{"product_id":"stage-fright-isbn-9798217024124","title":"Stage Fright","description":"\u003cb\u003eA 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 \u003ci\u003esomething\u003c\/i\u003e—else. This spine tingling read is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Lindsay Currie!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnfortunately, 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat starts as a fun outing, soon becomes a fight for survival after the group gets locked in…and discovers they’re not alone.Praise for STAGE FRIGHT:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eStage Fright\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003espine-chilling fun\u003c\/b\u003e!\"—Lindsay Currie, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Locked Rooms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“This one left me \u003cb\u003ebreathless\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eturning pages\u003c\/b\u003e frantically into the night. Wendy Parris’s latest is a \u003cb\u003escary treat \u003c\/b\u003eand deserves a standing ovation!”—Dan Poblocki, #1\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMore Tales to Keep You Up at Night\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eStage Fright\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is\u003ci\u003e the\u003c\/i\u003e book for your MG reader \u003c\/b\u003ewho loves a good scary locked room story!\"—Fleur Bradley, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eDaybreak on Raven Island\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMidnight at the Barclay Hotel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A \u003cb\u003espooky\u003c\/b\u003e read full of \u003cb\u003eauthentic\u003c\/b\u003e friendships—the good parts and the hard parts.\"—Lora Senf, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of\u003ci\u003e The Clackity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I couldn't put it down. \u003cb\u003eFriendship drama\u003c\/b\u003e that pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart? Check! \u003cb\u003eCreepy ghost\u003c\/b\u003e 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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It's a long night in a haunted theater, and \u003cb\u003ethe spotlight is on terror!\u003c\/b\u003e\"—D.W. Gillespie, author of \u003ci\u003eGive Me Something Good to Eat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e \"Parris creates a \u003cb\u003ehaunting\u003c\/b\u003e tale of ghosts, \u003cb\u003efractured\u003c\/b\u003e friends, and \u003cb\u003emalevolent\u003c\/b\u003e evil that lingers long after the the final page.\"—Matt McMann, author of the Monsterious series\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A \u003cb\u003efast-paced\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003espooky\u003c\/b\u003e tale exploring adolescent tumult and the uncertainty that comes with change.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Parris hastens to the \u003cb\u003ecreepy goods\u003c\/b\u003e in this middle grade horror that surely earns its shelf space near the Goosebumps series. Beyond its \u003cb\u003ewell-executed tropes\u003c\/b\u003e, however, this selection also brings some \u003cb\u003esophistication\u003c\/b\u003e, 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.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eWendy Parris has always loved telling stories. So she studied film at Northwestern University, acted in small Chicago theaters after graduation, and even made up tales on the spot as part of an improv comedy troupe. Now she writes spooky books for tweens and teens. She lives in Illinois with her family in an old house that is probably not haunted. Her debut novel, \u003ci\u003eField of Screams,\u003c\/i\u003e was a Junior Library Guild Gold Star Selection.Chapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As the small plane descended, breaking through the dark thunderclouds, Avery O’Reilly finally got a good look out the window.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Below her spread a patchwork quilt of Midwestern farm fields, the green squares defined by gray roads and dotted with the occasional white house and red barn. Her eyes followed the watery squiggle that was Clear Creek as the landscape gently gave way to the familiar landmarks of her hometown. She pressed her palm to the glass. There was the shockingly turquoise rectangle of the local pool where she and Paige used to have swim meets. Nearby, its trees looking like broccoli tops, was Center Park, where she and Jaylen had gotten stuck atop the carnival Ferris wheel. And beyond that, the L-shaped black tar roof of Lincoln Elementary, where she and Tyler had partnered on every school project from kindergarten through fourth grade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I’m back!” Avery whispered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The plane banked and tilted. From beneath her came the rumbling vibration of the landing gear going down.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ms. Choi, the middle-­aged businesswoman seated next to her, smiled. “Someone will be here to meet you, right, hon?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Oh yes.” Avery pushed her tortoiseshell glasses up the bridge of her nose. “My best friend, Paige, and her sister.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Well, I hope you have a wonderful vacation. There is something special about spending time with the people you grew up with.” Ms. Choi closed her laptop and stowed it in her briefcase. “You know the saying—­‘Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.’ ”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery considered this. She agreed . . . sort of. Her old friends were definitely gold. But since she’d moved to Philadelphia, she hadn’t made any friends she would rate as silver . . . or even bronze. Maybe plastic? Nobody new would ever measure up to Paige, Jaylen, and Tyler. The four of them had been inseparable since before she could remember. If only her parents hadn’t ripped her away from them, uprooting the whole family for their stupid jobs. Like they hadn’t had perfectly fine professorships in Illinois.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery took a relaxing breath. She should live in the moment, like Tyler said to do. He was chill like that. These next two weeks of summer were going to be the best \u003ci\u003eever,\u003c\/i\u003e and she shouldn’t wreck them by dwelling on how miserable she’d been the past year in Philadelphia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The plane bumped slightly as it hit the runway. Static buzzed over the address system, followed by the cheerful voice of the flight attendant. Avery only half listened. She switched her cell phone off airplane mode, anticipating texts from Paige to explode across the screen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There was only one text.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From her mom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hope the thunderstorms didn’t delay you! Don’t forget to text me when you land!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery frowned. Her seven excited messages to Paige from the morning had been delivered. Paige should’ve texted back as soon as her half-­day gymnastics camp was over. Worry whispered in her ear. Lately Paige hadn’t been as responsive as usual. What if she wasn’t as thrilled as Avery about this visit?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Reason whispered back. Paige had spent a month up at her grandparents’ cabin in Northern Wisconsin, where Wi-­Fi and cell service were spotty. And the last few weeks she’d been way busy with gymnastics camp. Everything was fine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her anxiety quashed for the moment, Avery texted her mom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Here\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Immediately three dots pulsed across the bottom of her screen. Avery rolled her eyes. Clearly, Mom had been monitoring her phone, anxiously hoping to hear from her. While waiting for the text to come through, Avery pulled her bright red-­and-­yellow backpack from under the seat in front of her and stood. She was still small enough that she didn’t have to bend to avoid cracking her head on the overhead compartment. That was probably the only good thing about being short.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her phone buzzed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Have a great time, sweetheart, and stay safe! Please tell everyone on the block that Dad and I say hi. And remember to give Mrs. Sernett the hostess gift I sent as soon as she’s home from the wedding!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery’s mouth twisted. There was no way she’d forget the shoebox-­sized present her mom had shoved into her suitcase at the last minute. That reminded her. She unzipped her backpack and, pushing aside the latest Lark and Ivy mystery book, searched inside for a small gold gift bag until she found it. Whew. The friendship bracelet hadn’t fallen out or disappeared. She’d spent hours carefully braiding it using Paige’s favorite color combo: neon yellow, orange, and green. Avery rubbed the matching bracelet around her wrist. Paige would love them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her phone buzzed again. Another message from her mom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Maya from down the block dropped  off a birthday party invite for you!  Something to look forward to when  you get home!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery swiped out of the thread. Maya wasn’t exactly part of the mean girls’ clique at her new school, but it wasn’t like she’d ever jumped to Avery’s defense when the others mocked her Midwestern accent. Maya’s parents were probably making her include Avery on the invite list just because they were neighbors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She tucked her phone into her backpack and pictured Paige waiting in the terminal with a massive Welcome Home sign. She couldn’t wait to give her a huge hug.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ten minutes later Avery stood alone in the tiny municipal airport, a pit in her stomach. Aside from a grumpy old guy in a ballcap lecturing a ticket agent, no one was there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She pulled out her phone and tapped out a text.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e where r u\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery waited a minute, but no answer came. She wandered to baggage claim, losing herself in a cloud of what-­ifs. Paige’s eighteen-­year-­old sister Natalie was supposed to be driving her to the airport. What if Nat had forgotten? Or the car had broken down? Or, worse, there’d been an accident? She dug her fingernails into her palm, trying to stop her mind from spinning out of control.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her phone vibrated in her other hand. It was a text from Paige. Finally.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sorrysorrysorry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e . . . \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery held her breath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e long story j and laila r picking u up\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avery exhaled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e see u at my house\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Of course everything was fine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After gathering her overstuffed suitcase from one of the two baggage carousels and waving goodbye to Ms. Choi, Avery stepped through the airport’s automatic exit doors. The August rain had stopped, leaving the air damp and surprisingly cool. Her eyes swept over the half-­dozen cars waiting in the passenger pick-­up lane. None looked familiar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A rusty little sedan rattled up to the end of the line, horn blaring. The passenger door swung open. Jaylen, an energetic thirteen-­year-­old with dark brown skin, bounded onto the pavement.","brand":"Delacorte Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300270788837,"sku":"NP9798217024124","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798217024124.jpg?v=1767737158","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/stage-fright-isbn-9798217024124","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}