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American Girl Mysteries
A Thief in the Theater: A Kit Mystery
Kit Kittredge spends a week of her summer vacation volunteering at the local theater--she wants to write a newspaper article about a play that's opening soon. It even stars famous actors from New York City! But behind the scenes, Kit and her friend Stirling discover more drama than they bargained for.
Set in Cincinnati in 1935.
Set in Cincinnati in 1935.
179 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Sarah Masters Buckey
29 books48 followersSarah Masters Buckey was raised in New Jersey and lived in Texas for 15 years. Sarah was nominated for the Agatha Award in 2008 for A Thief in the Theater and in 2005 for The Curse of Ravenscourt. She was nominated for an Edgar Award in 2007 for The Stolen Sapphire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 25, 2025
This is my first AG mystery. How fun!
This story felt as if it picked up literally where book #6 of Kit’s series ended.
Very impressed! ✨✨
This story felt as if it picked up literally where book #6 of Kit’s series ended.
Very impressed! ✨✨
October 5, 2026
"...we're going to present one of Shakespeare's most exciting plays. ... Because of old superstitions about this teagedy, some actors believe that it's bad luck to say the play's name inside the theater."
Kit has to pivot - and fast. She was supposed to write an article for her children's column in the Cincinnati Register. about the Burns Theater's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream but on the night she attends, she learns that they are ending the run early!
"I hope you won't mention this in your article, but we're a bit short of money right now."
Instead, the theater is performing Macbeth in an attempt to bring the audiences back, but not everyone is happy about this decision.
"You're the boss," he told Rose. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
But then someone steals the night's earnings, mysterious accidents are happening everywhere, AND there's a new group of bullies targeting Kit and Stirling. But luckily, Kit is on the case...she hopes.
"What if they cancel the show? Then all the hard work would have been for nothing."
Ahhh, I just love all these mystery book tie-ins to the main series - one of the best things about starting a series a decade after it is started is that I don't have to wait for the books to come out.
This one takes place shortly after the events of Danger at the Zoo, where Kit is still employed to write her children's column by Mr. Gibb.
I like that we got to see some of the old borders - like Mr. Peck (the musician) and Mr. Bell has returned, though I am sad to see that he's now widowed. And while the new borders (Mrs. Dalrymple and Miss Jemison) are mentioned, they don't play a role in the story.
I do miss having Ruthie in the story - this is the third mystery I've read that just has Ruthie out of the picture. Their friendship is so strong in the main series that I feel like she should at least be making an appearance in the mysteries!
The mystery itself had a lot of layers to it - the thief in the theater, the mysterious accidents, and even some conflict with the neighborhood bullies - each element was satisfactorily resolved and I was surprised by a few of the reveals!
Overall, I'm really happy with how this one went!!
March 23, 2025
Really fun little mystery! And Kit and Sterling were perfectly in character.
March 15, 2024
My partner and I both have college degrees in theatre and we learned new things from the “peek into the past” section.
Also Kit Kittredge you will ALWAYS be famous.
Also Kit Kittredge you will ALWAYS be famous.
August 20, 2022
The great AG marathon continues. Again, reading for the first time as an adult.
As a theater nerd, I was looking forward to this one, so I think my expectations were too high. It's a perfectly fine installment in the series, but it didn't wow me. (MG's backstage mystery was similar.)
The main plot threads here are Kit working on a newspaper story about the theater where one of the boarders works; money problems at the theater compounded by a theft of ticket proceeds; and Stirling being picked on by three brothers while he tries to sell newspapers.
Theater drama is always fun, and I loved that the company is putting on two of my favorite Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth. It felt like a bit of a stretch for Kit and Stirling to hang around there a whole week on the pretense of her short article for the children's corner (and the possibility that he would illustrate it), but the actors have plenty of jobs the kids can help with, so they keep busy and get very invested in everybody's business. Ultimately, of course, Kit helps to catch the culprit. The thief and their motives really aren't very interesting, but it's the Depression, so needing money is true for everyone.
A few quibbles:
- Stirling and Kit are working for two different papers, which seems like an opportunity for friendly rivalry or some useful clue coming from the fact that they're close to two different papers, but nothing comes of it.
- Possibly I have a heart of ice, but Stirling's plotline with the bullies just didn't interest me.
- Ruthie's out of town, leaving Kit to watch her fish. What would this book look like if Ruthie were part of the action?
- Kit spends all this time reporting and writing a story on this theater, and all we ever get is the first paragraph. I wanna see what she came up with!
Here's what saved it:
- Kit. An aspiring reporter is just a great hat for a kid detective, and her temperament is a good fit.
- They may not have been interesting, but I didn't guess the culprit at all.
- The whole sword fighting practice scene and the later revelation connected to it were good fun.
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
As a theater nerd, I was looking forward to this one, so I think my expectations were too high. It's a perfectly fine installment in the series, but it didn't wow me. (MG's backstage mystery was similar.)
The main plot threads here are Kit working on a newspaper story about the theater where one of the boarders works; money problems at the theater compounded by a theft of ticket proceeds; and Stirling being picked on by three brothers while he tries to sell newspapers.
Theater drama is always fun, and I loved that the company is putting on two of my favorite Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth. It felt like a bit of a stretch for Kit and Stirling to hang around there a whole week on the pretense of her short article for the children's corner (and the possibility that he would illustrate it), but the actors have plenty of jobs the kids can help with, so they keep busy and get very invested in everybody's business. Ultimately, of course, Kit helps to catch the culprit. The thief and their motives really aren't very interesting, but it's the Depression, so needing money is true for everyone.
A few quibbles:
- Stirling and Kit are working for two different papers, which seems like an opportunity for friendly rivalry or some useful clue coming from the fact that they're close to two different papers, but nothing comes of it.
- Possibly I have a heart of ice, but Stirling's plotline with the bullies just didn't interest me.
- Ruthie's out of town, leaving Kit to watch her fish. What would this book look like if Ruthie were part of the action?
- Kit spends all this time reporting and writing a story on this theater, and all we ever get is the first paragraph. I wanna see what she came up with!
Here's what saved it:
- Kit. An aspiring reporter is just a great hat for a kid detective, and her temperament is a good fit.
- They may not have been interesting, but I didn't guess the culprit at all.
- The whole sword fighting practice scene and the later revelation connected to it were good fun.
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
January 21, 2017
The American Girl doll books were literally my childhood. (I especially loved this one)
January 10, 2022
I would give it 3.5 stars. It was a good, engaging storyline that didn't quite go where you were expecting it to go. However, it did make it seem like it was ok to lie ("act"/"bluff") if it was for a good cause.
November 9, 2024
probably rating this higher then it deserves but like. come on. it's a kit book and it has theater at the heart of it. of course i had fun. and stirling gets to be a big part of the plot which is always nice.
i didn't really gaf about the bullies that stirling was dealing with - they felt really clunky and unnecessary to the plot, and i feel like they could have been cut easily.
i didn't really gaf about the bullies that stirling was dealing with - they felt really clunky and unnecessary to the plot, and i feel like they could have been cut easily.
August 15, 2026
Aunt Millie back as a boarder with no explanation threw me off but I love her so it’s okay. Kit was kinda bland and not as sassy as she is in her core books but was still mostly good ole Kit.
April 15, 2012
This is a fun, light mystery that focuses on a 1930s theater and its performance of Macbeth. Kit and Stirling get involved in a totally realistic and convincing way, since she is planning to write her next children's page newspaper article about the theater, and since one of her family's boarders is an actor there. The kids help the actors get ready for the production, solve a mystery involving stolen money and continual accidents, and resolve a subplot related to kids who were bullying Stirling on his newspaper route.
The story makes it easy to suspend disbelief, shares lots of interesting information about theater during the Great Depression, and has some good twists. Even though this was never one of my favorites, I enjoyed reading it again, and I appreciated it even more as an adult, since I now know a lot more about Shakespeare and have friends who are very invested in theater.
The story makes it easy to suspend disbelief, shares lots of interesting information about theater during the Great Depression, and has some good twists. Even though this was never one of my favorites, I enjoyed reading it again, and I appreciated it even more as an adult, since I now know a lot more about Shakespeare and have friends who are very invested in theater.
March 16, 2016
Finally, after buying this in 2013 at the American Girl store in NYC, I finally have an excuse to read it for school - an awesome BYU writing course.
I've loved Kit's world ever since I got the doll when I was six. Walking back into it fifteen years later was amazing. I love the simplicity of the story, even though it was set in the tumultuous 1930's. I predicted the reveal about a third of the way though the book, but I still enjoyed it. Five stars because I'm so in love with Kit's world. No shame. XD
I've loved Kit's world ever since I got the doll when I was six. Walking back into it fifteen years later was amazing. I love the simplicity of the story, even though it was set in the tumultuous 1930's. I predicted the reveal about a third of the way though the book, but I still enjoyed it. Five stars because I'm so in love with Kit's world. No shame. XD
November 22, 2017
This book had me wondering the whole time who was the thief in the theater. I thought one person, but then something else in the book told me that it could have been another person. In the end, it ended up being someone I would have never though of. The plot flowed great, and all the elements to solving the mystery was right in front of you, you just had to put the pieces together. I would have never thought that the thief was the thief, and that is one of the main reasons why this book is so good!
June 18, 2023
Kit is my favorite of the American Girl book characters, because of her wonderful core series written by Valerie Tripp. And I am especially fond of mysteries, so I thought this would be a slam dunk!
But A Thief in the Theater was ultimately quite disappointing. The Kit in this book isn't the one I know and love - in fact, she's written the same way as this author wrote Samantha in Danger in Paris. Kind of bland and nondescript. The mystery wasn't very involving, and most annoying of all (for me, as somebody who has acted in many plays), the entire premise of the theatre director announcing the closing of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the audience after a performance (without having told anybody involved with the play beforehand!), and then announcing that they will now be doing Macbeth "next week" instead, is completely absurd. There is absolutely no way any theatre company would or could do a show that quickly. Three or four weeks of preparation would be pushing it for a show like Macbeth. The author obviously knew absolutely nothing about the theater.
This completely absurd plot point that was totally unnecessary (why not just have the play they're rehearsing be Macbeth from the very beginning?) made it impossible for me to buy anything else the author wrote going forward. Which is death to fiction!
Overall, an extremely lackluster book that I cannot recommend.
But A Thief in the Theater was ultimately quite disappointing. The Kit in this book isn't the one I know and love - in fact, she's written the same way as this author wrote Samantha in Danger in Paris. Kind of bland and nondescript. The mystery wasn't very involving, and most annoying of all (for me, as somebody who has acted in many plays), the entire premise of the theatre director announcing the closing of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the audience after a performance (without having told anybody involved with the play beforehand!), and then announcing that they will now be doing Macbeth "next week" instead, is completely absurd. There is absolutely no way any theatre company would or could do a show that quickly. Three or four weeks of preparation would be pushing it for a show like Macbeth. The author obviously knew absolutely nothing about the theater.
This completely absurd plot point that was totally unnecessary (why not just have the play they're rehearsing be Macbeth from the very beginning?) made it impossible for me to buy anything else the author wrote going forward. Which is death to fiction!
Overall, an extremely lackluster book that I cannot recommend.
August 7, 2025
Wow! I must say I was very impressed with this book! I have been disappointed in some of the other American Girl mysteries, but not this one! It was very entertaining and I also felt educated as it progressed.
My only concern in this book (as mentioned in the additional notes) is that a character tells a lie but does not meet any repercussions for it. This was frustrating to me because it made me ask what sort of example this book is setting for its young readers.
Despite this, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book!!
Things to be aware of in “A Thief in the Theater”
Language:
- 2 forms of “gosh” or “oh my gosh”
- 1 “stupid”
Violence:
- A few characters engage in a fight and one ends up with a black eye.
Spiritual Content:
- There are many mentions of curses, jinxes and luck.
Additional Notes:
- There are bullies who steal from a few characters in this book.
- A main part of this book is centered around Shakespeare’s plays, some of which include spells and witches.
- A character lies (to protect another character) and does not meet repercussions.
Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...
My only concern in this book (as mentioned in the additional notes) is that a character tells a lie but does not meet any repercussions for it. This was frustrating to me because it made me ask what sort of example this book is setting for its young readers.
Despite this, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book!!
Things to be aware of in “A Thief in the Theater”
Language:
- 2 forms of “gosh” or “oh my gosh”
- 1 “stupid”
Violence:
- A few characters engage in a fight and one ends up with a black eye.
Spiritual Content:
- There are many mentions of curses, jinxes and luck.
Additional Notes:
- There are bullies who steal from a few characters in this book.
- A main part of this book is centered around Shakespeare’s plays, some of which include spells and witches.
- A character lies (to protect another character) and does not meet repercussions.
Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...
February 7, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It is about Kit, a nine year old girl from Cincinnati living during the Great Depression. In this story, Kit is a writer for a childrens column for the Cinncinnati Register. Her friend Sterling, a border in her home, is selling papers for the Cinncinnati Daily Register. He is being bullied by three brothers that rob him of his money each time. Kit agrees to stand with him while selling to keep an eye out for trouble during his free time.
Meanwhile another border, Mr. Bell, works at the theater invites the both of them to see him in act in Shakespeare play at the local theater. This opportunity is to allow Kit to write about it for her column. But even though the play transports her into a magical world, the evening ends in tragedy when it is discovered someone has stolen the box office money, threatening the new play they had planned on performing in a week.
As I said I enjoyed this book. Its great for fans of American Girl Dolls. It also is longer than most of books in the Kit line. More advanced readers will be happy in its length.
Meanwhile another border, Mr. Bell, works at the theater invites the both of them to see him in act in Shakespeare play at the local theater. This opportunity is to allow Kit to write about it for her column. But even though the play transports her into a magical world, the evening ends in tragedy when it is discovered someone has stolen the box office money, threatening the new play they had planned on performing in a week.
As I said I enjoyed this book. Its great for fans of American Girl Dolls. It also is longer than most of books in the Kit line. More advanced readers will be happy in its length.
June 10, 2021
I am older than the age range for this book. I've never been "into" the American Girl dolls. I do think I might have read one other American Girl book (about a different character).
The book started off slowly for me but it did get interesting. I enjoyed learning about what a theater was like in 1935 and what it takes to put on a play.
I didn't understand why Stirling and/or Vinnie didn't tell an adult about the bullies--and adult who could help them.
I didn't guess who the thief was until it was revealed.
The book started off slowly for me but it did get interesting. I enjoyed learning about what a theater was like in 1935 and what it takes to put on a play.
I didn't understand why Stirling and/or Vinnie didn't tell an adult about the bullies--and adult who could help them.
I didn't guess who the thief was until it was revealed.
February 13, 2024
Not my favorite of Kit's stories, nor of the American Girl mysteries, but it was decent. I wanted more ambiance, more "theater magic" (if you will) as it felt more like a mystery set in a theater than a theater story with a mystery. (I think that Rebecca mystery, The Showstopper: A Rebecca Mystery, was better at capturing the "vibe" I wanted, though there we are getting into cinema.)
July 24, 2026
Honestly this is probably my favorite American Girl mystery book to date. My favorite AG character + a mystery taking place in a theater/surrounding a theatrical production? Absolutely after my own heart. For being written by a different author than Kit’s main series, all of the reoccurring characters (including Kit and Stirling) are spot-on in character. One of the strongest aspects of Kit’s series is the friendship dynamic between her, Stirling, and Ruthie. I’m so happy that is still on full display in this book as well.
May 22, 2022
This book was kind of boring. I don’t things I’ll reread it. I’ve had it for the past 4.5 years, and it’s just not really my type of book. The font is too big, there’s not really a big plot, and the characters don’t have a lot of personality to them. The only thing that kept me reading past the 60 page mark was me not wanting to only read a third of this tiny book when I knew I could finish the rest in under an hour.
March 31, 2018
I bought this for by granddaughter's tenth birthday. She had just been in a play, and this book is about a girl and a boy who become involved with a play. It was a good read where I didn't figure out the mystery. A bonus is the "Looking Back" section at the end of the book about the '30s time period that this book was set in--complete with pictures from that era.
July 19, 2023
this was really enjoyable!! idk if it's cause i was coming off peter pan which i found a bit more of a slump to get through but the general atmosphere was really well written and engaging. stirling having some independence from his mother and learning to stand up for himself was really nice to see. and the actual resolution to the mystery wasn't something i saw coming, which was nice!! good read.
April 3, 2018
This book is a good way for children to get a sense of the 1930s-1940s. It is easy to relate to, making it more appealing to young readers! I personally like the book and I think it does a good job of portraying life back then.
June 5, 2025
Pretty good story
love the books in the series and the excitement of the theater back then is incredible
love that everyone got to experience the theater and get their minds off hard times
Beautiful stories
love the books
love the books in the series and the excitement of the theater back then is incredible
love that everyone got to experience the theater and get their minds off hard times
Beautiful stories
love the books
May 9, 2017
This is my ten-year-old sister's review: I thought it had an awesome twist!
March 7, 2021
I feel like there were so many loose ends not tied at the end. Sure, the "main" mystery was solved, but we never learned why Mr. Bell had the Kit's money, and why he was acting so shady.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 11, 2023Nothing super special, but cute nonetheless. Read this one before 'The Jazzman's Trumpet' or you'll be spoiled a little bit.
July 25, 2023
I loved this book. It really was a good book. I feel like itreallyy captures the great depression.
December 30, 2023
When you’re trying to finish your library’s yearly reading challenge at the last minute, you go for the quickest read possible 😂
September 27, 2024
This was my favorite mystery so far!
I absolutely love Stirling, and I kind of hope that he and Kit end up together in the future.
I absolutely love Stirling, and I kind of hope that he and Kit end up together in the future.
December 27, 2024
Strange things are happening at the theater, but that's not all - Kit's friend is being bullied by 3 boys in the neighborhood. Can you help Kit and her friend overcome their fears?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews