November 1, 2013
A Reading Practice quiz is now available for the first book in the brand new Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. Published by Doubleday, part of the Random House group, The Screaming Staircase is a modern ghost story. Although set in contemporary England, the book has a rustic feel evoking the mystery of Victorian stories of the same genre.
An outbreak of ghosts has become an epidemic. For fifty years, agents from Psychic Investigation Agencies have worked to combat the ghosts, but it is a competitive market dominated by an established group of organisations, often led by exploitative rogues. Some children have Talent, an ability to sense ghostly activity, which fades as adulthood dawns. Lockwood & Co. is an unusual outfit, independent of the established agencies, because it is staffed and run by teenagers.
There is an action-adventure element to the story as well as mystery more commonly associated with ghost stories. The agents have a set of tools at their disposal as they combat ghosts. Iron provides some defence against Visitors, so chains and rapiers are essential pieces of kit when near haunted places. There is humour, too: the main characters bicker among themselves with believable sparky dialogue.
Lockwood & Co. is likely to prove an extremely popular series. We’ve really enjoyed working on the quiz for The Screaming Staircase, which is already in high demand among Accelerated Reader users. More than a few teachers and librarians would enjoy it, too!
The Screaming Staircase | Doubleday | 978-0-85753-201-5 | MY | BL 5.1 | Quiz #225254