ParentsPick

The Staircase — Content Guide for Parents

By Ann RinaldiHarcourtISBN 9780152024307230 pages
The Staircase

Found in this book

  • ViolenceSupporting
  • Scary contentBrief
  • ReligionCentralChristian
  • Race & cultureBrief

Not found

  • Climate
  • Sexual content
  • Gender roles
  • Gender & orientation

Couldn't confirm

  • Profanity
  • Profanity: The sources describe the plot but do not say whether the book's own text has swear words.

Content themes

Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.

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Summaries and source quotes for every theme.

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Example theme card

Religion

PRESENT

Contains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.

About this book

How could Lizzy Enders's father leave her in a girls school run by the Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe? She's surrounded by Catholics, who pray to Saint Joseph and whose saints keep watch over her--and she's Methodist! Taunted by the other boarders, Lizzy befriends a wandering carpenter named José, who with just three tools--and his unflagging faith--builds a staircase to the choir loft of the new chapel. Through their friendship, Lizzy discovers the inner strength to forgive and to trust.
Working from the legend of the "miraculous" staircase in the Chapel of Loretto in Santa Fe, Ann Rinaldi skillfully blends the mystery surrounding the builder of the staircase with the daily trials of a young girl growing up in the 1870s.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Staircase appropriate for a 7-year-old?

    A roommate blinds Lizzy's kitten with an embroidery needle, and Lizzy hits a man over the head with a statue when he breaks in at night. A few tense or upsetting moments appear, including the cruel injury to the kitten and a man coming through a window at night.

  • Does The Staircase have violence?

    Found (Supporting): A roommate blinds Lizzy's kitten with an embroidery needle, and Lizzy hits a man over the head with a statue when he breaks in at night.

  • Does The Staircase have scary content?

    Found (Brief): A few tense or upsetting moments appear, including the cruel injury to the kitten and a man coming through a window at night.

  • Does The Staircase have religion?

    Found (Central, Christian): A Methodist girl at a Catholic convent school watches the nuns and students pray to Saint Joseph for a staircase, and the story is built around faith and a possible miracle.

  • Does The Staircase have race & culture?

    Found (Brief): A blog reviewer points to a line about a character's Native ancestry and to Spanish-speaking characters written in stereotyped ways.

  • Does The Staircase have profanity?

    Couldn't confirm: The sources describe the plot but do not say whether the book's own text has swear words.

  • Does The Staircase have climate?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Staircase have sexual content?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Staircase have gender roles?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Staircase have gender & orientation?

    Not found in the sources we checked.