The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud; read by Miranda Raison (Lockwood & Co.; book 1)

England has a Problem. About 50 years ago, ghosts started appearing. These aren't the poor, lost souls who just need help finishing up one little thing before they can cross over with the help of Jennifer Love Hewitt. These are dangerous ghosts. Some are more dangerous than others, true, but they can all kill you. In fact, by and large, they want to kill you. Also, they can only be seen by children. Of course, you can't fight what you can't see, so the ghost hunters (or "operatives") are all children. Generally, the kids act under the direction of an adult supervisor who can't see the ghosts, but is usually a former operative who does have experience in these things and can provide direction and advice.
Lucy Carlyle's supervisor in her small town is of questionable competence, and she leaves for London after a terrible incident. There are many psychic detection agencies in London, including the two largest, oldest, and most famous -- The Fittes Agency and the Rotwell Agency. Neither hire her. She does get hired by Lockwood & Co., becoming their third member. (The last one died.) There are no adult supervisors at Lockwood & Co., just Anthony Lockwood (who has impressive Sight), George Cubbins (who has great research skills), and Lucy (who can Hear and Sense better than either of them). The agency is in dire straights after Lucy burns down a haunted house (and acquires a murder mystery), so they can't really turn down the next -- very generous -- offer. There's more to the case than meets the eye, however, and more than ghosts to fear.
I enjoy a good horror book. This one, unlike most middle grade horror, occasionally spooked me. I can't put a finger on why. Maybe it was because I was listening to it instead of reading it myself. Probably it was because it was just downright creepy.
Miranda Raison's narration is excellent, with good pacing and clear pronunciation. Each character has a distinct and consistent voice, and you can hear the emotions in the dialog.
Located in the children's area, this book would work well for teens as well as middle graders.
A word of warning -- these books come out in the U.K. before they come out here in the USA. You may find yourself in for a frustrating wait as new books are announced.
--Diane Brown

The Man in the Picture : A Ghost Story / by Susan Hill

Published in 2007 by Overlook Press, The Man in the Picture : A Ghost Story centers on an eighteenth century painting of a Venice carnival scene. Some of the people in the painting look odd. Frightened, even. Gazing out of the painting at the viewer with a "Help me!" look on their faces. The narrator, Oliver, learns the truth of the painting from his old friend Theo, who bought it in younger days. Theo learned about it from Lady Hawdon. Lady Hawdon and her husband had received the painting from Lord Hawdon's former paramour (and expected fiancee, before he met Lady Hawdon) as a wedding gift. A gift that will avenge her broken heart! Although it is subtitled A Ghost Story, there are no ghosts, and it's more of a creepy revenge story. Recommended for people who are still sad that The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery were cancelled. (Perhaps the "ghost" is that of Rod Serling.)

How to Clean a Hippopotamus : a Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

You may know about the symbiotic relationship between the oxpecker and the African buffalo, or the one between the clownfish and the anemone. But did you know that coyotes and badgers will team up to hunt prairie dogs? When the prairie dogs see danger, they rush into their burrows. The badger digs, sending the rodents to the coyote, which is waiting at the exit. Finding danger there, the prairie dogs turn around and exit into the jaws of the waiting badger. New Zealand's tuatara (a nocturnal reptile) and petrel (a bird active in the daytime) will share a home. The tuatara keeps the petrel's nesting burrow pest-free and defends it against animals that threaten the bird and its eggs. In exchange, it gets a place to sleep during the daytime, when the petrel is away. And, it turns out that the honey badger (or ratel) does care -- at least about the honeyguide! The honeyguide is a bird that will trail a bee back to its hive. The bird isn't strong enough to break into the nest, so it fetches a ratel. Once the ratel has feasted on the honey, the honeyguide enjoys some honeycomb and juicy bee larvae. And the rufous woodpecker and black tree ants will even call a truce in their usually tense relationship while the woodpecker cares for its eggs and rears its young -- protecting the ant nest at the same time. Once the chicks leave home, the woodpecker goes back to eating the ants and the ants go back to stinging the woodpecker!
These are just a few of the symbiotic relationships explored in this fascinating book. The last few pages tell about the size of each animal mentioned in the book, and an end note points out that animals don't enter into these relationships out of friendship, but because the relationships help the animals survive. A bibliography is included.
Written in the style of a graphic novel, brief text accompanies illustrations of cut and torn paper. Written for early elementary ages, it has a Lexile score of 950.