The House with a Clock in its Walls (Review)

About the Book

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

First published in 1973

GoodReads Description

Orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan and quickly learns that both his uncle and his next-door neighbor are witches on a quest to discover the terrifying clock ticking within the walls of Jonathan's house. Can the three of them save the world from certain destruction?

My Thoughts

As a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, I was delighted to see other reviews of this novel liken Bellairs' style to Poe's.  I was not let down.  In fact, I absolutely devoured this book!

While I do enjoy books written in the third person, I tend to prefer books written from the first person.  This book was a lovely exception to that rule.  Bellairs' choice to write in third person allows the reader to connect to Lewis on a much deeper level.  This level forces the audience to care what happens to Lewis and to be terrified not only because of the haunting events that unfold but because they truly want to see a happy end for Lewis.  This brought so much more meaning to the story and created a more memorable experience.

While it may seem strange, my favorite character was Mrs. Zimmerman.  I absolutely loved how kooky she was.  For a while, I actually thought that there wasn't much strength in her character.  At the moment that she shows up in the novel, I found myself looking forward to her silly antics.  I LOVED how sassy she was! 

After I finished this book, I was excited to learn that Bellairs wrote a few following books!  I'm so excited to get them and to find out what happened to Lewis next!

My Rating