SLCL Presents Bestselling Young Adult Fantasy Author Jonathan Stroud, 9/21

The St. Louis County Library Foundation's Reading Garden Event Series is pleased to present popular young adult author Jonathan Stroud for a discussion and signing of the first installment in an exciting new series, "Lockwood and Co.: The Screaming Staircase" on Saturday, September 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Daniel Boone Branch of the St. Louis County Library located at 300 Clarkson Road, Ellisville, MO.

The program is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. Books for signing will be available at the event from Left Bank Books.

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 and Anthony 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?

Readers who enjoyed the action, suspense, and humor in Jonathan Stroud's internationally bestselling Bartimaeus books will be delighted to find the same ingredients, combined with deliciously creepy scares, in his thrilling and chilling Lockwood & Co. series.

Jonathan Stroud is the author of the New York Times best-selling Bartimaeus Trilogy, as well as "Heroes of the Valley," "The Leap," "The Last Siege," and "Buried Fire."

St. Louis County Library Foundation's Reading Garden Event Series hosts free family events with authors and musicians. Sponsors include Commerce Bank, Companion, and the Sara Guth Costigan Memorial Fund.

Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300 or visit http://www.slcl.org.