Andy Mientus

A queer, dark academia YA about a mysterious boarding school, a brotherhood that must stay in the shadows, and an ancient evil that could tear it all apart. In the fall of 1991, Zooey Orson transfers to the Blackfriars School for Boys hoping for a fresh start following a scandal at his last school. However, he quickly learns that he isn’t the only student keeping a secret. Before he knows it, he’s fallen in with a group of boys who all share the same secret, one which they can only express openly within the safety of the clandestine gatherings of the Vicious Circle––the covert club for gay students going back decades. But when the boys unwittingly happen upon the headmaster’s copy of an arcane occult text, they unleash an eldritch secret so terrible, it threatens to consume them all. A queer paranormal story set during the still-raging AIDS crisis, Fraternity examines a time not so long ago when a secret brotherhood lurked in the shadows. What would Zooey and his friends do to protect their found family?

The Backstagers and the Ghost Light is the first in a middle-grade series based on the award-winning comics from cocreator Rian Sygh and actor Andy Mientus. The stage crew at St. Genesius Prep—or Backstagers, as they like to call themselves—are ready for whatever the theater world can throw their the madness of tech week, inevitable prop malfunctions, and all the paranormal activity that goes on behind the scenes. Luckily Jory, Hunter, Sasha, Beckett, and Aziz are up for the job! But lately, someone—or something—seems set on ruining their production of Phantasm . It all started when an actor brought a Spirit Board to the cast party, and the ghost light blew out. Every good theater kid knows that a ghost light must be left on to keep ghosts from moving in the shadows of an empty theater. To figure out what’s haunting the theater and save the show, the Backstagers will have to use their smarts, bravery, and a little bit of magic! The Backstagers The Backstagers and the Ghost Light (#1) The Backstagers and the Theater of the Ancients (#2) The Backstagers and the Final Blackout (#3)

Based on the showstopping graphic novels, the Backstagers return for more action-packed, paranormal theater adventures! The Backstagers are back for a thrilling third act! They’ve dealt with the ghost haunting their theater and faced o against the sinister siblings trying to steal the famous Designer’s Journal during their production of Tammy, but now, a mysterious masked man has taken all the ancient theater artifacts that they’ve collected. They don’t know what he wants or how to stop him—but the Backstagers will have to use all their skills and know-how to solve the mystery and save the day! Each Backstager brings their own unique skills to the team: Mischievious Sasha can always spare a smile; no-nonsense Aziz keeps everyone on task; over-caffeinated Beckett is organized like no other; flirtatious Hunter is their official stage manager and unofficial leader; sweet Jory can work his way through any problem; and clever Reo is an expert on all things spooky. Effortlessly inclusive and full of fun, The Backstagers and the Final Blackout is sure to get a standing ovation!

Based on the award-winning comics cocreated by artist Ryan Sygh, The Backstagers and the Theater of the Ancients is an original middle-grade book from actor Andy Mientus. After all the backstage ghost drama during Phantasm , things are quiet for the Backstagers of the St. Genesius School Drama Club. Too quiet. But when that quiet is filled by a mysterious voice that haunts the Backstagers day and night, they set off on a globetrotting adventure to discover the ancient secrets of the legendary artifacts of the theater. Can they solve the mystery in time to open their production of the rock musical Tammy ? Each Backstager brings unique skills to the Mischievous Sasha is impossibly positive; no-nonsense Aziz makes sure everything runs smoothly; whiz-kid Beckett is a perfectionist through and through; flirtatious Hunter knows the backstage better than anyone; and sweet Jory can think his way through any problem. Effortlessly inclusive and full of adventure, The Backstagers and the Theater of the Ancients is sure to have readers calling, “Encore!” The Backstagers The Backstagers and the Ghost Light (#1) The Backstagers and the Theater of the Ancients (#2) The Backstagers and the Final Blackout (#3)

Author and actor Andy Mientus’s Fraternity is a queer, dark academia YA about a mysterious boarding school and a brotherhood that must stay in the shadows, making it “the queer found family scary sexy emotional grunge coming-of-age story I never knew I needed” (Bowen Yang). In the fall of 1991, Zooey Orson transfers to the Blackfriars School for Boys hoping for a fresh start following a scandal at his last school. He quickly learns, however, that he isn’t the only student keeping a secret. Before he knows it, he’s fallen in with a group of boys who all share the same secret, one which they can only express openly within the safety of the clandestine gatherings of the Vicious Circle––the covert club for gay students that goes back decades. But when the boys unwittingly happen upon the headmaster’s copy of an arcane occult text, they unleash an eldritch secret so terrible, it threatens to consume them all. A queer paranormal story set during the still-raging AIDS crisis, Fraternity examines a time not so long ago when a secret brotherhood lurked in the shadows. What will Zooey and his friends do to protect their found family?

Un internado misterioso Una hermandad oculta en las sombras Un mal ancestral que podría acabar con todo Durante el otoño de 1991, Zooey Orson llega a Blackfriars, un internado masculino en el que espera poder empezar de cero tras el escándalo en el que se vio involucrado en su anterior instituto. Allí Zooey no tarda en descubrir que no es el único alumno de Blackfriars que guarda un secreto, y acaba en el Círculo Vicioso, un club gay clandestino que existe en el internado desde hace décadas. Allí conoce a Daniel, un deportista muy atractivo que vive entre dos mundos; al extravagante Leo, que es incapaz de ocultar quién es; y a Steven, un chico serio, brillante y hermético. Con ellos, Zooey empieza a sentir que forma parte de un grupo, pero también tiene que lidiar con los abusones que lo tienen en el punto de mira y con la amenaza constante de que su secreto salga a la luz. Pero entonces los chicos se topan con un libro antiguo sobre ocultismo que pertenece al director y, para protegerse de un mundo que parece que jamás los aceptará, liberan un secreto sobrenatural tan espantoso que amenaza con arrasarlo todo. Ambientada durante la crisis del sida, esta novela analiza una época no tan lejana en la que las hermandades secretas permanecían en las sombras, y a un grupo de chicos que tendrán que descubrir hasta dónde están dispuestos a llegar para proteger a su familia elegida. «Brillante, retorcida y muy queer.   El Círculo Vicioso es la novela sobre internados de tus sueños. Andy Mientus ha escrito una obra tan original y absorbente que te hace preguntarte si podría haber usado algún hechizo para escribirla». ARVIN AHMADI, autor de  Down and Across y Girl Gone Viral