Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy

Loved this third installment of the Lockwood books. Great story with tons of character development. Was hard to put this one down and as there was a huge cliffhanger at the end I'm going to have to immediately read the next one!

Bought this for a friend who highly recommended a good 3rd read.

A very good read, but I felt that there wasn't the same great and intriguing mystery which Lockwood and Co had to uncover. The main case was solved but there weren't any clues as to who did it, as in the previous two books, and this seemed somewhat unsatisfying. Lots of tempting suggestions and questions arose, but with the book finishing abruptly I felt this one wasn't complete.However I did enjoy the book, and am looking forward to the fourth.

I wasn’t sure about giving out five stars because I’m a little wary of the direction the story might take next, but well, the book itself is fantastic.This time, there’s a big ghost breakout in London, which seems to get worse no matter what main agencies do. At first, Lockwood & Co is not required to work on it, but, after a pair of successful (if troublesome) interventions at a haunted house and at the agencies' big parade, their luck seems to take a turn for the better…On the action side: as in the previous books, the ghost raids and action scenes escalate in intensity until the long, unputdownable final one. The tension, sense of danger, and spooky, eerie atmosphere are still there, finely done (although obviously it hasn’t the novelty of the first book), and there are a few hints about a bigger, darker mystery, related to the harp logo.On the character treatment side: there’s a new assistant girl at the agency, but, fortunately, there’s no silly love triangle (at least, not outside Lucy’s mind). Lockwood remains adult-like and hard to know; George, clever and kind (in his own rough way); and, in general, all characters keep their essence, though Kipps and his team develop an intriguing, more positive side, and the Skull In The Jar gets more time in the spotlight (Yay!).As for Lucy, her inner turmoil gets a good number of passages, but it’s told in a delicate, natural way; it’s easy to empathize with her feelings at her estrangement from her family (and even a bit from her friends, too), her confusion at her growing powers, and with the same old painful crush that, at one point or another in life, has made real fools out of all of us.As for what way the story may go next, at some points of the narration there’s an unsettling sense of loss (as if speaking about a long gone time), and the last scene is somewhat of a (bit dramatic) cliffhanger, which leaves you biting your nails for the next instalment (ok, I'm not asking for hurrying. Things well done take their time, sadly...).

Lockwood & Co. just keeps getting better and better!I love this series. Stroud is a brilliant author; although these books are aimed at younger readers, adults will find much to enjoy. THE HOLLOW BOY is the third novel in the series, following the tales of Anthony Lockwood and his associates; a team of ghost busters! His agency consists of George and Lucy, operatives who help the residents of London with their ghostly problems. But, in this instalment, we see an addition to the team and she comes in the form of Holly Munroe.For anyone who hasn't read the two previous titles, I would urge you to start at the beginning. THE HOLLOW BOY follows on from THE WHISPERING SKULL. As the Chelsea hauntings continue to escalate, Lockwood, George and Lucy find their talents in more and more demand. They are working comfortably as a small team, but all their time battling with the supernatural means that they have little time to keep things at headquarters organised. So, much to the chagrin of Lucy, Lockwood takes on Holly. Inevitably, this means a change in the team dynamics, which Lucy finds unsettling. But also, Lucy finds her talent for speaking to ghosts getting more and more out of hand. She feels that, if she can communicate with them, she may be able to find out why they are haunting the living and help them in some way. But, by doing so, will she be putting herself and her team in mortal danger?As always with Stroud, the pace of the story is excellent. We are beginning to learn more about Lockwood, and his sister. And, of course, we are ale to see Lucy grow and try to adapt to her special talent. We are also left with another cliff-hanger, which will make you desperate for the next book.Excellent - highly recommended, regardless of whether you are a younger reader, or you have a few more years under your belt!

I know that these books are aimed at around 12 years old, but I am thoroughly enjoying them! I am a good bit older than 12.

Brilliant spooky books with lots of clever ideas.

These continuing adventures are just delightful escapism. The almost familiar streets of London and their strange hauntings create the perfect balance of everyday and spookiness that keeps you reading. The developing dynamic of the relationships between the members of Lockwood's team is another great hook to the story that raises it above the level of usual 'adventurous trio' story. The final cliffhanger also means I'll be on the lookout for more of the same!

I ordered this book and received it timely and in a very good estate. This is the third book of the saga Lookwood & Co., so I would recommend to read the previous ones to understand the main story. The author does constant, small synthesis of important parts of the stories that appear in the previous books, but it's cooler to read them! Very good written (UK English).

The hollow boy è il terzo libro della serie Lockwood and Co, preceduto da The Screaming Staircase (1), The dagger in desk (1,5 una storia molto corta che si colloca tra il primo e il secondo libro) e The Whispering Skull (2).Jonathan Stroud con questi romanzi è riuscito a creare un mondo davvero ben strutturato e complesso. Dove è costantemente presente questa netta distinzione tra giorno e notte, infatti, quando i fantasmi escono allo scoperto nessuno è al sicuro, nemmeno gli agenti che per professione combattono il "problema" (il nome che è stato dato a questo fenomeno non ancora spiegato).In questo terzo libro, l'autore si è concentrato molto sulla protagonista Lucy Carlyle, che mano a mano che la storia prosegue riesce sempre di più a controllare i suoi sensi da investigatrice psichica, e di conseguenza a sentire cose come nessun'altro sa fare. Il legame tra lei e il teschio parlante sarà sempre più strano ma allo stesso tempo sempre più stretto (al punto che Lucy se lo porta nello zaino durante le sue missioni).Saranno approfonditi anche i legami tra lei e Lockwood e alcuni misteri del suo passato saranno svelati.Molto bello anche il modo in cui Lucy dovrà fare i conti con una new entry all'interno della Lockwood and Co, la giovane assistente Holly.Tutto questo farà da sfondo ad un nuovo incredibile caso, l'outbreak di Chelsea e il dilagare di fantasmi in un intero quartiere.Personalmente ho già letto la trilogia di Bartimeus, e come in quella serie anche qua Jonathan Stroud sembra stia tessendo (con molta maestria) un filo conduttore molto solido tra una storia e l'altra, magari è solo una mia impressione ma l'dea che mi sono fatto è che qualcosa di molto "umano" stia aiutando i fantasmi a creare problemi.Concludo, dicendo che il libro anche se in inglese, scorre molto bene ed è di facile lettura. Ho adorato come le scene d'azione sono state scritte e di quanto avidamente il lettore sia alla ricerca dei dialoghi tra Lucy e il fantasma chiuso nel barattolo.Jonathan Stroud riesce anche a regalare qualche brivido, perché ricordatevi... quando siete immersi nel silenzio e nell'oscurità di un posto infestato dai fantasmi e sentite il teschio parlante sussurrare "sbrigati... qualcosa sta arrivando", allora è veramente il caso di muoversi!Se avete già letto i precedenti libri e vi sono piaciuti, the hollow boy mantiene alta la qualità della serie.Assolutamente consigliato.

Jonathan Stroud continues to deliver the very best in storytelling and Lockwood & Co Book Three: The Hollow Boy is no exception. It's no secret that Stroud is one of my favorite writers and for very good reason. He can spin an amazing tale that will capture and delight the imagination of readers of all ages, and the trademark wry sense of humor made famous in his wildly successful Bartimaeus series is still going strong in the Lockwood & Co. series (with the help of a certain talking skull in a ghost jar).In book three, Lockwood, George, and Lucy (and our favorite talking skull) seem closer than ever and continue to be a highly effective ghost hunting team. But all the success from their previous adventures has brought much more business their way, and with a sudden supernatural outbreak in Chelsea, their time and resources are stretched very thin. Lockwood decides that he needs to bring in additional help, yet George and Lucy are insistent that they can continue to handle things fine with just the three of them, like they always have. Lucy takes a short vacation to go home to visit the family she hasn't seen in many months, and after failing to emotionally reconnect with her family, she returns back to London a little early, anxious to get back to her friends and her "real home" with the team...only to find another girl sitting in her chair - at her desk...a very cheery, delicately pretty, super-efficient new girl who's there just to "help out", a lovely young girl who is perfect in every way and seems to have the Lockwood and George completely under her spell. Suddenly Lucy is left feeling awkward, resentful, and left out. It doesn't help that the new girl, Holly, seems to rather enjoy making Lucy feel inadequate without actually appearing that way to the others (we all know THAT passive-aggressive type) and that she tries to imply a growing closeness with Lockwood, a closeness that Lucy has secretly always wished for. It also doesn't help that things having to do with the business and the house actually are becoming more efficient with Holly around, which makes it difficult for Lucy to justify her resentful feelings. Unfortunately, the ever-insightful skull in the jar finds wicked delight in her sticky situation, and is never short on playful, sarcastic commentary, much to Lucy's embarrassment. As the team prepares to take on more dangerous and high-profile jobs, their strange, new dynamics - along with Lucy's quickly growing and uncontrollable abilities to communicate with the dead - could lead the team into greater danger than they have ever faced. Loyalties and friendships will be tested, and it could cost the team everything. And boy, what a cliffhanger!If you or members of your family are big fans of Harry Potter, Lockwood & Co. is the perfect series to treat yourselves with. It's everything your whole family will love and enjoy. 5 stars and highly recommend.

Simple story yet intriguing in the mystery that lies beyond and we are pulled into the world of Lockwood and co .... Hats off to Mr Stroud for his brilliant writing

I loved the book . I think the whole series has been a great joy to read. I am really looking forward to the next instalment .