It's very cute with diverse characters and funny plays on famous shows, but I've never been able to really get into the series, even with the graphic novels. For some reason the characters all run in to each other--maybe there are too many?

This was a sweet, funny adorable paranormal book. I loved it. I can not wait to read the other 2.

This is a novelization of a popular fantasy comic series (one that I haven’t read) and follows a group of boys at St. Genesius Prep. They are known as “Backstagers” because they are the stage crew in the school’s theater department and, in the process, end up dealing with a lot of paranormal activity behind the scenes.

In this story, the department is putting on a production of Phantasm, but there’s something amiss, something is ruining their production. And it all seems to have started when someone brought out a Spirit Board, which I imagine is like or the same as an Ouija board. Then, the ghost light, whose purpose it was to keep the ghosts at bay, blew out, thereby releasing a dangerous entity. Now it’s up to the kids to stop it before someone gets killed.

I loved this book and thought it was so much fun! I always enjoy a good ghostly mystery, and this one did not disappoint. It was captivating, suspenseful, and magical; in fact, one of the characters, Reo, is even a witch. I also thought the illustrations were well-done and added an extra unique element to the storyline.

Additionally, the detailed descriptions of the backstage really brought the story to life for me, especially the magic door that led to the deep, mysterious, and scary labyrinth of backstage, where someone could disappear for weeks or even months. There were also numerous theater references peppered throughout the narrative, and the spoofs of famous plays such as Les Terribles, Tammy, and Lease gave me a good chuckle.

As for the characters, I found every one of them lovable and endearing (well maybe, except for the monster) and feel that this could be enjoyed by middle grade and young adults alike (and adults, like myself!). I loved these diverse, quirky characters. There was such a sweet dynamic between them, and I loved how much they cared about each other. It was fun getting to know each of them.

Given that I wasn’t familiar with the comic (I believe there are eight of them in total), it was a tad rough for me at the beginning because we’re introduced to a lot of characters right off the bat, some in established relationships. But once I got the hang of who everyone was, I could relax and enjoy the ride.

A few of the kids in the story are gay, and I liked how it was normalized in the story. It was treated as a non-issue and was not the focus of the story; rather, it was casually mentioned in portrayed positively. No angsty coming out scenes here, for which I was grateful though there is a little bit of relationship drama. But yeah, I loved the gay representation in the story and felt that it was done respectfully.

Now I found that this did read a bit young, so teens on the younger end of the spectrum may enjoy this more than older teens. I think the age range listed for this was 10 to 14 years, and I feel that this is about right — though “older kids” such as myself can enjoy it as well.

All in all, this was an enjoyable paranormal story with adorable characters and a spooky, compelling plot. Overall, a gratifying reading experience. Having read the second one in this series as well, I’m now hooked and can’t wait to read more as they come out.

The Backstagers and the Ghost Light is a really good book. I've read the comics before and I love how the book continues the story line. Really, I couldn't put the book down, I always wanted to see what happened next. 6 out of 5 stars.

I haven't read the graphic novel that introduces the characters so I came into this wishing for a bit more of an introduction. However, the pertinent details get adequately explained and the plot is fun and quirky enough to really get you into the story. It's cool to find a book that pays homage to the people behind the stage, those who are actually 90% responsible for the success or failure of a show.
It really gets into the details of a production without getting to advanced for the younger readers it's target towards.
I also really enjoyed seeing the diverse cast get treated as the totally normal thing it is.
Would totally recommend this for younger readers, even those not familiar with the source material.

So happy to spend some more time with this crew.

This book was really cute, but MULTIPLE times I checked to make sure I was reading the first book in the series. So much stuff is said that it really felt like the series had already started, and I missed a book.

Edit: I didn't know there were comics before this book. I think it would make a lot of sense to read the comics FIRST.

not the most memorable but it’s set in a theatre and i love andy mientus so it’s a no brainer that i was gonna read it