STAGE FRIGHT

by James Howe ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1986

Glamorous movie star Michaele Caraway is making a comeback in a summer-stock production. But someone is trying to frighten her away, and it takes sleuth Sebastian Barth, 13, to discover who. Michaele arrives to stay at the Barth household; she will star in The House of Cards, written by one old friend and directed by another. Many of the neighborhood kids will be working on the play; Sebastian has the enviable role of Michaele's son. The production moves along well; the kids are having fun, and Michaele has a secret admirer who leaves her little presents and carefully penned quotes. But the presents become veiled threats; accidents happen; and in the end Sebastian pinpoints the culprit and motive: thwarted adult romance of little interest to children. This reads like a routine plot for a TV movie, far-fetched and patly resolved. The characters are caricatures, the dialogue full of the self-important chatter theater people are believed to indulge in. Sebastian and his friends lack charm and individuality.

Pub Date: April 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 146

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION