Keep the Ghost Light On

by Kate Messner

"This one will haunt me for a long time." --R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street series

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner crafts a fast-paced ghost story.

A haunted Broadway theater.
A ghost demanding justice.
Three kids who must follow the clues to unlock the past . . .

When Daphne, Luna, and Felix break into a shuttered theater to produce their own musical, they find it haunted by the ghost of an angry showgirl who makes a cryptic

TRUTH

Daphne is already struggling with her own truth, ever since a cute older boy humiliated her in front of the drama club last spring. Now her heart is full of secrets, and she hasn't written a new song in months.

But the ghost is persistent, and the friends find themselves sleuthing through empty research libraries and abandoned theaters in a search for answers. As the hauntings escalate from spooky to deadly, can they uncover the truth of what happened a century ago and finally free their ghosts?

Told via stage play, song lyrics, letters, and more this fast-paced, accessible novel will capture any reader.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult

272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 23, 2027

About the author

KATE MESSNER is the New York Times bestselling author of more than eighty books for young readers. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow,The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story, and Axolotl-Ella; novels like All the Answers, The Trouble with Heroes, and Keep the Ghost Light On; graphic novels like Camp Monster; and the Ranger in Time and Wildlife Rescue chapter books. Kate also writes the popular History Smashers graphic nonfiction series and leads the multi-author team behind The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class series.

Kate's titles have been honored with the American Booksellers Association Indies Choice Award, the E.B. White Read Aloud Award, the NAIBA Book of the Year Award, SCBWI's Golden Kite and Crystal Kite Awards and many state book awards. She's a frequent speaker at conferences, schools, and libraries around the world.

When she's not traveling, Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and spends her free time hiking, kayaking, and listening to way too many Broadway cast recordings.

Reviews

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher

Daphne has been friends with Luna for a long time, and the two are working on a play that Luna can submit to a local competition in their New York City hometown. Along with their friend, Felix, who loves the costuming aspect of theater, they are working on a play centered around famed early twentieth century theater icon Clifton Henderson and chorus girl Gertrude Dombrowski, "The Prettiest Girl in New York", whom they discovered after Luna's grandmother, who is raising her, bought a diary at auction. During the height of the COVID pandemic, theaters have shut down, giving them unprecedented access to the Travis Theater, since they managed to snag a key from a neighbor who worked there. Daphne's mother is a nurse who is working long hours, and her dad has moved upstate with his new girlfriend, so she has plenty of unsupervised time. Daphne is feeling conflicted about her involvement in theater after an incident occurred in her school drama club involving Mason, a boy on whom she had a crush. As the trio work on the play, odd things start to occur in the theater, and they suspect that the ghost of a Henderson Follies' dancer is haunting the place. There is broken glass spelling the word TRUTH, and red feathers following Daphne. Things escalated when the vines in the theater carpet come to life and entwine our intrepid thespians, and they seek help from local theater librarians. They find several pictures of the cast of the Follies, but there is one woman they can't identify. With the help of one librarian, they locate the aunt of Gertrude "Rose" Dombrowski in a local nursing home, and realize that Rose is the woman in the picture. The aunt later sends a typewriter and some documents to Daphne that help with the investigation, and Daphne finds out that Rose was a lyricist like Daphne. Things heat up when Daphne gets texts from a mysterious source and gets lured to the Henderson theater, where the ghosts attack in earnest and some of the evidence is burned. Will the group be able to figure out why the ghost wants the truth, and get justice for Rose?
Strengths: Messner writes such a wide variety of titles, from picture books to novels in verse, so it's always interesting to see what she turns her hand to next. I loved the historical ties to theater, and all of the research the the kids undertake. There are even some pictures and notes about real theaters and performers at the end of the book, which is great. Setting the story during the pandemic adds another layer of pathos to the story, and also gives Daphne a lot of freedom to travel around town by herself, since her mother is working long hours as a nurse. Including Rose's aunt in a nursing home was interesting; I'm always a fan of tapping into the knowledge of older people. There are a few scary scenes where the ghost goes on the attack, but I'd categorize this as more of a paranormal book than a horror title.
Weaknesses: While there were a few suspenseful passages, the focus was more on the gender inequalities that Rose suffered and some of the social issues in which Daphne was embroiled. These are great issues that deserve attention and which Messner covers well (think her 2020 Chirp), it does make the book less scary.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed other haunted theater books like Poblocki's Shadow Play, Farazin's Ghost Light (The Last Resort #3), Parris' Stage Fright, Gonzalez's Fearless, Key's Twelfth, Schusterman's Olive and the Backstage Ghost, Freeman's Noah McNichol and the Backstage Ghost, or Shepherd's The Twilight Curse (Babysitting Nightmares #3).

It would be nice to see a wider variety of haunted venues, other than theaters and houses into which tweens have just moved. There haven't been any haunted school libraries that I can remember, but let's cast the net even further with a haunted custodial closet, principal's office, dollar store, ice cream parlor or truck, or maybe even a grandparent's house that has always been haunted and the grandparent is rather unconcerned. Or a haunted GYM. Yep. That's what I need! Spirits of former athletes haunt the locker rooms and wreak havoc!

https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Messner writes a little bit of everything for middle grade readers and children, non-fiction picture books like the beautiful Over & Under series, historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade Ranger in Time, illustrated non-fiction such as History Smashers for the 4th-7th grade reader, adorable picture book Axolotl Ella, and plenty of stand alone for middle graders such as Chirp and The Trouble with Heroes. Now comes her first spooky book and this is written in a blend of prose and drama/play and targeted at the 5th-8th grade group.

During COVID, the lights went out on Broadway as everyone stayed home but theaters kept the ghost lights on as a symbol that the shows would go on again. Daphne, Luna and Felix, however, are tired of waiting. So, to really make a school drama assignment come alive, they break into a theater in order to film Luna’s original script on an actual stage not knowing that the Henderson Theater is haunted by a ghost who is determined to reveal the truth and latches on to Daphne as her vehicle for discovering what happened so long ago. Daphne is already fighting a bit of a demon stemming from a massive embarrassment with another drama group and having red feathers and ghostly whispers taunting her is causing her no end of anguish and to make it all worse, Luna is certain that she is just dodging them and doesn’t believe there could possible be a ghost. Felix is unsure, but is determined to support his friend. Little by little, clues begin to come together until the trio is able to set things right by revealing the wrongs done by a duplicitous theater owner whose reputation for being an outstanding playwright was ill-deserved. Along the way, Daphne discovers a great deal about herself and what real friendship is all about.

Messner formats her book with the ghost’s dialogue and intent reveal through a script, complete with stage directions and dialogue. The actions of Daphne, Luna and Felix are told in a narrative form with the two styles blending beautifully. Adding to the depth of this book, photographs of stage performers and theaters from the past are incorporated throughout the text and additional information about the history of haunted theaters on Broadway is included in the back matter.

The ghost story is a bit on the creepy side but this is not a horror story, more of a paranormal mystery. Those who enjoy mysteries and/or drama will love this one and those who don’t like their ghosts to be too terrifying will as well.

*Profanity: none
*Violence: some broken items, some jump scares
*Sexual content: none
*Representation: Neither race nor cultural references give many clues as to the backgrounds of the main or supporting characters leaving that up to the readers’ imaginations.
*LBGTQ+: none

Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss and Bloomsbury Children’s Books

[Allison Haehnel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliant compilation of prose, poetry, correspondence, dramatic elements, and forthcoming illustrations tells of rising 8th grade Daphne’s quest to solve a mystery surrounding a fabled theater and its namesake playwright. Was it murder, theft, or mayhem that keeps a ghost following Daphne until she works out the crime? Follow along as Daphne and her friends, Luna and Felix, share secrets and solve mysteries. “Keep the Ghost Light On” is a beautiful dedication to theater kids everywhere and of all ages.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ghost light is a small, single-bulbed light that, by tradition, shines on the dark stage throughout the night when a theater is closed and unoccupied. Conjectured reasons are to scare ghosts away, or conversely, to keep them company, or practically, for safety so anyone working late doesn’t trip in a darkened theater. However, Kate Messner’s newest story suggests another reason for .ghost lights…

Mystery, intrigue, secrets, sleuthing, friendship, a little romance, COVID-protocols, and, yes, ghosts, as well as the multi-fomodal—prose, scripts, letters, texts, and songs— format of Kate Messner’s newest will entice even the most reluctant readers.

When Luna, Daphne’s former best friend, writes a play about famous playwright Clifton Henderson for a competition, she asks Daphne and Felix to practice performing it in the 1903 Travis Theater. Daphne is reluctant even though she misses drama club and song writing—and Luna.

A big secret keeps Daphne from her friendships and her former hobbies.

But there is another big secret from the past that also needs to come to light, and the ghost of Gertrude Dobrowski, the prettiest girl in New York, a former 14-year-old farm girl turned 1918 Follies actress, needs Daphne to discover and set her free to move on.

Loud tapping, shattering glass, and falling red feathers follow Daphne from the theater to her home to the Henderson Theater until she discovers Gertrude’s truth and shares it along with her own truth.

This is a not a ghost story of revenge but a ghost seeking acknowledgement, a story of female empowerment and voice.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! A middle grade merge of spooky and mystery and THEATRE?! Plus strong girl main characters, and a storyline that will empower kids to speak up (after making sure they have the facts!) :-)

5/5… loved it!

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fast-paced ghost story takes place in a haunted Broadway theatre. There is a ghost demanding justice and three kids who must follow the clues to unlock the past. This compilation of prose, poetry, correspondence, dramatic elements and forthcoming illustrations tells of rising 8th grade Daphne’s quest to solve a mystery surrounding a theatre and its namesake. It is a beautiful dedication to theatre kids everywhere.

Note: A ghost light is a single light kept on to help keep actors from falling into the orchestra pit. During the COVID 19 pandemic ghost lights were left on at each Broadway theatre as a promise that theatre would return.

[Betsy Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley

I was drawn to the captivating cover and title of “Keep the Ghost Light On” by Kate Messner. I’ve been a fan of Messner since Covid, as she worked tirelessly during that time to provide resources for teachers and students—many times providing access to what would have cost more before Covid. However, I know she has been around much longer than that, with a rich history of writing well researched and entertaining stories for the middle grade age group! Keep the Ghost Light On is no different. Set during the summer months of 2020 in NYC, when masks were on and things were closed, Luna, Daphne, & Felix take advantage of an empty local Broadway theater to practice Luna’s new play that she’s writing for a competition. They have barely begun when it seems that a presence in the theater begins to protest. The loud tap-tap-tapping even follows Daphne home and refuses to leave her alone. Of course the magic question is “What do you want?” followed by the three of them (four counting the ghost) working together to reveal an injustice done to their spirited friend. Fans of musical theater will especially appreciate this story with its nod to many favorite musicals. Messner combines research with entertaining storytelling to weave a mystery and draw attention to early Broadway theater. She goes back and forth between Daphne’s POV and the ghost’s POV, with the ghost’s perspective written like a script. It’s captivating storytelling and the lyrics for the songs are very strong and moving. Just as our ghost has experienced injustice, Daphne works through some of her own similar injustices. The story stays in middle grade territory but the characters deal with early teen relationships and also make some harrowing decisions. I would say the sweet spot is 5th-8th grade, though mature younger readers could definitely access it.

[Ami Schroder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great middle grade read from author Kate Messner. Messner’s writing for kids is always sharp, intentional and smart. This book cleverly mixes mediums including photographs, documents and text written as a script. It will thrill theater kids and mystery readers alike while appealing to our inner need to right the wrongs of the past.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

What worked:
Ghost lights in theaters stay on overnight or between performances, but they create an eerie setting for the story. Superstitions say they’re used to appease spirits, and an unsettled ghost is at the center of this plot. The author skillfully lets the conflict unfold slowly, with some chapters told from the ghost’s point of view. These chapters are written as play scripts because the ghost was once a stage performer in the early 1900s. She can’t communicate with the living in a normal manner, but she can make noises and move objects. The characters struggle to understand what’s happening, building suspense as the ghost becomes more desperate.
The story revolves around a play written by Luna based on the journal of a famous playwright, Clifton Henderson. However, the plot focuses on her friend, Daphne, since the ghost targets her for communication. Daphne had a humiliating moment with an eighth-grader, and she’s now battling self-doubt and embarrassment. This vulnerability creates an opening for the ghost, making Daphne the first one to realize its existence. Many books would have other characters doubt someone seeing ghosts, but this time, Daphne’s friends immediately support her. Most of the plot describes the efforts of Daphne, Luna, and Felix as they try to understand what the ghost wants. They figure out the ghost wants them to uncover the truth, but they don’t know what that means. Daphne assumes the performer was murdered, but she eventually realizes her talents and fame were stolen.

What didn’t work as well:
The ghost’s abilities differ for some reason later in the book. She becomes visible and can talk when the plot reaches its climax. It seems the book leaves unanswered questions for other performers, so readers may feel there is unfinished business. It would be nice for an epilogue to mention the resolution.

The final verdict:
This book will appeal to young readers with a love for ghost stories. Daphne and the ghost are vulnerable characters who are victims of mistreatment and ridicule. I recommend you give it a shot.

[Aliceson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written mysterious, ghostly novel. It alternates between script formatting and regular novel chapters- which is a genius way to write this story. It also includes newspaper articles and photographs. Daphne, Luna and Felix are using an empty theater to practice a play Luna wrote about an old playwright from the 1900’s. When a ghost starts haunting them Daphne tries to uncover the truth. This is written in the time period right after Covid hit and the world shut down (including the theaters.) This explains why Daphne’s mom, who’s a nurse, is regularly absent. The story includes a double mystery of what secret Daphne is hiding from Luna. It’s just creepy/haunting enough that I think students will get into it. I appreciated the factual information at the back that tells more about Follies. I love the symbolism of the ghost light reminding us that theater will rise again.

Recommended for grades 5-8, for fans of mystery or theater lovers.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Daphne, Felix, and Luna are three theater kids who need an outlet for their art during the pandemic. Luna is desperate to rehearse her new screen play, so she finds a way to sneak in to an old theater. Daphne, her old writing partner, and Felix, with his flair for costumes, come along to read the parts. Shortly after beginning the rehearsal, weird things start to happen. They hear sounds, the lights flicker, and a red feather floats down from no where. Daphne becomes convinced that there is a ghost trying to communicate something to them.

This story is delightfully creepy without being gory or gross, so it is a perfect scare for middle grade readers. Each chapter begins with an intro that is written as a screen play from the ghost's point of view. It has a fun mystery with a satisfying ending. Your theater lovers, especially, will love it! Your spooky readers will enjoy it, too.

[Jody · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Kate Messner's books, but this one didn't live up to others she has written. There are parts that I think kids will like - some of the more fast-paced, exciting sections, but overall, I thought it was a little confusing - is there more than one ghost, who is talking, what are they doing and why? And the little bit of "romance" was forced, in my opinion.
If kids want a scary book, then have them read Messner's "Wake Up Missing".

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good ghost story? This story weaves in the theater set in 2020 when Covid created shutdowns of theater in NYC. Just spooky enough for middle grade kids with a great glimpse of theater all shared in an interesting format of theater scenes, song lyrics, letters, etc. A most unique book that has a little something for all readers!

[Lori Emilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and obviously well researched, this middle grade read is not quite a creepy as I had imagined. There are suspenseful parts, and a ghost, for sure! But the overall theme is one of gender inequality (a noble topic, absolutely!) and preteen angst. Middle graders may be confused about who is telling the story, although I could see it working well as a read aloud.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a love letter to theatre fans. Set during pandemic times, there's a haunted Broadway theatre, a ghost, and lots of real-life drama between characters. The clever thing here is how the author uses different formats (play format, texting) to convey what is going on plot-wise.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a theatre buff but if I was I probably would’ve given 5 stars. Great little ghost mystery for middle graders who like that genre. I was really impressed with the songs and quite enjoyed learning about theatre life.

[Shyrlann · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Kate does not disappoint...she's a master storyteller! This book is entertaining for anyone who loves the theatre, and it's filled with great characters, imagery, and history.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Patti Sabik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Messner never disappoints and this story was a nice change for her. Ghosts and theaters are always a draw in my library. The girls’ friendship and the compelling mystery made this book a quick read.