The Screaming Staircase

(Book 1 for Once Upon a Time)

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud.

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion;(August 26, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1423186923

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?

Description of book:  Twelve year old *ghostbusters*.

*Sigh*.. I guess this book would have worked better for RIP, however, there's plenty of fantasy fiction to the story!

I've read  Jonathan Stroud's  The Bartimaeus Trilogy, which I really liked. So, I thought I'd give this a try.

The book was very enjoyable, and I had only one problem with it.  The dialogue did not sound like "kids".  It wasn't overly "adult" but it just didn't sound age appropriate.

It is a fast read, and I think YA's will really enjoy this book.  Stroud is a good writer and has a good imagination.

Actually my problem with it might have been that I've been reading mysteries for quite a stretch now and this is the first of this kind that I've read in quite a while.  Big change to say the least!