The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1)

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1)

Jonathan Stroud

It's present day ghost filled London and 15 year old Lucy Carlyle has a special talent. She has the talent of hearing and empathy through touch. This special talent lands her a job with Lockwood & Co. They're one of the many Detection Agencies out there that spend nights in haunted houses to eradicate the ghosts (which there are different types) All cases have been pretty standard, a few deaths here and there but Lucy seems to be at home, even with the dry humour of George. All is well until a case goes horribly wrong and the agency's reputation is on the line. The team have to spend a night in one of the most haunted houses in England to rectify what has been done. What they find is not what they expected and definitely not what they had prepared for.

After many recommendations to read this book, I finally did recently and why I had not read it sooner I have no idea. I was not prepared for the images that I conjured up and will never get rid of. This book is not only different from most other YA novels, it's also incredibly scary. If it wasn't for the humour and charm of Lockwood or the dry sarcastic comments of the "pudgey" George, then I would definitely not have slept. The way ghosts are described are a far cry from the world of Casper and a little bit towards The Woman in Black (p.s do not watch that movie by yourself) Another great difference is that the ghosts can actually kill you if you are "ghost touched". There's the usual, find the source and get rid of the ghost but it's so casually and naturally done that you don't think it's a cliché. There are also different types of ghosts. Ranging from Type 1 to Type 4 which only one agency has ever claimed to have seen. 

The way Stroud describes Lucy is awesome. She's not a typical pretty girl but still wears a skirt and cares about her appearance while carrying her Rapier (massive cool ghost killing sword) -even though this doesn't seem obvious, it's written in the lines of when she's jealous of all the glamour girls in the magazines that Lockwood reads. This is a good point for young girl readers as it means that you don't have to wear pants (figuratively and literally) to be kick ass and ambitious. 

Highly recommend reading this with the light on...and maybe even sleep with the light on. You will start to think that the slightest breeze in your room is something out of the book and hearing old house creaks is always fun when reading about ghosts. It's classed as a 9-12 age group Intermediate Fiction book but if you are not used to reading scary stories (Goosebumps still does the job) then I would recommend for an older age group. 12+. Just whatever you do, be prepared for The Red Room. Your nights will never be the same again...

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

James Dashner

Thomas wakes up in complete darkness, in a box. When it opens he is "welcomed" by too many boys that he can count, varying from ages 12-17. He can't remember anything but his name. Everyone else seems to be the same. Not one of the boys knows why they are there but they carry on with daily living. Every night the giant doors close between the Maze and the Glade and every night the Runners must make it back before they close. Otherwise they spend the night in the Maze with the Grievers. And NO ONE has made it until morning. This all seems familiar to Thomas until something other than supplies turns up in the box that he arrived in. Or is it someone? 

The first line of the book wasn't even what got me hooked. It was the last line of a note that the publisher included at the beginning: "Thanks James, I didn't want to sleep for a week anyway". I didn't sleep for 3 days straight from pure fear of a Griever haunting my dreams. Every page makes you feel like you are right there next to Thomas as clueless as he is because just like the reader, the characters have no idea what's going on. Definitely not for the faint hearted and some might think of it as a boys club book but girls who like whine-less characters and fast, straight to the point action packed themes, will love it.
The amount of adrenaline that this book generates from it's action scenes is amazing and I found myself looking over the page to see what happens at the end of every chapter as I couldn't wait. I recommend NOT doing that because you'll end up not doing anything with your life until you finish the entire book. It just gets better and better the more you read and it is so well written that you will start to talk like a Glader immediately. You will laugh, you will cry, you will anticipate and you will pee your pants with both excitement and fear. But whatever you do, don't get stung by a Griever.

Tomorrow When the War Began

Tomorrow When the War Began

John Marsden

Ellie and her group of friends (including the intriguing Lee) are planning on going camping in the bush. When they return from 'Hell' they find things have gone terribly wrong. Their families have disappeared and all signs point to foul play. When they venture into town, they come across something that they only joked about. Invasion and war.

Ellie is a great role model for young girls (and older ones too) as she isn't afraid to speak her mind, is smart and logical and can drive recklessly and light petrol filled tanks on fire when needed. The action in this book is never ending and it has a great balance with full conversations between the eight friends. There's a character that everyone can relate to, the right amount of romance and even a dirty joke thrown here and there (recommended for 15+ readers). Even though it's told from a girl's perspective, the male characters are just as important and young boys will definitely be entertained. Lawn mowers blowing up, people getting shot and houses getting destroyed by missiles -every event is described with such detail that you just want crawl into the book physically and live it. 

The reader learns about the necessities in life and what's important to one may not be as important to another. This one moment in the book is thought provoking and a great conversation starter. If your country was invaded, what possessions would you save? Would you surrender? Would you fight?  Everyone has to make a decision. You have to make a decision. What would you do to survive?