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The House with the Clock in Its Walls Review

One wonders what terrific novels would've emerged from John Bellairs' fertile mind had he been allowed to make a living writing adult fiction. If one goes by his quite awesome adult fantasy novel The Face in the Frost, then I'm thinking the world has really missed out. THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS was originally intended to be grown-up reading, but no publishing house was biting. Bellairs was instead advised to rewrite the thing as a children's novel, and this pretty much cemented Bellairs's career as a children's writer.

As a kid I read this book and its sequels The Figure In the Shadows (Lewis Barnavelt) and The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring over and over to the point that I wore out the pages. As an adult I still find these stories gripping and suspenseful and fraught with gothic overtones. Still, after tearing thru THE FACE IN THE FROST, I bemoan Bellairs' turning away from writing more adult fantasies. John Bellairs created two other series, respectively featuring Anthony Monday and Johnny Dixon. But in no way do they resonate as strongly as the Lewis Barnavelt trilogy. And I have to say this, while I laud THE FACE IN THE FROST to bits, I do count THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS as my favorite John Bellairs book. It had that much of an impact on me when I was a child.

It's 1948 and shy and chubby 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt, newly orphaned, has just moved to Michigan, to the quaint little community of New Zebedee and into his very strange Uncle Jonathan's sprawling mansion at 100 High Street. Lewis instantly feels at home in this grand old house, with its many unexplored rooms and secret passages. He vey quickly grows fond of his uncle, whose peculiar ways are matched by his lavish kindness, and of their friendly next door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann. But here's the thing: each night at midnight, Lewis hears his uncle patrolling the grounds, venturing into each room and randomly tapping on the walls. And Lewis's bump of curiosity perks up. Maybe it has to do with that incessant ticking noise seeming to originate from every wall in the house. Maybe it has to do with Lewis's uncle being a wizard.

Uncle Jonathan isn't a powerful wizard (Mrs. Zimmermann, it turns out, is a more powerful witch, and with a collegiate degree in magic at that), but Jonathan definitely knows more than just sleight-of-hand tricks. He can even eclipse the moon. And yet, even though Uncle Jonathan tries to hide it, he's clearly nervous about the ticking, which in the next few months seems to progressively get louder and louder. Lewis learns that before Uncle Jonathan came to live in it, the malevolent warlock Isaac Izard and his wife witch Selenna used to inhabit the mansion, and who knows what dark enchantments were worked during their stay?

For Lewis, times at school are horrible as ever. Squeamish and plump, it's hard for him to make friends, and when he does end up making one, he goes above and beyond in his attempts to keep the friendship going. Lewis, trying to impress his friend, ends up at the graveyard dabbling in black magic. And then the spell goes horribly, horribly wrong (or horribly right, since it actually worked). It was only supposed to be an innocent attempt at resurrection. What are the odds that Lewis would inadvertently perform the spell in front of the tomb of Selenna Izard? It wouldn't be too long from that moment that Lewis Barnavelt, his Uncle Jonathan, and the benevolent Mrs. Zimmermann would be facing peril and pursuit and a desperate search for the clock in the walls inexorably ticking down the end of the world.

Concerning children's literature, I stand John Bellairs up with the greats and most definitely with the more contemporary likes of R.L. Stine, Diana Wynne Jones and J.K. Rowling. Bellairs demonstrated this knack for seamlessly weaving in the ordinary with the occult. He introduced elements of warmth and whimsy, most felt in Lewis's relationships with his uncle and with Mrs. Zimmermann. I remember the big smile on my mug when reading passages of these comfy-homey practitioners of magic, indulging in their craft to amuse each other and Lewis. I was thinking when I first read this book: Man, Lewis has it so good, with a wizard for an uncle who fills his days with wonder and shows him Historical Illusions and plays poker with him. And Lewis has it so good, living in a mysterious house in which he runs into cool things like the mechanical Fuse Box Dwarf and the magic coat rack which allows one peeks into exotic places (although sometimes it'll just give out Dow-Jones averages and livestock reports).

That sense of charming affability works to sucker you in, though, because, at the same time, Bellairs is also building and building on that ominous suspense, starting you off with that uneasy tingle, gradually rising to a palpable tension, culminating in a crescendo of chilling supernatural terror. Bellairs does this very well. In the end, after an assortment of genuinely creepy moments, it falls to the meek but likeable young protagonist to save the day.

For a while now, author Brad Strickland has taken over the writing of the Lewis Barnavelt series, beginning in 1993 with The Ghost in the Mirror (Lewis Barnavelt), which had been an unfinished work of Bellairs. Strickland has kept the stories pretty faithful to Bellairs's sensibilities. And, frankly, I'm just grateful that there are stories still being told about Lewis, Rose Rita, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmermann. I hung out with them as a child, and even nowadays I don't mind at all catching up with these weird, wonderful folks from New Zebedee. But it starts with THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS. For young readers seeking to experience a new set of the willies, the heebie-jeebies, or the creepy crawlies, this book will most definitely do.

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Customer Reviews

If you like gothic horror, then you will love this book! - Kurt A. Johnson - North-Central Illinois, USA
It is 1948, and with the death of his parents, Lewis Barnavelt now has to move in with his Uncle Jonathan. But, there are some strange things going on in his uncle's house. His uncle seems to be looking for something in the house, checking each and every wall. It seems that the house once belonged to an old warlock, and that Uncle dabbles in magic as well. The old man, Isaac Izard, had placed a magical clock in the house, and if you listened at the walls you could hear it ticking. Just what was the clock for? It's a mystery that will not wait, and becomes more pressing with every passing page!

Well, I must say that I am a huge fan of John Bellairs' excellent book, The Face in the Frost. I finally broke down, and got myself his second most well-known book, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and I must say that I am most impressed! The book is excellent, having that same feeling of gothic horror. I enjoyed the characters, and interesting mystery.

So, if you like gothic horror, then you will love this book. There's a reason why it's considered a classic of young-adult fantasy - read it and find out for yourself!

My FAVORITE book EVER! - Chloe Valentine - Central Pennsylvania
I remember reading this book as a kid and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT! I even remember an "after school movie special" of this book. It is my all-time favorite book EVER!!! And NO ONE beats Gorey's illustrations!

If you like gothic horror, then you will love this book! - Kurt A. Johnson - North-Central Illinois, USA
It is 1948, and with the death of his parents, Lewis Barnavelt now has to move in with his Uncle Jonathan. But, there are some strange things going on in his uncle's house. His uncle seems to be looking for something in the house, checking each and every wall. It seems that the house once belonged to an old warlock, and that Uncle dabbles in magic as well. The old man, Isaac Izard, had placed a magical clock in the house, and if you listened at the walls you could hear it ticking. Just what was the clock for? It's a mystery that will not wait, and becomes more pressing with every passing page!

Well, I must say that I am a huge fan of John Bellairs' excellent book, The Face in the Frost. I finally broke down, and got myself his second most well-known book, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and I must say that I am most impressed! The book is excellent, having that same feeling of gothic horror. I enjoyed the characters, and interesting mystery.

So, if you like gothic horror, then you will love this book. There's a reason why it's considered a classic of young-adult fantasy - read it and find out for yourself!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 31, 2010 11:30:06

Children's Books

Tuesday, August 31, 2010