Showstopper
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"A witty summer camp murder mystery where drama unfolds both on and off the stage . . . . In this love letter to theater life, the joy and passion derived from the art form shine through brightly." —Kirkus Reviews
TAKE YOUR FINAL BOW
The Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp isn’t the best program in the world, but to Faye, it’s home. Every summer since junior high, Faye and her friends have come together for a monthlong musical-theater intensive. For her last year before graduation, Faye’s finally ready to take center stage as her true Afro-Latina self and break out of her white-passing roles.
But as Faye steps into her spotlight, complications arise. Suddenly, she’s competing with her BFF for lead roles and distracted by the attentions of the new camp hottie. Even when the drama turns deadly, Faye remains determined to make this the best production the Ghostlight has ever seen. It must be a coincidence that the stagehands keep disappearing and having gruesome accidents, right? But dark secrets are hiding behind the scenes, and opening night might turn out to be a bloodbath.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Expectations of a carefree summer at theater camp take a fatal turn in this splashy thriller by Anderson (Killer House Party). This year is Afro-Boricua 17-year-old Faye's final summer attending Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp with her closest friends. As such, it's also the last opportunity for Faye to break out of her being typecast in white-passing roles. But the camp vibes go sour before the program can even begin when its director is found dead backstage at a previous job. Though the event is ruled an accident, and Ghostlight instates a new director to replace him, subsequent deaths of the camp's crew and actors sow further unease. Despite Faye's suspicion that there's something sinister at play—a feeling that's exacerbated by the appearance of a mysterious figure wearing a commedia dell'arte mask—her fellow campers seem convinced that the situation is just a series of tragic events and theater pranks gone wrong. As the body count rises, Faye struggles to both ensure her and her friends' safety and make it big in her final show. While the narrative's focus on thespian drama often deflates tension throughout the murder mystery plot, Anderson effectively captures the over-the-top atmosphere of theater camp, resulting in plenty of dark humor. Ages 14–up.
