The House With a Clock in Its Walls

by John Bellairs

Paperback, 179 pages

English language

Published June 21, 1993 by Puffin Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-14-036336-4
OCLC Number:: 26552816

(11 reviews)

When orphaned Lewis Barnavelt first comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan, he nothing. Then he finds out the amazing truth—his uncle and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both witches! But simply watch- ing Jonathan's magic isn't enough for Lewis. When he makes the mistake of emulating his uncle, Lewis un- knowingly resurrects the evil Serenna Izard. Years ago, she and her long-dead husband hid a horrifying secret in their house. Now the Barnavelts live there—but they've got to conquer the forces of evil in order to stay alive! --back cover

38 editions

unsquare reviewed The House with a Clock in Its Walls by Edward Gorey

Review of 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I read this thanks to the movie adaptation with Jack Black and a convenient daily deal at Audible. It was an interesting change of pace because it doesn’t fit the norms and tropes of modern young adult books. The main character isn’t super-capable or the chosen one – he’s just a normal kid caught up in supernatural weirdness who makes the occasional disastrous mistake. Apparently it’s the first in a series of a dozen or so books, so I might have to pick up the next volume sometime soon.