Review: THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE (Lockwood & Company) by Jonathan Stroud

~ADULT WORTHY!

4.24 STARS from 3,321 GoodReaders

Sherlock Holmes. That's what I thought of when I read this book. THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE gave me the same pleasure as the Arthur Conan Doyle books did. 

Granted the storyline is vastly different.  Doyle might have suggested the mysterious and the macabre but his feet were solidly set in reality.  Stroud's book is not.  It's a fantasy, but it's not treated as one.  There's no loopy magic or dragons.  Instead Stroud defines his universe and it seems very proper and reasonable.

BACKSTORY:

Fifty years before this story takes place the world changed. Ghostly phenomena, which had previously been the subject of television and movies, moved into 'real life'.  And not only did ghosts erupt onto the scene, they were much more numerous than anyone expected, and they were perversely powerful.

Society was at a loss. And a large part of the problem was that adults couldn't sense the ghosts. Not until it was too late. Children though... children could see them and/or hear them, and thus it was that society reevaluated child exploitation, and youngsters began to be hired for their abilities to sense and defeat the ghosts with the aid of adult managers and the Fitts Manual. That latter is a book that categorizes the apparitions by type and power, and which also outlines and describes the skills and tools needed to put an end to the ghosts.

SKIP OVER AND START READING

THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE begins with the introduction of our narrator, Lucy.  We're given the short curriculum vitae and then we follow her as she goes to London seeking employment with Lockwood and Company. 

Lockwood is Anthony Lockwood. He's roughly Lucy's age, but unlike all of the other child agents, he runs his own firm and doesn't work under the guidance of an adult. 

And 'Company' really means George. George is the academic of the bunch. A library geek and not without features of interest.  But it is Lucy's relationship with the two that grabbed my attention.  Lucy's a fabulous character. She's smart and brave and what most of us want in a female character --she's strong.  And when it comes to the cast, Lockwood is 'Holmes' to Lucy's 'Watson'.  There's no sappy romance. They are peers. 

I could gush on but it comes down to this. THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE is a fabulously Good story with Good characters and Solid world-building.  I adore this book and HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

Pam~

[YA. Not for children. It's not all that gory, but it is scary with events that might be too intense for younger readers.]


LOCKWOOD & CO. -- THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE
by Jonathan Stroud

Reading Information:
Word Count: 92,073
Page Count: 400
Accelerated Reader: 5.1 / points: 14.0
AR quiz: 160996
Lexile: 720L
--sample pages available
--audio version available (it's under the bookcover on amazon. Do listen to it.)
--see introductory pages on this blog

Review: LIV, FOREVER by Amy Talkington

3.77 STARS — 368 GoodReaders

It sucks to be dead.

I collapsed onto the ground. I swung my arms and felt stinging pain as they whipped right through the dead leaves. Through them. Not possible. I paused --calmed--tried to pick up a leaf. I focused intensely. I had to pick up that leaf. It would mean everything was normal. I managed to manipulate it between my fingers, but touching it caused a burning sensation on my fingertips as if it's orange-red color was actual fire. I moved it barely--almost imperceptibly. Then I dropped it and slumped over, my whole being exhausted ad weakened as if I'd just carried a heavy piece of furniture up a flight of stairs.

BACKSTORY

Liv Bloom has the opportunity of a lifetime. She's gotten a scholarship to the elite Wickham Hall school. When she arrives she finds that she doesn't fit in, but she doesn't care. They've given her a gorgeous studio with tons of supplies. And even better, before she dies she finds the boy that has all the makings to be her one great love.

YES, I said die. Poor Liv doesn't get to make much art or spend much time with her new boyfriend before she is murdered. The question is why? Why was she murdered and why does she see all these other ghosts?

The story centers around 3 characters: Liv, her love Malcolm, and a remarkable boy she meets by happenstance, Gabe.  Gabe's claim to fame, besides the fact that he is also an outlier in their world of super rich children, is that he can see ghosts. And it's the three of them that set out to discover who has been murdering girls over the centuries.

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Review: IN THE SHADOWS
Review: MISTWALKER 
Review: THE GHOST BOX
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Remarkably, LIV, FOREVER, with all of the ghosts and deaths, is a sweet story. It's also a very quick read.  A little slow in the beginning but that's more or less necessary to create the background and to invest the reader in the characters.  I enjoyed how the three worked out the mystery. Liv can talk to Gabe and Gabe to Malcolm so it made for a fun communication triangle.

For those that don't like high-stress/suspense stories, don't worry. LIV, FOREVER is not like that. It's a highly enjoyable twinkie read that would be suitable for Middle-graders and Young Adults. I enjoyed it.  

Pam~


LIV, FOREVER
by Amy Talkington

Reading Information:
Word Count:  66,148
Page Count:  278
Accelerated Reading level: 4.7 / points: 10.0
AR quiz: 164732
--sample pages and other reviews available
--audio version available
--sample e-chapters available