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William Sleator
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House of Stairs Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 1991

by William Sleator (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 332 ratings
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This chilling, suspenseful indictment of mind control is a classic of science fiction and will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.

One by one, five sixteen-year-old orphans are brought to a strange building. It is not a prison, not a hospital; it has no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing but endless flights of stairs leading nowhere--except back to a strange red machine. The five must learn to love the machine and let it rule their lives. But will they let it kill their souls?  

"An intensely suspenseful page-turner." --School Library Journal

"A riveting suspense novel with an anti-behaviorist message that works . . . because it emerges only slowly from the chilling events." --Kirkus Reviews

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 - 13 years
  2. Print length
    176 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    810L
  6. Dimensions
    4.38 x 0.46 x 7.13 inches
  7. Publisher
    Puffin Books
  8. Publication date
    April 1, 1991
  9. ISBN-10
    0140345809
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0140345803
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"When people talk about classic dystopian novels for young readers, the same titles come up again and again: The Giver. City of Ember. A few others. But one classic book in that subgenre deserves a lot more love: House of Stairs by William Sleator." --io9.com

About the Author

William Sleator (1945-2011) is the author of numerous science fiction books for children and young adults, including Interstellar Pig, House of Stairs, and Blackbriar.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin Books; Reissue edition (April 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140345809
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140345803
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 13 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 810L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.38 x 0.46 x 7.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 332 ratings

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William Sleator

William Sleator

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
332 global ratings
A timeless, page-turning thriller.
5 Stars
A timeless, page-turning thriller.
Sleator’s HOUSE OF STAIRS is the kind of intense read that you blow through in one sitting. I knew little to nothing about the plot when a friend recommended the title—in fact, I’d never even heard of the author or his works before receiving the book as a gift.But now I cannot recommend this book (or Sleator) enough. It’s a dystopian tale that takes place in (mostly) one setting with five teenagers as the main protagonists. I don’t want to give too much away; I’ll say that the characters’ journey into madness—and the gut-wrenching ending—make this necessary reading for any fans of character-driven sci-fi books.Cannot recommend enough.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jesse Harness
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
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What a fun read! An original premise with pretty original, strongly defined characters. I highly recommend House of Stairs for readers looking for something new and novel.
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clyde nichols
5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2023
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Read this book years ago glad to find new copy of it. It's a good book with an odd plot that I can't wait to read again.
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TammyJo Eckhart
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Creepy
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023
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Even though this is a young adult novel, the idea of a authoritative government torturing 16 year olds to improve its control over the population is truly frightening. Even more so in 2023 when I read it because of the raise of authoritative governments and political parties around the world using people's insecurities to gain power. From the beginning Sleator's story drops you into uncertainty and never lets you go even when things are revealed in the end. It is, however, a fast read because you want to find out what is happening.
2 people found this helpful
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Josh
4.0 out of 5 stars A Pretty Good Adventure Book.
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2023
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I would say I’m about 80% of the way done with this book and so far it’s been pretty good. Those who enjoy the 1997 Science Fiction film Cube might consider picking this up for a casual read.

The one complaint I have is the petty drama that perpetuates the interactions between characters.
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Susan Tunis
5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another adult strolling down memory lane
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2009
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I see that I'm not the only adult here with strong memories of reading this novel when they were young. In my case, it must have been 30 years ago, but somehow I never forgot the book. I've been keeping my eyes open for a copy for years now, and it's truly fascinating rereading this book I loved as a child with my 40-year-old eyes.

The novel opens with Peter. Peter has no idea where he is. He finds himself blindfolded and taken to an unknown destination. Removing the blindfold, he finds himself all alone in a truly bizarre environment. Everywhere he looks, as far as the eye can see, he's in a cavernous space filled with stairs. Stairs going up, going down, some with small landings, some connected by bridges. There are no walls, no floor, no railings, no place to feel safe. As he fights vertigo, Peter finally spies someone below him and calls out.

Unfortunately, Lola doesn't know any more about where they are or why than Peter does. Their stories of being blindfolded are the same, but they quickly discover other commonalities as well. They are both orphans from state homes, and both 16 years old. They discover this is true of the other three kids they meet in the "house of stairs."

Peter, Lola, Blossom, Abigail, and Oliver all find themselves in an utterly inexplicable situation, and they all deal with it differently. They are very different personalities. Survival becomes their first priority. What at first seems to be an entity merely trying to control their actions, quickly becomes far more sinister.

Viewing the reactions of these young people to their circumstances, and finding out how the novel would end, had me turning pages just as fast now as it did when I was a kid. And I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed revisiting this story. I can see that it's a piece of fiction very much of its time, and as an adult I better understand the context of the novel. (Like another reviewer, I, too, thought of the infamous Zimbardo and Milgram experiments.) All that aside, House of Stairs is still a compelling story and a relevant warning to be heeded today.
24 people found this helpful
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PDiddy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Childhood Favorite!
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2016
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Ahhh, the memories! This book was required reading for me back in the sixth grade. I fell in love with it. I have spent years trying to remember the title. I finally found a blurb on a website after I typed the book's plot on Google. I am so happy to be reunited with this fantastic read. It is the perfect mix of mystery and heart. Sleator did an amazing job with character development. You really get attached to them and their emotions. Thank you Amazon for briefly transporting me back to my childhood. I am now a homeschooling Mom and will definitely be assigning this to my daughter when she is a little older.
One person found this helpful
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Zukira Phaera
5.0 out of 5 stars A true eye opener that withstands the test of time
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013
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A truly dystopian tale. I first read this in my early teens and it left an impression. When I began rebuilding my library this book was one I began searching for a copy of an early edition of to flesh out my collection. Originally written in the 70's and clearly a cautionary tale about government control and human nature, rereading this recently I could not help but almost imagine it had been written as a reflection upon the undercurrent of unrest.

The 5 characters are like little stereotype snapshots, and the point of view shifts around to each fleshing them out even as the escher-like hell they've been deposited in and a Pavlovian device trains away their humanity while starving them into submission to the whims of 'big brother'.

This is really more of a novella sized book, typical page count for something from the 70's, and while it is classified as a YA novel it is not one to overlook given the chance to read it.
26 people found this helpful
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xenofan
3.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2010
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The concept behind this story was quite interesting, but it quickly became a dissapointment. The idea appealed to me, but once the characters and conflict had been established, very little of interest happened. The characters were dull, and for the most part, very uninteresting and the plot plodded along at a slow and tedious pace. No one seemed to do much of anything - except try to please the machine that gives them their only source of food - and after a while, this began to grow frustrating. I was expecting to see the characters explore, to try to break out of their surroundings and uncover its mysteries, but it seemed that once they had located source of food, water and toilet, no one gave any thought to anything save eating. The environment itself - the house of stairs - whilst an interesting idea, never seemed to have much of an importance on the plot. The characters might as well have been trapped inside an empty room for all the stairs actually mattered.

This might all well have been forgiven, if the ending had been anything other than predictable and boring. I sort of had it half figured out already, but I was hoping that there would be some sort of twist to surprise me. Sadly not, though.

In conclusion: This book is not recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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SimoGinko
5.0 out of 5 stars Top
Reviewed in Italy on June 28, 2022
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Vero e proprio libro ben fatto
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BookWorm83
5.0 out of 5 stars Frightening in a human way
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2020
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I read two books by this author while growing up and loved them, so I bought one I'd never heard of for my adult years. I would say this is a YA category book because of the age of the characters- also it definitly would have been in the teen section back in the mid 90's- and also because of the events too. Nothing really awful happens, there isn't any blood or gore, however it still sent a shiver down my spine. The book is really well written- I think my YA nephew could read it and not feel preached at or lost- and it stands up well in todays more modern world. Give it a go. Hmmm, now I wonder if I can find a paperback of The Spirit House?
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Alisha Plummer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 7, 2014
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A great science fiction for use as a novel study in junior high
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Madding
4.0 out of 5 stars È per mia figlia di 14 anni. Lo consiglio...
Reviewed in Italy on February 22, 2022
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Le piace davvero tanto e non ha difficoltà a leggere perché è scritto con caratteri un po' più grandi. Consiglio
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Madding
4.0 out of 5 stars È per mia figlia di 14 anni. Lo consiglio...
Reviewed in Italy on February 22, 2022
Le piace davvero tanto e non ha difficoltà a leggere perché è scritto con caratteri un po' più grandi. Consiglio
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Juliet
5.0 out of 5 stars As I remembered
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2019
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I spent some time searching for this book, from childhood memories. A quick read but meaningful.
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