The Door by the Staircase

Description

A magical, darkly humorous, and poignant novel with roots in the Russian fairytale Baba Yaga, from Edgar Award-winning author Katherine Marsh. Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes can't stand her orphanage for another night. But when an attempted escape through the stove pipe doesn't go quite as well as she'd hoped, Mary fears she'll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever. The very next day, a mysterious woman named Madame Z appears at the orphanage requesting to adopt Mary, and the matron's all too happy to get the girl off her hands. Soon, Mary is fed a hearty meal, dressed in a clean, new nightgown and shown to a soft bed with blankets piled high. She can hardly believe she isn't dreaming! But when Mary begins to explore the strange nearby town with the help of her new friend, Jacob, she learns a terrifying secret about Madame Z's true identity. If Mary's not careful, her new home might just turn into a nightmare. Award-winning author Katherine Marsh draws from Russian fairytales in this darkly funny middle-grade fantasy novel, now available in paperback. Praise for The Door by the Staircase * "Well-drawn characters, an original setting, and a satisfying resolution are the ingredients that make this carefully crafted middle-grade adventure a highly rewarding read." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "Marsh has crafted a sparkling tale full of adventure, magic, and folklore." - School Library Journal, starred review "[An] engaging, almost cinematic story . . ." - The Wall Street Journal Praise for Jepp, Who Defied the Stars New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2012 The Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2012 " Narrating a young adult novel from a dwarf's perspective is nothing short of inspired. Marsh transcends genre to create an engaging narrative complex enough to keep not-so-young adults turning its pages." - The New York Times Book Review * "This shining gem is a must-have." - School Library Journal , starred review * "An epic search for love, family, respect, and a destiny of one's own making." - Publishers Weekly , starred review * "Incorporating elements of adventure, romance, tragedy, intrigue, and science, the novel conjures a place and time not commonly explored in young adult fiction." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , starred review Praise for The Twilight Prisoner * "Readers should be drawn in by the complex relationships between Marsh's protagonists and Jack's continuing existential struggles, caught between the worlds of the living and the dead." - Publishers Weekly , starred review Praise for The Night Tourist Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, 2008 * "This intelligent and self-assured debut will compel readers from its outset, and leave them satisfied as it explores universal themes of love, loss, and closure." - Publishers Weekly , starred review Review: My five year old loved this - I realize that this book is for older children but it is not as dark as many young adult books despite the fact that it centers around a witch wanting to eat children. It has a very positive and not scary tone. There is magic and adventure in each chapter but it is interesting without being griping or upsetting. This is an extremely enjoyable book to read aloud. When my five year old daughter saw the cover of this book she wanted to know all about it and when some of the story was explained nothing would do but that she hear it read aloud to her. I did explain that no one really eats children in real life but for some reason none of the book scared her at all and she has played many games where she is the main character Mary or Jacob or (her favorite) the talking cat and has me play many parts as well. I think the magical elements really appealed to her. Review: Love this book! - I love the author’s style & the story is very engrossing. If you aren’t a fan of old German, in this case Russian, fairytales that can get gruesome, you won’t like this book. I grew up reading Poe & Grimm’s so it was fun for my daughter & I.