A review by tasharobinson
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs

4.0

This is such a marvelous kids' book. Spooky and exciting, but more importantly, unique and full of flavor. It has such non-traditional heroes: A middle-aged pudgy bachelor, his old-lady best friend (who's better at magic than he is), and a fat kid who gets bullied and dismissed because of his weight but generally doesn't feel guilty or shamed about his size so much as frustrated with the bullying. And such oddball detail about historical re-creations, strange funny magic, and the process of becoming friends with someone, and then gradually drifting apart from that friend. A longtime favorite that was fun to revisit and lived up to my memories.