The House with a Clock in its Walls
By John Bellair
Illustrated by Edward Gorey
179 p.
Reading Level: 5+
Interest Level: 9-12 years old
Awards: ALA Children’s Books of International Interest Award, NY Times Outstanding Books of 1973 Award
Reviews: School Library Journal Starred, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly
Reviews: School Library Journal Starred, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly
Ten year old Lewis Barnavelt is in for some changes in life. His parents were recently killed in a car accident and he’s being sent to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his Uncle Jonathan, a relative he’s never met. Uncle Jonathan lives in a mansion filled with old and amazing things. On his first night in New Zebedee Lewis notes Uncle Jonathan’s strange reaction to clocks along with the fact that he seems to have an awful lot of them in the house. Lewis soon hears the ticking of a clock in the walls.
Strange things happen in the house, with windows that change and coat rack mirrors that display life-like images. We find out that Uncle Jonathon and Mrs. Zimmerman, the next door neighbor, are both wizards albeit the rather harmless kind. We also find out that before Uncle Johnathon, the house had been lived in by a pair of evil wizards determined to destroy the world. The hidden clock has something to do with bringing the world to an end. Lewis accidentally speeds up the process when he attempts to impress his neighbor Tarby by reading a spell from his Uncle's magic book while in a cemetery on Halloween so that he can raise the dead. He soon finds out the the person he brought back to life is one of the evil wizards and now it's up to Lewis and to prevent the end of the world.
The original editions of the books in this series were illustrated by Edward Gorey and really add to the spooky, Gothic vibe.
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