Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

I’m a big fan of Stroud’s Bartimaeus series, and he doesn’t disappoint with this new one.

Yes, yes, it’s a young adult novel. In my defense, I bought it at Little Shop of Stories as a bedtime read-aloud that both kids might enjoy, but then read a little bit to see if it was any good… and never put it down.

Stroud is a sharp writer with a sense of humor and a talent for character and atmosphere. Picture this book as a kind of dark Encyclopedia Brown meets Ghostbusters.

The story takes place in an alternate history where 40 years previously, ghosts suddenly became prevalent and dangerous. The only people who can detect, track and therefore bust the ghosts are certain children with abilities. Ghost extermination agencies have cropped up, typically led by an adult who used to have the gift and staffed by children agents.

Lockwood & Co are different, in that they are an independent agency run by three kids, two boys and a girl. You might roll your eyes at the Harry Potter/Percy Jackson 2-boys-and-a-girl-against-the-supernatural-without-much-adult-assistance, but the story and style is so different and well done that neither of my eyes ever rolled once throughout.

The Screaming Staircase is the first of a series… I plan to be on line as each installment comes out.

Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

I bought this for the Chicago trip we took before Thanksgiving. It’s a prequel of sorts to the Bartimaeus trilogy, taking place during the time of Solomon. Bartimaeus, for the uninitiated, is a sarcastic mid-level djinn, summoned to Earth from the Other Place by magicians.

Like the trilogy, it’s a great read. Even better than the trilogy, I would say, because there’s a lot more Bartimaeus in it, and that character is fun to read.

The other main character is a worthy foil for Bartimaeus, a bad-ass female assassin type with just enough magician training to keep B in check.