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Saturday, March 7, 2015

(MMGM) Lockwood & Co. Series by Jonathan Stroud {spotlight and giveaway}


Welcome to part two of Day 7 of the 4th Annual March MG Madness! Today we are celebrating Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co. series...



The Screaming Staircase
(Lockwood & Co. #1)
by Jonathan Stroud
9/17/13
Disney-Hyperion
When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound 


The Whispering Skull
(Lockwood & Co. #2)
by Jonathan Stroud
9/16/14
Disney-Hyperion

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom. 

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found. 
The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.






                                       Watch the series trailer:

Praise for Lockwood & Co. series


“With the same sophisticated imagination that made his Bartimaeus series such a success, Stroud’s writing is assured and nimble. He’s terrific at mixing the macabre with high-school-level repartee”
The New York Times 

 “Fantastic characters, fast-paced action, and truly alarming in places.” 
Sandra Greaves in The Guardian 


"A delicious mixture of bone-dry wit and spooky shocks."
Financial Times

“Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies.”
Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal

"Suspenseful, supernatural adventure."
The Metro


★★★★
SFX magazine


Jonathan Anthony Stroud is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths.
Stroud grew up in St Albans where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom he would occupy himself with books and stories. After he completed his studies of English literature at the University of York, he worked in London as an editor for the Walker Books store. He worked with different types of books there and this soon led to the writing of his own books. During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.
In May 1999, Stroud published his first children's novel, Buried Fire, which was the first of a line of fantasy/mythology children's books.
Among his most prominent works are the bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy. A special feature of these novels compared to others of their genre is that Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons. This is done by examining the perspective of the sarcastic and slightly egomaniacal djinni Bartimaeus. The books in this series are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, his first books to be published in the United States. 
Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his two children, Isabelle and Arthur, and his wife Gina, an illustrator of children's books.

Win a signed copy of both books in the Lockwood & Co. series!
Disney-Hyperion has generously offered a copy of each book, plus signed bookplates, for one winner.
Details
-US only
-ends 3/31
-must be 13+ to enter
-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments:

Molly Mortensen said...

These sound like fun books. I normally don't like scary books, but I think I can handle middle grade scary. ;) Thanks for the giveaway!

Michelle @ In Libris Veritas said...

These sounds awesome! I rarely see MG horror novels

Linda Romer said...

Hello Johnathan, your books sound awesome, thank you for the giveaway.

anne s. said...

Our son LOVED The Screaming Staircase!Thanks for the opportunity to win these books!

Ashley said...

I am so picky when it comes to middle grade. It is so easy to feel like the author is condescending to the audience (also, I'm much older than the target demographic, so this is easily attributed to that), but I really loved The Screaming Staircase. Jonathan Stroud is up there with Cat Valente on my list of amazing middle grade authors. I've had the second book on my list for ages, so thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Sayomay said...

This looks awesome! :D
Mary G Loki

Anonymous said...

I ADORE the Bartimaeus Trilogy! Grateful for the chance to win these books! Thanks.

Diamond Cronen said...

I've been dying to read this series!! I even accidentally checked out the sequel at the library and was bummed bcc I thought it was the first book so. I had to return it :( great post though! I seriously love this MG-filled month! So much fun.

-Dee @ Dee's a reads

Orchid said...

Sounds so good! Cannot believe that this is the first I'm hearing about these books.

Thanks so much for the great giveaway. =)

Unknown said...

I am in LOVE with this series, when my friend lent me a copy I felt pressed to read it, but after the first page I was hooked! Can't wait to read the sequel!

Sui Generis said...

Oh my gosh! This series looks promising! I want these books!

Michael G-G said...

I loved his Bartimaeus books, and I'm sure I would love these too!