Stage Fright

By: Wendy Parris

Narrated by: EJ Lavery

A new locked room scary story about thirteen-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. This spine tingling read is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Lindsay Currie!

When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing’s changed.

Unfortunately, new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. To reunite her BFFs, she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a horrible tragedy.

What starts as a fun outing, soon becomes a fight for survival after the group gets locked in…and discovers they’re not alone.

Critic reviews

Praise for STAGE FRIGHT:

"Stage Fright is spine-chilling fun!"—Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms

“This one left me breathless and turning pages frantically into the night. Wendy Parris’s latest is a scary treat and deserves a standing ovation!”—Dan Poblocki, #1 New York Times bestselling author of More Tales to Keep You Up at Night

"Stage Fright is the book for your MG reader who loves a good scary locked room story!"—Fleur Bradley, award-winning author of Daybreak on Raven Island and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel.

"A spooky read full of authentic friendships—the good parts and the hard parts."—Lora Senf, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Clackity

"I couldn't put it down. Friendship drama that pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart? Check! Creepy ghost girl in a haunted theatre with odes to Hamlet? Yes please! Just make sure you read this one with the lights on."—Lorien Lawrence, author of the Fright Watch series

"It's a long night in a haunted theater, and the spotlight is on terror!"—D.W. Gillespie, author of Give Me Something Good to Eat

"Parris creates a haunting tale of ghosts, fractured friends, and malevolent evil that lingers long after the the final page."—Matt McMann, author of the Monsterious series

"A fast-paced, spooky tale exploring adolescent tumult and the uncertainty that comes with change."—Kirkus Reviews

"Parris hastens to the creepy goods in this middle grade horror that surely earns its shelf space near the Goosebumps series. Beyond its well-executed tropes, however, this selection also brings some sophistication, dabbling in more mature literary nods to Shakespeare, as Parris cleverly links an ominous skull and a ghost to Avery’s internal tug-of-war."—The Bulletin

Perfect Spooky Middle Grade Book

I loved Stage Fright! It was just the right amount of on the edge of your seat spooky mixed with straight up encounters with the supernatural. The perfect creepy book!
Friendship changes as we get older. As kids become teens, some people change and some cling to what they feel they have always been. You get so much of these evolving friendships between 4 lifelong best friends, but it is all happening while they are locked in a haunted old theatre.