The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a juvenile mystery fiction novel written by John Bellairs. It was published in 1973 by Puffin Books in the format of printed books and holds 179 pages. The book is illustrated by Edward Goey and is the first book in the “Lewis Barnavelt” series. The book has been adapted into a movie, which premiered September 20th, 2018, as well as a television anthology called Once Upon a Midnight Scary, which used the book as a basis for three segments.
When The House with a Clock in Its Walls was first released it had an outstanding reception. It was nominated for the Michigan Young Readers award and received a great book citation from the New York Times. It was the fourth book written by John, and it was this novel that established him as a household author. John Bellairs has revealed that parts of the book, such as the setting of the story, is inspired by his hometown and the Cronin House.
The book follows the life of the orphan Lewis Barnavelt and his life as he moves in with his uncle in the town of New Zebedee. In the new town, he encounters and meets magical creatures as he slowly gets pulled into a war raging between the dark and light magic. The author, John Anthony Bellairs was born in 2983 in Marshall, Michigan, and died of cardiovascular disease an age of 53 in 1991 in his home.
