| Number | Call Number | Branch | Status | Volume |
| 1 |
YA F Landy Derek |
DR |
In at DR (Deer Run) |
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| 2 |
YA F Landy Derek |
KL |
In at KL (Kathryn Linnemann) |
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| 3 |
YA F Landy Derek |
KR |
In at KR (Kisker Road) |
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| 4 |
YA F Landy Derek |
MK |
In at MK (Middendorf-Kredell) |
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| 5 |
YA F Landy Derek |
MY |
In at MY (McClay) |
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| 6 |
YA F Landy Derek |
SC |
In at SC (South County) |
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| 7 |
YA F Landy Derek |
SP |
In at SP (Spencer Road) |
|
| 8 |
YA F Landy Derek |
WH |
In at WH (Library Express at Winghaven®) |
|
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| After inheriting her uncle's estate, twelve-year-old Stephanie learns he possessed a powerful ancient weapon. All that's standing between it and an evil sorcerer are Stephanie, her uncle's best friend Skulduggery (who's a living--sort of--magic skeleton), and Skulduggery's collection of allies. The convenience-ridden plot is elevated by snappy banter, flowing action sequences, detailed mythology, and frequent twists. Copyright 2007 Horn Book Guide Reviews. | | | |
| After inheriting her uncle's estate, twelve-year-old Stephanie learns he possessed a powerful ancient weapon. All that's standing between it and an evil sorcerer are Stephanie, her uncle's best friend Skulduggery (who's a living--sort of--magic skeleton), and Skulduggery's collection of allies. The convenience-ridden plot is elevated by snappy banter, flowing action sequences, detailed mythology, and frequent twists. Copyright 2008 Horn Book Guide Reviews. | | | |
| When Stephanie's beloved uncle Gordon, an author of "tales of horror and magic and wonder," dies suddenly, Stephanie is the unexpected inheritor of his estate. It is soon apparent that Gordon was in possession of an unstoppable ancient weapon constructed to defeat unstoppable ancient gods called the Faceless Ones. The only things now standing between that weapon and an evil sorcerer are Stephanie, Gordon's best friend Skulduggery Pleasant (a living -- sort of -- magic skeleton), and Skulduggery's dubious collection of allies. Stephanie, the adventure-bent twelve-year-old heroine with an improbable aptitude for magic and martial arts, is a walking fantasy stereotype (as are her Dursley-like relatives and excessively oblivious parents), and though Skulduggery is given a tragic history and a supposed thirst for revenge, his past never comes into play, either in his relationship with Stephanie or in the larger magical-political conflict. Still, the convenience-ridden plot is elevated somewhat by Stephanie and Skulduggery's snappy banter, and the flowing action sequences, detailed mythology, and frequent twists will keep readers engaged. Copyright 2007 Horn Book Magazine Reviews. | | | |
| A high-intensity tale shot through with spectacular magic battles, savage mayhem, cool outfits, monsters, hidden doors, over-the-top names, narrow escapes, evil schemes and behavior heroic, ambiguous and really, really bad. When the murder of a favorite uncle touches off a frantic search for a fabled superweapon known as the Scepter of the Ancients, 12-year-old Stephanie is abruptly pitched out of her mundane life. She hooks up with Skulduggery Pleasant—a walking, wisecracking, nattily dressed, fire-throwing skeleton detective—and similar unlikely allies to fight a genially sadistic sorcerer out to conquer the world and to bring back the bad old gods. It's a great recipe for a page-turner, and though Landy takes a chapter or two to get up to full speed, the plot thereafter accelerates as smoothly as Pleasant's classic Bentley toward a violent, seesaw climax. Earning plenty of style points for hardboiled dialogue and very scary baddies, the author gives his wonderfully tough, sassy youngster a real workout, and readers, particularly Artemis Fowl fans, will be skipping meals and sleep to get to the end. Expect sequels. (Fantasy. 12-15) Copyright Kirkus 2007 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. | | | |
Gr 5–8— When 12-year-old Stephanie's eccentric Uncle Gordon dies, a mysterious man bundled in an overcoat, scarf, sunglasses, and a hat shows up at both the funeral and the reading of the will. This man, as it turns out, is Skulduggery Pleasant, a walking, talking skeleton who rescues Stephanie when she is attacked while alone in the house that she has just inherited. It seems that a particularly evil person named Serpine is trying to obtain a scepter that will allow him to rule the world. Stephanie is swept into a world of magic, secrets, power, and intrigue as she and Skulduggery try to keep one step ahead of Serpine and various other nefarious folk. Deadly hand-to-hand combat, nasty villains, magical derring-do, and traitorous allies will keep readers turning the pages, but it is the dynamic duo of Stephanie and Skulduggery who provide the real magic. The girl eagerly jumps into this new, dangerous, action-packed life, but she isn't sure that she has the guts or the power to pull it off. Skulduggery Pleasant lives up to his name, performing amazing feats with such self-effacing drollness that readers will wish they had a similar skeletal friend. Give this one to fans of Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" books (Hyperion) or to anyone who likes a dash of violence and danger served up with the magic.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library [Page 150]. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. | | | |
| Considering how many fantasy novels are imported into the U.S. these days, one hardly expects freshness and originality, so this Irish author's debut novel is a very pleasant surprise. Twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley is perplexed when her eccentric Uncle Gordon dies, leaving her his vast estate. She is utterly astonished to find that his closest friend is a walking, talking skeleton who also happens to be a well-dressed, hard-boiled detective named Skulduggery Pleasant. Intrigued by Skulduggery's dangerous world of magic, Stephanie ignores his protests and begins tagging along on his adventures. Before long, she encounters a troll-killing warrior named Tanith Low, vampires completely unlike those about which she has read, an evil henchman made mostly out of paper, and many other wonders and perils Quite simply, this book is designed to appeal on every level. The book's cover, the illustrated drop caps that lead off each chapter, and the narrative's tone give it a graphic novel sensibility, even though it is really almost four hundred pages of straight text. Stephanie displays wisdom and courage beyond her years, and as such, will appeal to older teen readers as well as younger ones. Stephanie and Skulduggery's witty repartee is most enjoyable, and the pacing is fast, with constant action and fight scenes during which the author neither sugarcoats the violence nor revels in it unnecessarily. This book likely will be a big hit, and thus belongs in every library that serves young adult readers.-Amy Sisson PLB $18.89. ISBN 978-0-06-123116-2. 4Q 5P M J S Copyright 2007 Voya Reviews. | | |
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