The Backstagers and the Ghost Light (Backstagers #1)

by Andy Mientus, Rian Sygh (Illustrator)

Overview

The stage crew at St. Genesius Prep—or Backstagers, as they like to call themselves— are ready for whatever the theater world can throw their way: the madness of tech week, inevitable prop malfunctions, and all the paranormal activity that goes on behind the scenes. But lately, someone—or something—seems set on ruining their production of Phantasm. It all started when an actor brought a Spirit Board to the cast party, and the ghost light blew out. Every good theater kid knows that a ghost light needs to be left on to ward off ghosts. So when it went out, could something evil have snuck into the theater? To figure out what’s haunting the theater and save the show, the Backstagers will have to use their smarts, their bravery, and a little bit of magic!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419736940
Publisher:	Amulet Paperbacks
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Series:	The Backstagers
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	351,367
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Andy Mientus is an actor, singer, and songwriter who is known for his roles in Spring Awakening, Wicked, and Les Misérables on Broadway and Smash and The Flash on television. He's also the author of three Backstagers novels, which are based on the BOOM! comics. He lives in New York City.


Rian Sygh is a comic artist and cocreator, along with James Tyrion IV, of the award-winning Backstagers comics. He lives in Glendale, California.


Andy Mientus is an actor, singer, and songwriter who is known for his roles in Spring Awakening, Wicked, Les Misérables, Smash, and The Flash. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"[Mientus} preserves the spirit and flavor of the comics with hilarious pranks and theater talk, high-energy hustle, and, particularly, in a young cast, notably diverse in ethnic and gender identity, who face personal issues common to everyone . . . as well as the odd supernatural threat."

Booklist

2018-07-16
The Backstagers gets the Lumberjanes treatment in this novelization of the comic-book series.Backstage drama kids Aziz, Hunter, Beckett, Jory, and Sasha have a few more performances left at St. Genesius Preparatory High School before the end of the school year. At the latest cast party, a bunch of actors, or Onstagers, pull out a spirit board for a few laughs and end up accidentally busting the Ghost Light —the stage light said to keeps ghosts away. When a ghost lurking backstage tries to get out, the lore turns out to be truth. Now it's up to the crew to go back into the unknown to save the theater. But can they do it without the stage managers? Sygh's two-color spot art and the overall whimsical narrative tone keep the comic-book series' spirit intact. Unfortunately, the sometimes-lofty third-person omniscient narrator is a bit of a mismatch. The sweet, blush-filled romances read a bit more chaste here than in the comics, but this may attract younger audiences. The already-diverse array of male characters broadens to include Reo, who is biracial (Japanese/Irish) and a witch. Fans of the series will appreciate Mientus' exploration of characters' backstories—and all will have a chance to learn more in future prose installments.An adequate dessert for existing fans that just may tempt a few new ones as well. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews