Olive and the Backstage Ghost
by Michelle Schusterman. 
Novel. 224 pages. Grades 3-6.
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Review
If you're looking for a ghost story that's a little bit scary and a bit dark, but not overwhelming, this is a great choice. Throw in a girl who dreams of stardom, and the camaraderie of the stage, and you have an engrossing story.
Olive wants to sing in musical theater, more than anything. The trouble is that her mother, a former child star, is very critical, and makes it impossible for Olive to relax and perform well. This results in a disastrous audition for summer drama camp.
When Olive runs off in shame, through the theater district of the city, she finds Maudeville, an old, elegant theater. Taking the stage, she performs her song as she had hoped to and the owner, Maude, offers her the lead in their vaudeville show. Oddly, some of the cast members are ghosts. Still, Olive thrives in her new community and grows in confidence.
The theater is an escape from her stressful home where she and her mother are grieving the death of Olive's father and experiencing a financial crisis. Every once in a while, something feels wrong at Maudeville, but Olive is determined to look on the bright side and bask in the glow of Maude's praise.
The magician's assistant seems to have a deep secret and her brother Felix warns Olive not to go back to the theater and Olive soon discovers that things there are not as benign as they first seemed.
Ignore the cute cover, this is a haunting ghost story. By turns scary, sad, and quirky. Evil ghosts cause narrow escapes and grief is a central theme. Beautiful, sometimes poetic, writing vividly creates the characters, settings, and Olive's inner world. Good for some third graders and up through sixth grade.
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