Reviews

The Letter, the Witch and the Ring by John Bellairs

schwimfan's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

rjdenney's review against another edition

4.0

I had always thought The Ghost in the Mirror was the only Bellairs book that featured Rose Rita as the protagonist, but all along there was this one. There's the Lewis Barnavelt series, the Johnny Dixon series, the Anthony Monday series, and now I think there should be a Rose Rita series considering there's two books with her as the MC. After reading this one, I still think The Ghost in the Mirror is my favorite of the two, though this one did have some really cool suspenseful and scary parts in it. It also would make a perfect summer read. :)

posies23's review against another edition

4.0

The third of John Bellairs YA thrillers see him change his format up a bit. Two of the secondary characters from earlier books, Mrs. Zimmerman and Rose Rita, come to the forefront, and give us a delightfully spooky (but not TOO spooky) mystery.

This was written in 1976, but it has a very contemporary feminist "feel" -- Mrs. Zimmerman and Rose Rita spend some of their time discussing just what it means to be a "girl" and what roles a girl should play in the world. In the meantime, there are mysterious happenings and danger lurking around them as they investigate a ring discovered by Mrs. Zimmerman's late cousin.

Highly recommended!

bluestjuice's review against another edition

4.0

As a continuation of the series begun in The House With a Clock in Its Walls, this is, I think, the most successful yet. The switch in focus from Lewis to Rose Rita is, I think, a wise one, if only because Rose Rita presents a more compelling, layered internal life than Lewis did. Some of this is perhaps due to her age; on the cusp of adolescence, she struggles with the constraints and expectations that places upon her, her place in the world, and her relationship and interactions with Lewis. Here too, her gender presents more obstacles than Lewis' does: while he struggles with what it means to not be an athlete in a world that expects athleticism and roughness from boys, Rose Rita struggles with what it means to be girl who does not want to act as girls are expected to act. Lewis has the desire to act like other boys but lacks the skill; Rose Rita, in contrast, is perfectly capable of acting like other girls but has differing ambitions and interests. I appreciated how subtly Bellairs presents an alternative portrayal of femininity in the person of Mrs. Zimmermann - this is not at all heavy-handed, but small details add up to a picture of a character who has not often led her life according to the expectations society places upon women. Even the character herself is light-touched about this, however: when she and Rose Rita have a few serious chats about Rose Rita's fears about growing up and concern that she will not be able to direct her life in a direction she would like, Mrs. Zimmermann has no smooth assurances or trite wisdom to offer her. Rather, she conveys an understanding that the future is full of many possibilities and that Rose Rita's best option is to remain open to change, and make the best choices she can, when they present themselves. It's exactly the sort of unpreachy good sense that I think best infiltrates children's literature.

As far as the ghost story/mystery, it is suitably mysterious, although not all that difficult to work out to a seasoned reader. Mostly it serves as an exciting backdrop to allow Rose Rita to flex her abilities and test her skills in various ways, which is largely what you want in a good coming-of-age novel. It's quite satisfying, and the continued presence of enormous quantities of chocolate chip cookies is not taken amiss, either.

njtigers's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

tasharobinson's review against another edition

4.0

Erik Adams' Halloween write-up of John Bellairs' "The House With The Clock In Its Walls" (http://avc.lu/XqSk8A) reminded me that it's been decades since I revisited Bellairs' work. And as soon as I looked for them on a library shelf, I realized there were a dozen or more of them I never read, that were mostly written in the ’90s. So I'm going back and revisiting them. "The Letter, The Witch, And The Ring" stands up really well as a spooky story that lets the kid protagonist do all the dangerous work without straining credulity or making the adults look dumb or out of touch, and it's a creditable mystery as well. I've missed these books and the way they create an atmosphere of dread and growing inevitability while maintaining a sense of humor and creating quirky, unusual characters.

librarygirl94's review against another edition

3.0

This was the final book in the best of John Bellairs compilation and I will admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two only because the focus what not on the usual main character. It won't deter me from reading other books by this author though!

novelesque_life's review against another edition

4.0

4 STARS

"Following clues in a mysterious deathbed letter, Rose Rita and a friendly witch, Mrs. Zimmerman, are lured into the sinister world of the occult." (From Amazon)

A great mystery paranormal children's novel.

shomarq's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mokey81's review against another edition

4.0

This was the first Bellairs book I ever read as a kid. And I remember loving it. It had stuck with me all this time. So rereading it was nice. I think this is the strongest of the first three Lewis books, which is ironic since Lewis isn't in it. I think, for the most part, the story is very well-developed. It still feels a little "Let me explain ev rushing at the end," kinda like a Scooby Doo episode. Which was probably fine when I was a kid, but feels like the easy way out as an adult. But I enjoyed the read. :)