The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

Pages: 179

Intended Audience: 8-12 year-olds

Genre: Supernatural

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature scenes

The Back Cover

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. Zimmermann, are both magicians! 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 built a timepiece into the walls—a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series. It was made into a movie starring Jack Black in 2018.

What’s good?

This is a sweet, enjoyable story about an orphaned boy who finds adventure when he moves in with his uncle. It’s a quick and easy read with a straight forward plot and likeable characters. There’s magic and mystery with subplots that focus on friendship, family relationships, and resiliency.

Best Part: The movie looks good.

What isn’t good?

It was slow. I expected more excitement, more magic, and more mystery. The premise is intriguing, but the execution lacks depth and complexity, even for a middle-school level book. Perhaps it digs deeper in subsequent books in the series.

Worst part: The story summary on the back gives too much away. The beginning is boring because we know where it’s going!

Recommendation ☺☺ (2/5)

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t keep my attention. The only reason I was able to finish it was because it was short. You probably have to be a lot younger than me to appreciate the low-level of scare and adventure. I hope the visuals in the movie make the story more interesting.

Bellairs, John. The House with a Clock in its Walls. New York: Puffin Books, 1993 ©1973