The House with a Clock in Its Walls
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The House With a Clock in Its Walls is a gothic horror novel directed at child readers. It was written by John Bellairs and originally published in 1973.
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[edit] Plot
The book details the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt, a meek overweight pre-teen who, after the death of his parents, is sent to live with his mysterious uncle Jonathan Barnavelt. Jonathan turns out to be a friendly, modern day wizard, who cohorts with an elderly witch named Florence Zimmerman. Lewis also learns that Johnathan's house was previously owned by Isaac and Selenna Izard, a sinister couple who had dedicated their lives to evil magic, and plotting to bring about the end of the world. Before dying, Isaac constructed the titular clock, which forever ticks in a secret location behind the walls of the house, trying to pull the world into the proper alignment for its destruction and rebirth. When Lewis accidentally releases the undead Selenna from her tomb, he must summon up his courage and prevent her from finishing her husband's work and bringing on Doomsday.
[edit] Adaptations
The book was used as the basis for one of the three segments in the 1979 television anthology Once Upon A Midnight Scary, hosted by Vincent Price.
[edit] Other books in the Lewis Barnavelt Series
This is the first in a series of books by John Bellairs. After Bellairs' death, author Brad Strickland took over writing the series, which as of 2006 was still in production.
- The Figure in the Shadows (1975)
- The Letter, The Witch, and The Ring (1976)
- The Ghost in the Mirror (1993)
- The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder (1993)
- The Doom of the Haunted Opera (1995)
- The Specter From The Magician's Museum (1998)
- The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge (2000)
- The Tower at the End of the World (2001)
- The Whistle, The Grave, and The Ghost (2003)
- The House Where Nobody Lived (2006)
