50 years ago, an upsurge of spirits and ghosts took over Britain, spurring new laws, night time curfews, ghost lighting and special agencies to combat ‘The Problem.’ Children being much more sensitive, are trained from as young as 5 to help fight the growing tide of wraiths, spectres, wisps and every other type of ghost.

Lucy Carlisle begins work with a very small independent agency under the name of Lockwood & Co. Antony Lockwood is 17, an orphan, and very charming. He, Lucy and another young man George Cubbins, make up the fledgling agency.

One night while investigating strange occurrences in a large house, they barely escape with their lives. They did discover the reason, or what they call ‘the source’ of the problem, but in doing so, came away with a very large fine. Lucy is also left with a deep sense of unfairness for the sake of the ghost – a murdered young woman. Her sympathy is scoffed at, but it may just be the answer to all their problems.

Lockwood & Co is brilliantly plotted, with a cast of likable characters. The Screaming Staircase is the first in a series of 5 books under Lockwood & Co. Jonathan Stroud is a master of this genre and any fan of the supernatural, ghosts or just a really great read will love this series.

Author – Jonathan Stroud

Age – 9+

(Ghosts, Friendship, Courage, Spooky, Supernatural, Freaky, Dead, Action, Cunning, Loyalty, Small vs Big, Series, Ghost Hunters)