Today’s post is on The House With a Clock in Its Walls by
John Bellairs. It is 179 pages long and is published by Puffin Books. The cover
has a skull over a mausoleum and two boys standing in front of it. The intended
reader is middle grade and like stories that are just a little scary. The story
is told from third person close of the main character, Lewis. There is no foul
language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- Tick Tock. A Murderous Clock
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband build a time-piece into the walls- a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband build a time-piece into the walls- a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!
Review- This is a fun story with just a little horror to
make it more intense. The magic is fun and makes sense. The relationships are
the heart of the story both the good and bad ones. The good ones are between
Lewis, his uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman; they are a great family unit that cares
about each other. The bad one is between Lewis and a boy that he wants to be friends
with but the boy doesn’t really want the same. I think that it an honest portrayal
of being the new kid and the popular kid that looked at you once. The scares come
from Serenna and her quest to get into the house to do something to the clock.
She has a few moments that are pretty intense. The clock itself is never really
explained and I think that is best, let it be a mystery and why it is was
built. If you have a young one who is interesting in something with a little
bit of a scare then you should give this book a chance.
I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing
for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
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