Wendy Parris grew up in the Midwest loving books and hoping to glimpse a ghost. After graduating from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in radio/television/film, she acted in Chicago storefront theaters, performed improv comedy, and freelanced in public relations. Now she writes spooky novels for kids.
Her debut novel Field of Screams (Delacorte Press 2023) is a Junior Library Guild Gold Star Standard Selection. Her newest book Stage Fright (Delacorte Press 2024) is on the 2025 Illinois Reads list. She lives with her family near Chicago in an old house that is probably not haunted. Visit her online at www.wendyparris.com.
STAGE FRIGHT
When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing has changed, but new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way.
In an effort to reunite her BFFs—Paige, Tyler, and Jaylen—she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a tragedy; what starts as a fun outing soon becomes a fight for survival.
ISBN 9780593807996, Delacorte Press
PRAISE FOR STAGE FRIGHT
★A 2025 Illinois Reads Selection for Grades 6-8
“A fast-paced, spooky tale exploring adolescent tumult and the uncertainty that comes with change. “ — Kirkus Reviews
“Stage Fright is spine-chilling fun!”— Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms
“Parris breezes through a brief setup and hastens to the creepy goods in this middle grade horror that surely earns its shelf space near the Goosebumps series and the like. Beyond its well-executed tropes, however, this selection also brings some sophistication, dabbling in more mature literary nods to Shakespeare, as Parris cleverly links an ominous skull and a ghost to Avery’s internal tug-of-war.” — The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books
“This one left me breathless and turning pages frantically into the night. Wendy Parris’s latest is a scary treat and deserves a standing ovation!” — Dan Poblocki, #1 New York Times bestselling author of More Tales to Keep You Up at Night“
“A spooky read full of authentic friendships—the good parts and the hard parts.” — Lora Senf, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Clackity
“Stage Fright is the book for your MG reader who loves a good scary locked room story!” — Fleur Bradley, award-winning author of Daybreak on Raven Island and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel
“I couldn’t put it down. Friendship drama that pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart? Check! Creepy ghost girl in a haunted theatre with odes to Hamlet? Yes please! Just make sure you read this one with the lights on.” — Lorien Lawrence, author of the Fright Watch series
“Parris creates a haunting tale of ghosts, fractured friends, and malevolent evil that lingers long after the the final page.”— Matt McMann, author of the Monsterious series
“It’s a long night in a haunted theater, and the spotlight is on terror!”— D.W. Gillespie, author of Give Me Something Good to Eat“
FIELD OF SCREAMS
Paranormal enthusiast Rebecca Graff isn’t happy about being dragged to Iowa to spend the summer with family she barely knows. But when she tracks a ghostly presence to an abandoned farmhouse, she starts to think the summer won’t be a total lost cause!The trouble is no one believes her. Then Rebecca finds a note stashed in a comic belonging to her late father—a note that proves the same spirit haunted him when he was twelve. Suddenly she feels a connection to the dad she pretends not to miss, and she is determined to uncover the story behind the haunting.But the more Rebecca discovers, the scarier the ghost becomes. Soon she is in a race to piece together the puzzle and recover a family legacy before it is lost forever and a horrible tragedy repeats itself.
ISBN 9780593570005, Delacorte Press
PRAISE FOR FIELD OF SCREAMS
★A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
“Chilling, thrilling, and full of heart! Field of Screams is a perfect book for young readers who like their scares accompanied by family mystery, abandoned houses, and the best maybe-a-ghost cat ever.” —Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sinister Summer series
“Full of nail-biting scenes, mysterious atmosphere, and clever scares . . . I couldn’t put it down!” –Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms
“Haunted barn? Creepy cat? Yes please! But Field of Screams is so much more than a ghost story. It has as much heart as it does hauntings, and by the time I turned the last page, I found myself not wanting to say goodbye to these characters.“—Lorien Lawrence, author of the Fright Watch series
“Field of Screams is a gripping mystery wrapped inside a ghost story and rooted in realistic characters dealing with honest emotions. Set among shadowy rows of corn and lonesome farmland, Parris’s tale whispers forth a crackling, heat-choked atmosphere, and tension materializes like static before the most wicked of summer storms. My advice: sip an icy glass of lemonade while devouring this morsel of a spooky tale. Goosebumps guaranteed!“—Dan Poblocki, #1 New York Times selling author of More Tales to Keep You Up at Night
“[An] atmospheric debut.”—Publishers Weekly
“A spooky yet fun middle-grade story.”—Culturess
SCHOOL/LIBRARY VISITS
Wendy loves talking with kids and other interested readers! She has presented at numerous middle schools around the Chicago area. As Cedar Valley (Iowa) 2025 Author in Residence, she spoke about writing and the publishing industry with nine classes of 5th graders in Waterloo, IA, as well as to the general public at the local main library. When her novel Field of Screams was chosen a 2024-2025 Trail Challenge nominee for the Olathe, KS public middle schools, she presented her program to hundreds of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.
MORE SPEAKING VENUES
- American Library Annual Conference 2025 (as a panelist)
- Illinois Reading Council Conference 2025 (as a panelist)
- Columbus Book Fair 2024 (as a panel moderator)
- The Night Train book release party (in conversation with author Lorelei Savaryn)
- FUTURE APPEARANCE at the 2025 National Council of Teachers of English Conference (as a panelist)
CONTACT
Website: wendyparris.com
Social media: @wendyparrisauthor on Instagram and Bluesky
Spooky Middle Grade 