Name: The Staircase
ISBN: 9780152167882

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Faith and Mystery

An 1870s school story pairs a chapel staircase legend with questions of faith and perception.

Come here for

A young outsider’s view of belonging and belief
The mystery around a carpenter and his staircase

Expect

Daily trials at a girls’ school run by nuns
A story where appearances may not tell the whole truth

Book Details

Authors: Ann Rinaldi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: June 1, 2002
Format: Paperback
Theme: 19th-Century US YA · 20th-Century U.S.
Reading lane: 19th-Century US YA

Affinity

Publisher Categories

US Biographies
Boys & Men
Girls & Young Women
Wars & Military History

Show all 8 publisher categories

19th-Century U.S.
Horror & Ghost Stories
Mysteries & Detective Stories
Christian Stories

About This Book

How could Lizzy Enders's father abandon her at a girls school run by nuns? She's surrounded by Catholics--but she's Methodist! Shunned by the other boarders, Lizzy befriends a wandering carpenter named José, who with just three tools--and unflagging faith--builds an elaborate spiral staircase in the new chapel in mere weeks. When he disappears without a trace, Lizzy realizes that the way she sees things is not always the way they are. Inspired by the legend of the "miraculou...

Read full description

How could Lizzy Enders's father abandon her at a girls school run by nuns? She's surrounded by Catholics--but she's Methodist! Shunned by the other boarders, Lizzy befriends a wandering carpenter named José, who with just three tools--and unflagging faith--builds an elaborate spiral staircase in the new chapel in mere weeks. When he disappears without a trace, Lizzy realizes that the way she sees things is not always the way they are. Inspired by the legend of the "miraculous" staircase in the Chapel of Loretto in Santa Fe, Ann Rinaldi skillfully blends the mystery surrounding the staircase's builder with the daily trials of a spunky thirteen-year-old girl growing up in the 1870s.