Lockwood & Co, written by Jonathan Stroud, was first published in August of 2013 and tells the story of three young teens in their fight against ‘The Problem’. Lucy Carlyle leaves her home in a rural English town to live in central London where the Problem has amplified to an extent of pure terror amongst the residents. Deaths are at an all time high, and the fate of England lies in the hands of the young people that possess the psychic abilities that allow them to not only see but fight against the ghosts that threaten the lives of everyone they encounter. When she gets turned down by larger agencies, Lucy is recruited into one of London’s smallest agencies, Lockwood & Co. In the process, Lucy meets the reckless and mysterious Anthony Lockwood and his colleague (and the agency’s primary researcher), George Cubbins. Through her time in the agency, Lucy is met with the harsh reality that her abilities are not what she first thought them to be.
When reading the book, I found that the meaning hidden in the plot was evident throughout, teaching the audience that correcting past mistakes is key to a successful lifestyle. This is consistently shown throughout the book as the trio often find themselves in worse situations than they otherwise would have if they had taken the time to properly plan. Ironically, this view is one that is shared with George Cubbins himself who spends a lot of his time complaining that Lockwood rushed him. Where the reading age is quite young (8-12 years) I do believe that it has the pacing and detail that allows anyone to enjoy it – its deeper meanings are easier to pick up as you age.
However, I do believe that an older audience may find these characters annoying as they continue to make the same errors throughout the book, they never quite learn from their mistakes until the last second. Seeing these characters learn about the lives of the dead whilst doing research seems to be the focal point of the book (other than fighting ghosts) and yet they make the same error of not researching enough before diving headfirst.
I found the experience of reading this book very enjoyable and I gave it 5/5 stars. I would definitely recommend this book to those who want a book that has both comedy and mystery as it is easy for all ages to read. The cocky humour with a lot of danger is a perfect remedy for a great read.
- By Ash Green
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