Jonathan Stroud is the author of three books in the Lockwood & Co. series, as well as the New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus books, and the standalone titles Heroes of the Valley, The Leap, The Last Siege, and Buried Fire. He lives in England with his wife and three children. You can find Stroud at www.jonathanstroud.com. You can find more of my reviews of Stroud's works here.
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and Specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes. Many different psychic investigation agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co., a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall's legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day?
Lucy is a witty, inventive, by-the-books heroine who stole the show with The Screaming Staircase. Her voice is incredibly compelling, and one that younger readers can relate to. Lucy's arc provides agency for younger readers, and is an inspiring story. After losing her confidence when she was young after not listening to her instincts, she has to overcome her own insecurities and the doubt of the patriarchal world around her to save the lives of her team. Sounds pretty intense, but when parred down, can be related to younger audiences who also struggle with believing in themselves and their abilities, and having confidence to follow their heart. It is this storyline that compelled me to the ending, to see if Lucy would be able to succeed despite all the obstacles in her way. Lucy's arc is well developed, and the other two main characters are also just as developed and mature as Lucy, even if their character arcs aren't as clear. Lockwood and George are fun characters in their own rights, providing jokes and commentary and encouragement just as Lucy needs it. Lucy, Lockwood, and George all speak and act a bit older than they are, which I think goes to show just how much younger people are capable of when they're not under adult supervision. In fact, this provides a great deal of agency to younger readers, which also makes Lucy's arc of confidence more inspiring. Overall, I'm very excited to see how these three develop across the five-book series, not only as individuals, but as a group.
One potential concern for younger readers is that there are a lot of mentions of deaths and a few mentions of suicide throughout the novel. Because of the nature of the world Lockwood, Lucy, and George live in—one full of ghosts and hauntings—death is an inevitable part of the book. If you are a younger reader sensitive to those topics, I would suggest holding off on starting the Lockwood & Co. series until such a time as you can return safely to it. However, for those comfortable enough to forge through, you will find that even in the midst of all that death and gore, there is an abundance of sarcastic commentary, a bit of philosophy on why ghosts haunt, and a fun exploration of a modern day England haunted by a Problem that no one knows the origin to. Stroud's world building skills are impeccable—he does not draw us into the world slowly, yet he does not overwhelm us or make any small detail relevant until he absolutely has to. Important details are often repeated so that younger readers do not forget or glide over them, yet he also maintains enough vagueness to uphold a mystery that will delight at the end.
For those who don't know, the Lockwood & Co. series got picked up by Netflix and is expecting an adaptation (TV series season one) to be released soon (date TBA). Just after the first few pages, it was clear why this book got picked up for television. Stroud's vivid and imaginative storytelling paints a picture of the book's action for readers, making it feel like we are right there with Lucy and Lockwood, battling ghosts. It is this writing that allows readers to be drawn so easily into the mysteries of the story, both of which end up tying together at the very end in that satisfying and surprising way that will always please readers who love to be shocked by an ending. I am a big fan of mysteries, or the main characters trying to solve some sort of issue, especially in middle grade/early young adult novels, and the first novel in the Lockwood & Co. series set that up very nicely! It is because of this that Stroud is also able to plant seeds for later Lockwood & Co. series mysteries that I am also despearte to see solved (the origin of the Problem, anyone?).
After that ending, I have plenty of questions about what will happen next for Lucy, Lockwood, and George—and hopefully some answers (and definitely more questions!) will be in store in the sequel, The Whispering Skull. Stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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