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A review by twowheelsaway
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
4.0
I really liked this book as a kid, and enjoyed it again this time around (reading it for a presentation). It definitely comes from an earlier era of YA, and can read a little clunky, but at the same time is a really good story with well-applied Gothic tropes falling out of its ears.
My other favorite thing about it that surprised me was the genuinely supportive adults in the story. While Lewis' grief over his parents is weirdly muted, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are both so lovely and kind to him, and patient. It's honestly the book's main break with Gothic traditions, and its such a sweet one.
My other favorite thing about it that surprised me was the genuinely supportive adults in the story. While Lewis' grief over his parents is weirdly muted, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are both so lovely and kind to him, and patient. It's honestly the book's main break with Gothic traditions, and its such a sweet one.