Details Books As House of Stairs
| Original Title: | House of Stairs |
| ISBN: | 0140345809 (ISBN13: 9780140345803) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1976) |
William Sleator
Paperback | Pages: 176 pages Rating: 3.85 | 4066 Users | 554 Reviews
Rendition To Books House of Stairs
After googling different phrases for a while, I finally found the name of the book I read when I was around 12 that catapulted me into my interest into psychology and the human mind. The story of five teenagers locked in a place that consisted only of stairs and landings, the way they were trained like Pavlov's dogs to respond to the demands of a machine for food, demands that became ever more horrible. I remember reading this and being horrified by concepts I couldn't quite yet really grasp, but what stuck with me was the fact that not everyone acquiesced. The last scene of the book, with the traffic light, I think cemented my firm regard and defense of individuality, even before I could verbalize that notion. While I didn't understand it, really, as a kid, this book and the message in its story has remained with me my entire life. This would definitely be listed as one of the Impact Books in my life. I haven't re-read it as an adult yet, but I will be. It will be interesting to see how it speaks now.
Be Specific About About Books House of Stairs
| Title | : | House of Stairs |
| Author | : | William Sleator |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 176 pages |
| Published | : | April 1st 1991 by Puffin Books (first published 1974) |
| Categories | : | Young Adult. Science Fiction. Fiction. Dystopia. Horror |
Rating About Books House of Stairs
Ratings: 3.85 From 4066 Users | 554 ReviewsAppraise About Books House of Stairs
This young adult novel (1974) reflects Cold War paranoia: apprehension that the government will brainwash unwilling subjects into perfectly controllable weapons of war. Five sixteen-year-old orphans find themselves in a sterile maze-like environment, consisting entirely of stairs and landings. (Wikipedia notes that the setting is based on Eschers (1953) lithograph: Relativity: http://www.scottmcd.net/artanalysis/?...). Besides one pool of water (toilet, drinking water, and bath), a machine withI wasn't sure to expect from this story... well except for stairs, but it turned out to be solid little story. It was fairly short which I felt worked in it's favor, keeping the story from getting too monotonous. House of Stairs starts off from the point-of-view of Peter who is dropped off in a strange room of sorts that is filled entirely with stairs and landings. Peter is stumbled upon by a gal named Lola, whom is a tad on the abrasive side, and they set out to explore the expanse of stairs.
A modern classic. I read House of Stairs frequently as a child, and was happy to see this speculative novel from 1974 stands the test of time.That's because Sleator wisely keeps the "futuristic" science fiction touches to a minimum. There's a very '70s reference to air pollution, but it isn't pivotal. The rest of the book is about what doesn't change: human nature.I'm handing this to my son to read now. I have the feeling he'll be as riveted by it as I was at his age.
William Sleator's suspenseful, almost sci-fi, novel is pretty old (even older than me, but don't tell anyone), but I think its lack of specific details means that it holds up pretty well. I also think that it's a good companion read for one of my favorites, The Hunger Games. Both books have a similar tone, although The Hunger Games is more tightly written, fast-paced, and suspenseful. What Sleator's book has is a really thought-provoking setup that asks you to think about humanity and how easily
I think this is the last entry in my YA Sci-Fi kick, but it's a high note to end on. I've spent more than half my life searching for this book. Really! I checked it out from the Lawrence Public Library when I was 9 or 10 and read the first 15 pages, and then it got away from me. I remember everything about it vividly--5 teenage orphans in a near-future distopia find themselves, without explanation, in a gigantic white room consisting only of endless staircases and a machine that irregularly
A chilling and suspenseful tale that stick with the reader for years to come.This book is recommended for 9-12 year olds, however, I think it might be a bit intense for the younger side of this group, and I, as an adult, thoroughly enjoyed Slater's treatment of this psychological horror.Personal Note: I read this book as a tween, and it stuck with me all these years. I remember not being able to put it down, and upon revisiting it, it is still just as fascinating to me. I read many of the
Young adult fiction must be a really tough genre to wrap your head around, for a writer. You have a story that you want to tell, and you have to tell it in such a way that it is simple enough for your target audience to read, yet engaging enough to keep them reading. The themes have to be familiar enough for them to understand and relate to, yet unusual enough to be interesting for them. Go too far in the wrong direction and you have a failure. So how does a YA writer do it, balancing all those
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