Jonathan Anthony Stroud (born 27 October 1970) is a British writer of fantasy fiction, best known for the Bartimaeus young adult sequence and Lockwood & Co. children's series. His books have received note for their satire, and use of magic to reflect themes of class struggle. The Bartimaeus sequence is the recipient of the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire and Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards. Stroud's works have also been featured on ALA Notable lists of books for children and young adults. In 2020, Netflix announced a TV series based on Lockwood & Co., with filming initiated in July 2021.
Biography and career Born in 1970 in Bedford, England, Stroud began to write stories at a very young age. He grew up in St Albans where he attended Wheatfields Junior School and St Albans Boys' School. He enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. He attributes his love of reading and writing to being ill between the ages of seven and nine. To escape boredom, he would occupy himself with books and stories. He studied of English literature at the University of York where he was a member of Vanbrugh College, after which he worked in London as an editor for publishers Walker Books. During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.
Among his works are the best-selling Bartimaeus Trilogy, which has received note for its satire and use of magic to explore themes of class struggle. By narrating the story from the perspective of Bartimaeus, a sarcastic and slightly egomaniacal djinni, Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons. The books in this series, his first to be published in the United States, are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate, and prequel The Ring of Solomon.
In 2013, the first book in the Lockwood & Co (which is about a ghost hunter agency in a ghost-ravaged England) series, Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase was released, and achieved critical acclaim, with Rick Riordan calling Stroud a "genius". The second book, The Whispering Skull, was released in September 2014. A third novel, titled The Hollow Boy, was announced through a competition orchestrated by Stroud, asking readers to send in an idea for a ghost to feature in the third story. The fourth book, The Creeping Shadow, was published in 2016, and the last book in the series, The Empty Grave, was published in 2017.
In late 2020, Netflix announced that Stroud's Lockwood & Co. series would be made into a television show produced by Nira Park, Rachael Prior, and Joe Cornish. Filming began in July 2021 in London.
His newest series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, which currently consists of three books, is about two outlaws and their infamous heists.
Personal life
Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his wife Gina and their three children.
Bibliography Fiction (Solo) Children's literature
Novella
Teen and YA
Heroes of the Valley was featured on the VOYA Magazine's Perfect Tens list in 2009.
Non-fiction
Fiction (YA series) Bartimaeus Sequence
The Amulet of Samarkand was given a starred review by Booklist and Publishers Weekly in 2003, recommended on Texas Lone Star's YA reading list in 2005, and given commendation for Great Graphic Novels for Teens in 2011.
Lockwood & Co.
The Screaming Staircase has been recommended by Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (audiobook) and Children and Teens (ten to fourteen) (2014); Texas Lone Star Reading List (2014); Cooperative Children's Book Center (2014); Look! Hoo's Reading (2014), and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2014). The Whispering Skull was selected by the CCBC Choices (2015) and the Junior Library Guild (2015) and was given a starred review by Booklist (2014), Kirkus (2014), and School Library Journal (2014). The Hollow Boy was selected by the CCBC Choices (2016) and the Junior Library Guild (2016) and was given a starred review by Booklist (2015) and School Library Journal (2015). The Creeping Shadow was given a starred review by Booklist (2016) and was selected by the Junior Library Guild as their mystery/adventure novel of 2017. The Empty Grave was given a starred review by Booklist in 2017.
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
Awards and honours
Bartimaeus sequence Book Year Award name Award Body Result The Amulet of Samarkand 2004Best Books for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2004Notable Children's BooksAmerican Library Association 2004 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The Boston Globe and The Horn Book Magazine 2004 Locus Award (YA) Locus 2004Selected Audiobooks for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2005 Nevada Young Readers' Award (YA) Nevada Library Association 2005Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Jugendbuch 2006 Evergreen Teen Book Award Washington Young Adult Review Group 2006 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Georgia Library Association 2007 Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Grades 4-6) Wyoming Library Association The Golem's Eye2005Selected Audiobooks for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2005Best Books for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2005 Locus Award (YA) Locus 2007 Colorado Blue Spruce Award (YA) Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Awards Ptolemy's Gate 2006 Cybils Award (Speculative Fiction) Cybils Awards 2006Locus Award for Best Young Adult NovelLocus 2006 Corine International Book Prize Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels 2007Selected Audiobooks for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2007Notable Children's RecordingsAmerican Library Association Bartimaeus trilogy (books 1–3) 2006 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Mythopoeic Society 2007 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (Youth Novel) Utopiales The Ring of Solomon 2010 Costa Children's Book Award Costa Coffee 2010 Der Leserpreis (The Reader's Award) Lovelybooks.de 2012Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults American Library Association
Lockwood & Co. Book Year Award name Award Body Result The Screaming Staircase 2013 Cybils Award (Speculative Fiction) Cybils Awards 2013Goodreads Choice Award (Middle Grade & Children's)Goodreads 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Los Angeles Times 2014 Edgar Awards (Best Juvenile) Mystery Writers of America 2014 WeRead Prize Jewish Community Secondary School 2014 Booktrust Best Book Awards (9-11 Best Story) BookTrust and Amazon Kindle 2014 North Carolina Young Adult Book Award 2014 Carnegie Medal CILIP 2014 Worcestershire Teen Book Award Worcestershire Public Libraries 2014 Silver Inky Award Inside a Dog 2015 Sakura Medal International Librarians of Japan 2015 Warwickshire Secondary Book Awards Stratford Girls' Grammar School 2015 Coventry Inspiration Book Awards Coventry City Council 2015 UKYA Blogger Awards UKYA Blogger Awards 2015 The Weald Book Award The Weald School 2015Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults American Library Association 2016 Beehive Book Awards (Young Adult Fiction) Children's Literature Association of Utah 2016 Nevada Young Readers' Award (Intermediate) Nevada Library Association 2016 Sasquatch Award Washington Library Association 2017Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Rebecca Caudhill The Whispering Skull2014Goodreads Choice Award (Middle Grade & Children's)Goodreads 2015Amazing Audiobooks for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association The Hollow Boy2015Goodreads Choice Award (Middle Grade & Children's)Goodreads The Creeping Shadow2016Goodreads Choice Award (Middle Grade & Children's) Goodreads The Empty Grave 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards (Middle Grade & Children's) Goodreads 2017Booklist Editor's Choice for Youth Booklist 2019 Carnegie Medal CILIP
Other works Book Year Award name Award Body Result Heroes of the Valley2009Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas for Mejor novela extranjera independiente 2010 Locus Award (YA) Locus 2010Best Books for Young AdultsAmerican Library Association 2010Carnegie Medal in LiteratureCILIP 2011Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas for Mejor novela extranjera perteneciente a saga
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