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The Screaming Staircase
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
100 posts | 139 read | 5 reading | 83 to read
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 Detection 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? Readers who enjoyed the action, suspense, and humor in Jonathan Stroud's internationally best-selling Bartimaeus books will be delighted to find the same ingredients, combined with deliciously creepy scares, in his thrilling and chilling Lockwood & Co. series.
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miapantalone

“Sometimes the living hurt more than the dead.”

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miapantalone

I would use this more geared toward my older students say in 5th grade. I could use this as a literature circle and use it to spark discussions with my group. I could also use it as a classroom library book.

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miapantalone
Pickpick

Jonathan Stroud‘s The Screaming Staircase is a thrilling blend of mystery, humor, and supernatural chills. Set in a world plagued by deadly ghosts, the story follows three daring teenagers who run Lockwood & Co., a ghost-hunting agency. Packed with action, and spine-tingling encounters, a tale that's as eerie as it is captivating. Stroud‘s complex characters make it a standout in the paranormal genre, appealing to both teens and adults.

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Yenya1954
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
Pickpick

The ghosts are busy in London. The story has three ghost hunters who try to calm ghosts who have been trapped. Armed with all the normal ghost hunting tools and techniques Lockwood, Lucy and George are ready to help. After a bumbling case they need to redeem themselves by spending the night in the most haunted house in the city. This story is a fun read. 4/5

Soubhiville Sounds like a Nancy Drew title 😆 1w
4 likes1 comment
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Lunakay
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Eggs Perfect 🗡️ 5mo
18 likes1 comment
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humouress
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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And above all don‘t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.‘
‘That‘s an awful lot of don‘ts, Lucy,‘ Lockwood said.
‘Too right it is.‘
‘You know I‘ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.‘
‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they‘re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we‘re a good half-mile from the public road.‘

humouress But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.
10mo
humouress He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It‘s too early in the morning and I haven‘t had my breakfast …
10mo
3 likes1 stack add2 comments
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humouress
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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ISBN 978-1-448-12178-6
Set in London, presumably contemporary since they have Velcro. Not sure why she ‘fixed‘ tea though.
On ch 2. They are ghost hunters since only children can sense paranormal phenomena properly and on a case in a haunted house

julesG In Britain "fix tea" is a casual way of saying "make tea" - it doesn't need to be repaired (= fixed). 10mo
humouress Set in a parallel universe where England has been invaded by ghosts. There are cars, trains, electricity, Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies still wear hats 10mo
humouress Nail biting! 10mo
humouress @julesG Oh, thanks. I thought it was an American expression 10mo
1 like4 comments
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Skeeterisme
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

Interesting

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cottagelantern
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
Pickpick

3.5 ⭐️s
In a London where ghost run rampant and only children can see them, Lucy, Lockwood, and George run a ghost-hunting business. I liked this book SO much better than Bartemaeus. The writing was still excellent, but with a PLOT! and well-rounded characters! Took away half of a star because the ending dragged a bit to me. I will be recommending this to the middle schoolers I know!

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mariaku21
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Pickpick

This was so worth waiting for it again at the library!

It's a great, fun read full of interesting characters from human to spectors, interesting places and a great storyline that kept me at the edge of my seat.

I absolutely loved that the book is written from Lucy's perspective. It was unexpected for me and I love that the author, from the first paragraph, gave me something unexpected.

7 likes1 stack add
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GirlNamedJesse
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

I fell in love with the show and had to find out more about this alternate present day! Seeing a world where ghosts are real and can hurt you, with only young people to defend the people is such a fun experience! I was genuinely afraid during the Combe Carey Hall portion; the first-person point-of-view really drove home the terror. The characters are unique and funny, and I cannot wait to read and watch more in this world! 👻⚔️👻⚔️👻

15 likes1 stack add
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Lovelylottereader
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Pickpick

I was encouraged to read this book because of the Netflix series that came out recently and was pleasantly by how accurate it is to the book! I love the characters although the cast in the books is definitely not as diverse as in the series. I think part of why I enjoyed it so much was that I‘m reading the series together with @TheRealJamie
Safe to say we‘re both obsessed.
4⭐️

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Lovelylottereader
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“I don‘t think you‘re taking this seriously.”
“Wrong. I‘m taking it very seriously indeed. We go to Combe Carey Hall, we put our lives at risk, make no mistake about that.” He smiled. “But isn‘t that what we do?”

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Lovelylottereader

“Can I offer you some tea while you ransack our place?”

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Lovelylottereader
This post contains spoilers
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“Glad to be home.”

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Lovelylottereader

“My view is: with you and George on my team, nothing can stand in our way.”

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Lovelylottereader
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Loving all of the little drawings and newspaper cutouts!

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Lovelylottereader
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We seemed to hang there for a moment, suspended together between heat and cold, between life and death - then we both toppled forward into the night, and there was nothing but rushing darkness all around.

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Lovelylottereader

Like stars at dusk, hundreds of little fires winked into being, one after the other, high, low and all around.

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Lovelylottereader

“Well that was useful.”
“Really?”
“No. I‘m being ironic. Or is it sarcastic? I can never remember.”
“Irony‘s cleverer, so you‘re probably being sarcastic.”

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Lovelylottereader

“Plenty of time for a cup of tea. Then we find ourselves a ghost.”

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Bellawether

The caretaker was certainly very ancient, a tight and desiccated thing from which all softness and moisture had long since been extricated.

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AshRaye
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

I started this one about a week ago. It was hard for me to get into it since I watched the show first and it was just like the book. It felt too familiar to me, so I was bored. I definitely think reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook would have made it more interesting to me, but the audiobook was still good. I plan to continue the rest of the series.

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jess.edits.books
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Who else is watching Lockwood and Co on Netflix? I‘ve loved Jonathan Stroud‘s books for years, and it‘s so much fun to see his characters on screen. The show is good, too! I can‘t wait for season two!

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Kar2b
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Pickpick

I binge watched Lockwood & Co over 2 days with my husband, immediately wished for a season 2, and went out and bought the original hardcovers of all five books. I‘m curious how many of the books were covered in season 1. For sure, we saw book 1 and book 2 (which I‘m about 25% into right now.) I love paranormal, and these characters are so fun!

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Bookfan1414
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Pickpick

Ahhh thank goodness I finally finished a book. This reading slump lasted FOREVER! Like I haven‘t successfully read a book for a full month. But anywho, I loved this. I watched the show first, and absolutely adored it. So of course when I discovered it was a series, I searched for them. And it‘s honestly not a bad book to tv adaptation.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Oryx
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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I started watching the Netflix show, so I thought maybe I should also pick up the book, sitting on my shelf for 10 years. I got this when it came out in 2013. I don't know why I didn't pick it up, because I really liked Jonathan stroud from the bartimaeus books.

julesG You might want to read book 2 as well. The first series kind of covers both books. We binged the whole series in one sitting. And, obviously, my kids pointed out ALL the differences between books and series. 2y
Bookzombie I love this book series! They are also good on audio. 🙂 2y
63 likes2 comments
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Rachiiebookdragon
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
Pickpick

I listened to the audiobook ahead of the show coming out on Friday.

This audiobook is enjoyable.

Read for reading prompts.

4.5/5

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totefairie
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Reading my first Jonathan Stroud before its series adaptation comes out this week on Netlfix 📖🎧
#lockwoodandco #thescreamingstaricase #jonathanstroud #goodreads #goodreadsreadingchallenge2023 #youngadult #bookstoscreen

jitteryjane724 What country are you in?? This look cool! 2y
53 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Lucy_Anywhere
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Pickpick

This was exactly what I hoped it would be - a spooky and fun read full of lovable characters, humour, and some genuinely creepy moments. Looking forward to reading the next in the series!

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IhoardBOOKS
Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

A fun and interesting start of the Lockwood and Co. series. Set in an alternate London following “the problem”, which is ghosts appearing and attacking citizens, agencies have been set up to handle things. Only, some children and teens have the ability to sense ghosts and the story kicks off following Lucy as she leaves her original agency following a bad case and teams up with the enigmatic Anthony Lockwood and sarcastic George.

Lreads I love this series! 4y
5 likes1 comment
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emtobiasz
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Today‘s books and cookies are a bit more grown up: chai, ginger snaps, and teen ghost fighters #ya

GatheringBooks I absolutely love this series! Enjoy! 4y
emz711 How's the book? I listened to his Bartimaeus series and liked it. 4y
emtobiasz @emz711 @GatheringBooks It‘s good! Definitely scarier than I was expecting (but I‘m a wimp 😉) and a few more fat jokes that I‘d like, but definitely creepy and compelling plot! 4y
43 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Sweetkokoro
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

My best friends daughter recommended this series to me, and I can totally understand why she loves it. It‘s full of mystery, the paranormal, good banter between the kids (no romance thank the heavens!!) it‘s recommend as both YA and MG. The story is good, part two was super info dumpy though and at times the story did feel like it stretched for days, but it is fun.

Sweetkokoro @TheAromaofBooks Book number 22 on #bookspinbingo. And another one for #screamathon2020 4y
TheAromaofBooks Sounds fun!!! 4y
29 likes2 comments
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GatheringBooks
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

#SeptemberSenses Day 4: #SixthSense is definitely needed to become a member of Lockwood and Company. The entire story is told from Lucy Carlyle‘s perspective, a tweener agent who has the special ability to empathize with the spirits‘ emotions, particularly if she is given access to the Source of a haunting. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-aEj

Eggs Fascinating 👏🏻📚🤗 4y
53 likes1 comment
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hwestfall
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Audiolegoing! It‘s a thing 😂

LibrarianRyan It totally is. I just posted my compleated Flintstones. Part of me wants to start Yoda but at the same time I want my library clean first so I have someplace to put it. 5y
11 likes1 comment
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hwestfall
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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I am struggling with starting new books for some reason. I am having a hard time focusing on them. Anyway, I decided to reread a favorite series.

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Nebklvr
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

Teen ghost hunters are up against a financial wall so they take a job at THEE most haunted place. The teens are fun, flirty, and sarcastic. The ghosts are creepy without inspiring horror. A light mystery binds everything together. Is it just me? I had some Scooby-Doo flashbacks. I was a little iffy on some of the cracks to one of the characters—smacked of fat shaming.

41 likes1 stack add
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Lizzie2219
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Pickpick

3.5⭐️— Overall this was a pretty good book I enjoyed the characters a lot i liked how the author really tied together the two story lines. However it was the same issue i had with Sherlock Holmes our heros had solved the mystery with information the reader did not have until it was revealed who did it. I want to be able to solve it with the characters. But i was invested in the story and the problem Lockwood & Co. faced

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Lizzie2219
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I love when books have glossaries its so cool and adds to the lore of the universe

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Lreads
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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This is the series I enjoyed the most this year on audio. I‘ve listened to them all repeatedly. There‘s lots of creepy ghosts and fun character interactions- especially between Lucy and the “foul skull” in the jar! This is a middle grade series by Jonathan Stroud and I wish there were more.
#audiobook #middlegrade #ghosts

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Chili
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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#WinterGames #MerryReaders #TBRRead Another one off the pile. This was cute.

Clwojick 16 pt. 5y
6 likes1 comment
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FantasyChick
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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📖 The Screaming Staircase - Jonathan Stroud
📽 Home Alone
🎶 Let Me Hear You Scream - Ozzy Osbourne

#manicmonday @JoScho

#scarathlon #teamslaughter @Clwojick

JoScho Thanks for playing 😱🖤😱 5y
32 likes1 comment
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Bookzombie
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This is a great spooky series, full of adventure and friendship. Ghosts roam the night and are a danger to the living. Only kids can see, hear, and sense the ghosts so they are the only ones who can take care of the problem. #ghost 👻#screamathonphotochallenge #screamathon

I‘m waiting for my hold to come in on the fifth and final book. 🎧🤞🏻

Laughterhp Good to hear! It‘s on my list to read the first this month if I have time! 5y
alisiakae 👻🎃💜 5y
Bookzombie @Laughterhp I hope you enjoy it/them! 5y
38 likes3 comments
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LibrarianRyan
Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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This cover changes when book 2 and book 1 paperback come out. I like the changes.

I‘ve had librarians debate if this is MG or YA series. BN stocks it in kids. I figure this is a 5th through 10th series. I have book one but haven‘t read it yet.

#bbrc
#coverchanges

funnypages I don‘t like scary, but I loved these! We keep them in the kids section (we serve 0-14 in kids, 13-18 in the teen dept.). 5y
55 likes1 comment
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Lreads
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

This was a really good book! It‘s been a long time since I‘ve listened to a ghost story. Likable characters facing evil in both spectral and corporeal form made for an engaging audiobook. I look forward to more Lockwood & Co adventures!
#audiobook #ghosts

26 likes1 stack add
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charreads
The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud
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Pickpick

A find in a Goodwill that I almost didn‘t pick up due to having a pile I haven‘t read yet 🙃 but I‘m glad I did and not will have to check out my local library for the rest of the series. The only thing I had an issue with when it came to the book was figuring out when the story takes place. It hints at modern time but also doesn‘t give much that says the story is in ‘our‘ time (no hints of cell phones and such). Still a good and easy story.

Slajaunie I recently read this book and enjoyed it as well. 6y
5 likes1 comment
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PickwickPlockPlock
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Pickpick


I didn't know much about the book going in. Basically there's a ghost problem and only the young can see and get rid of them. Those scenes in haunted houses are breathtaking and scary. Really, if you are even remotely interested in the topic, go read this book. It's the start of a series and my library has the rest, yay! The only sign it's YA was that I saw one story turn way in advance. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

56 likes1 stack add
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Slajaunie
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Pickpick

Enjoyed this ghostly book. Starting the othet book.