has moved from the Midwest to Philadelphia, and is glad to be going "home" for summer vacation. She's glad that she will be able to see her old friends and neighbors like Paige, Tyler, and Jaylen. Things get off to a bit of a rocky start when Paige doesn't meet her at the airport, especially when Paige has been off at the mall with Bethany Barnes, who bullied Avery when they were younger. Wanting to revisit the group's old stomping grounds, Avery suggests meeting at Tyler's treehouse, and is surprised that it has fallen into some disrepair. Her friends haven't been hanging out together, so they all try to think of an activity they can do together. Avery suggests their "Ridge Road Detective Club" game, but the others scoff that they are all too old for such nonsense, until Avery suggests breaking into the local Old Winter Playhouse, since it is the tenth anniversary of the death of the director's nine year old daughter. Sneaky out in the middle of the night is always interesting, and when the four get into the theater, there are some scary things that occur. There is a ghost light on the stage, and when they venture too far away, they see and hear eerie things. There is a skull that seems to follow them around, and after touching it, Tyler thinks that they are being surrounded by rats. Jaylen falls off the stage and breaks his ankle; of course, none of the children can get cell phone service. They hunker down to wait until morning, but Jaylen thinks that the walls are closing in on them. In between the spooky ghost manifestations, Avery gets caught up on some things her friends have been going. Paige and Jaylen kissed, even though the kids made a pact to always stay friends, and Paige is worried about her parents' pending divorce. Of course, the altered states of Tyler and Jaylen are even more concerning, as is being followed by menancing ghosts! When things get especially bad, there is a fire started, and the theater is badly damaged. The ghost is put to rest (I don't want to spoil some of the details!), the kids aren't blamed for the fire, and Avery is able to return to Philadelphia with the knowledge that even if she had stayed in her old neighborhood, her friendships still might have changed.
Strengths: Friends changing in middle school and growing apart is definitely more scary (and more common) than viscious ghosts, and pairing the two popular topics is an inspired idea. While as a responsible adult, I can't condone children lying to caregivers and sneaking out in the middle of the night, there is a certain appeal to such activity when one is a tween. There's a good back story to the haunting of the theater, and a good variety of ghost menancing. This is a good length, and moves quickly, as any good killer ghost story should.
Weaknesses: Like this author's Field of Screams, this is more gently scary than terrifying. Also, would people in Philadelphia make fun of a Midwestern accent? Aside from a friend from New Hampshire who once said I had a "nasal" accent (I mean, I did grow up close to Cleveland), I always labored under the delusion that the Midwest didn't have an accent.
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who have an interest in eerie books with theater connections and enjoyed Gonzalez's Fearless, Key's Twelfth, Schusterman's Olive and the Backstage Ghost or Freeman's Noah McNichol and the Backstage Ghost. Twelfth,

This book was a wonderful spooky MG read! I feel like this is going to become a lot of kids' new favorite book! A delightful mix of horror, relatable problems, theater, and spookes all in a world that leaves you guessing and wanting more. And man, I want more! :)

YA horror is a wonderful thing. It’s not too scary for early-preteens and embraces friendship and coping strategies.

I enjoyed this one. Haunted playhouses with call backs to Shakespeare and Agatha Christie??

Fun if a little predictable middle grade ghost story.. at its best it’s an honest look at the way friends can drift apart as they get older, but the ghost sections and the resolution are a little convoluted. Overall, I would recommend to middle graders that like a ghost story.

It was a decently spooky read. I read it and then I gave it to my daughter for her to read. She loved it especially the seance. I think she is definitely more the target audience of the book. She plans on picking up a copy as soon as it launches!

A new locked room scary story about twelve-year-old Avery, who plans a séance at a deserted theater to bond with her friends, only to realize they’re locked inside with someone—or something—else (Goodreads).

This book was just so amazing. I was thoroughly thrilled, and it was one of the more creepy middle grade thrillers I’ve read. The writing style reminded me of the old Goosebumps books, and I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the plot. I read this in one day in a few separate sittings, and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short creepy novel.

I honestly was not expecting a lot of what happened in this book, and the twists and turns had me so creeped out. The author is great at worldbuilding and painting a portrait of fear, whether that means being eaten by rats, being claustrophobic or just being the new girl with no friends. This book has characters that everyone can identify with, and a great friendship moral at the end.

This was a decent, spooky read. I'm not the target audience, so take the next bit with a grain of salt, but I felt the beginning was a bit slow and a little too much harping on how sad Avery is with the changes. I mean I get it, but also like girl you are back "home" with your friends, try and act like it.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

13 year-old Avery is so excited about her trip back to her hometown. She and her three friends haven’t seen each other in almost a year and Avery can’t wait for things to get back to normal. She misses the treehouse, the mystery books, and just feeling like she belongs. However, that is not what is waiting Avery when she gets back to town. Instead, she finds three people who have grown apart in her absence and are not as interested in doing all of the old things they used to do. Looking for a way to connect to her friends, Avery suggests a séance and an old abandoned theater, where a child died years ago. Unfortunately, while the child is no longer around, her ghost is. And her friends are suddenly faced with the problem of getting out of the building, hopefully alive.

Wendy, Paris has written another page-turner for middle school kids. The book is fast-paced, following Avery through the ups and downs of friendship. As a reader, I quickly connected with the feelings she was experiencing, which made me more invested in reading to find out what was going to happen. I loved the ghost story aspect inside the old theater and the story kept me guessing until the very end. All the characters are completely believable, and even the ghost story could make a nonbeliever believe. There are definitely some parts that I was worried would haunt my dreams. Overall, an exciting, clean story for middle grade kids.

This was a fantastic middle school ghost story. There was enough suspense and twisty turns to keep you guessing and engaged up until the last few chapters. The characters are all memorable and likable with exceptional development. The writing flowed easily from one chapter to the next and the descriptive parts were right on target.
Avery, thirteen, has moved away from her life long home. She also had to part with her closest friends from preschool. Growing up, they were all connected at the hip and knew each other’s idiosyncrasies . During a quick visit back to her childhood home, after a year of moving, she soon realizes how much her friends have changed, Feeling nostalgic, she approaches them to have one final detective game, like old times. She plans a scary adventure, which entails a séance hoping to speak to the ghost of a young girl who had lost her life to a tragic accident, in a boarded up theater house called Old Winter Playhouse. Once in the old theater, their perilous journey begins with ghosts and a evil skull, hurt feelings, betrayal and forgiveness.
So much to like about this novel. The author has done a wonderful job with this story

Excellent middle grade horror. Relatable characters in a relatable situation. That is, until the seance. Spooky and suspenseful. But it also sends good messages and showcases the ability to overcome.

This book did a fantastic job of setting up the notion of what it is like to return home to a place you used to love. It follows the main character visiting home for the first time after moving, and grappling with the changes that her friends have made while she was away. She feels the need to prove she is growing up too, even when she just wants things to be the way they used to be. Combining it with facing a fear made it a funny, haunting read for kids.

Thank you, Wendy Parris and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

This was an easy, quick read. The pacing was definitely quick and one of the things I enjoyed. The chapters weren't too long, and this book was definitely worth the read. If you enjoy a good middle grade spooky tale, then this is definitely a book for you. There are frights, challenges, and triumphs as you read throughout the book. The characters are definitely lovable, and they grow throughout the book for the better.

This is a book about friends that grew up and then a one coming home. They decide to do a seance, and things go horribly wrong. Did they anger the ghost? What's going to happen, and will they all make it out in the end? Read and find out.

I enjoyed the fact that the characters all had challenges they had to overcome. In the end, they were better for it. They all became closer to it and even learned a very important lesson. What lesson is that? Well read and you will find out for yourself.

I just reviewed Stage Fright by Wendy Parris. This is a perfect novel for middle school aged readers who enjoy suspenseful stories because it is the perfect amount of scary and feel-good. This story is based around a girl who moves away to another state and gets to spend the summer rekindling old friendships back at her home state. The story really does a great job diving into character development and relating to situations and emotions kids might experience within the short amount of pages. When the 4 friends find themselves in some action packed situations, Avery (main character) finds herself navigating some difficult situations. The ending was amazing and I will definitely be purchasing when released for my kids to read and enjoy.

"Stage Fright" by Wendy Parris is a thrilling middle-grade novel that captivates young readers with its blend of suspense and the supernatural. In the story, 13-year-old Avery returns to her hometown and reconnects with friends, only to find themselves locked in an old abandoned theater after a séance goes awry. As eerie occurrences begin to unfold, the group must navigate their fears and fraying friendships to figure out if they can escape. The novel skillfully intertwines themes of friendship, bravery, and the supernatural, making it a perfect spooky read for middle-grade readers who enjoy a good thrill. It's sure to keep young readers on the edge of their seats, eager to see how Avery and her friends handle their chilling predicament.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be purchasing it for my kids when it is released!!