The Screaming Staircase

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Release Date: September 17, 2013

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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.

My brother read this. Behold his comments!

What if Harry Potter was actually spooky? What if Rooby Roo had a lot more action? Jonathan Stroud answers these humble questions with a fun, well-built adventure yarn about teenaged ghost hunters.

Stroud creates effective characters and guides them through suspenseful paranormal murder mysteries. The thrills are real, and the action is invigorating. The most obvious Potterism is the rival gang of ghost hunters, which is clearly lead by Draco Malfoy. The strongest parts are the hauntings and the "ghostology" (taxonomy of ghosts). Stroud's attention to detail and choice of ghosts creates an atmosphere of creepiness. These scenes were well written enough that I actually cared what happened next. The same cannot be said for the character interactions.

What's with the way Stroud writes the adults? Stroud acts like the adults are mean because they won't let a bunch of underprepared kids go fight ghosts. Then the kids totally bungle the ghost-hunting, which proves the adults right! Those adults weren't mean- they were smart! In spite of this, Stroud never lets up. In a classic YA writing misstep, he makes every single adult out to be mustache-twistingly mean and hopelessly stupid. This makes no sense in the setting, however. According to the rules of Stroud's world, only teenagers can hunt ghosts. That means that eventually ghost hunters outgrow hunting and turn into adults. Wouldn't at least some ex-ghost hunters have a sense of understanding for the teens? By pandering to teen angst, Stroud misses the opportunity to add an ex-ghost hunter mentor character. Furthermore, some of these nagging interpersonal scenes and the plot thread about the rival ghost hunters don't really make any plot difference in the long run. They just bog down the narrative and get in the way of the ghost-hunting.

I would like Jonathan Stroud to explain the setting of this book. Parts of it feel deliberately Dickensian, but then the characters use modern technology. It's like an old Universal horror film where some of the extras are dressed like medieval peasants, and other are dressed like '30s gangsters. Sooner or later, you just scream out, "What year is this supposed to be?"

Complaints notwithstanding, I recommend this to Harry Potter fans who want something a little more creepy. There are strong, believable male and female characters, so it should appeal to boys and girls equally.

 This book is the next big thing! Go buy a copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller!