Ten-year-old raises the dead in creepy Gothic classic.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Playing a battle re-enactment game with his uncle, Lewis discovers he'd rather help the soldiers than shoot them. Lots of creepiness around cemeteries, graves, raising the dead, as well as a mysterious ticking in the walls of a house. Both good and evil characters practice witchcraft, the good ones to help people, the evil ones to destroy the world. Or so they hope. A bully threatens Lewis with broken bones, and a creepy adult threatens to cut his throat. His late parents threatened to send him to the Detention Home when he was bad -- which they didn't mean, but he didn't know that, and he's still scared.
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Saving the world from being destroyed by a monster you've accidentally raised from the dead would be a good thing. Friendship, family, and courage help keep evil at bay.
Positive Role Models
a little
Overweight, awkward, friendless, recently orphaned, Lewis makes some bad decisions, many for reasons readers will find all too relatable, like trying to be friends with someone who wants to ditch him. His uncle Jonathan and their friend Mrs. Zimmermann spend a lot of time calling each other insulting names in between doing magic and fighting evil.
Educational Value
a little
Frequent references to magicians and scholars of history, as well as foreign languages (Lewis, a former altar boy in 1948, says prayers in church Latin at scary moments) and biblical references. Lewis and his uncle play a magical game of re-enacting historic battles.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The House with a Clock in Its Walls, originally published in 1973, is the first book in the multivolume Lewis Barnavelt series of creepy tales by the late John Bellairs. A movie adaptation is set for release September 21, 2018. The plot involves a fat, friendless kid who, in a desperate attempt to impress a kid in his class, swipes the books of his warlock uncle, and raises a dead person -- who, unluckily, is the former owner of his uncle's house, a villain bent on destroying the world. Witchcraft (as well as Ouija boards, Magic 8 Balls, etc.) pops up constantly, along with the sinister ticking of a clock throughout the house. The cartoonish darkness (enhanced by the dark cartoons of Edward Gorey) is balanced by a sort of homey sweetness and oddball humor as Lewis finds himself in a strange but loving family.
I read this before giving it to my 9 year old around Halloween. It is spooky but not terrifying. Lewis is a lovely character... not a perfect boy and very relatable. The Edward Gorey illustrations add just the right touch. Definitely recommend.
This is a book worth reading at least once. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to younger readers interested in a good spook fest in a gothic setting. I did not find it particularly spooky compared to other horror/thriller books, but this one was bizarre in a good way. It is appropriate for kids and adults alike. I recommend it to kids age 8 and up, since some kids younger than that might not understand what is happening, since there are a lot of supernatural events depicted in the book. I have not see the movie yet, but this is a good book that is not terribly long. The main concerns are the violence and scariness, but there is no mature content besides that. Throughout the book, there are both positive messages, like perseverance and bravery, and positive role models, like Lewis, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmermann, who are all involved in stopping the clock in the walls from ending the world. Overall, this is a mind-bending thriller that many people would enjoy.
What's the Story?
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS is the new home of 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt, whose parents have just died in an accident. It's 1948, and the house belongs to his uncle Jonathan, a stranger to Lewis, who has been warned that the man smokes, drinks, and plays poker. As it turns out, Uncle Jonathan is also a warlock (a male witch/sorcerer). So was the house's original owner, who may have something to do with the mysterious ticking that never goes away. Lewis is starting to enjoy his new life and even thinks he's made a friend -- but when the new friend turns mean, Lewis is desperate to impress him, so he goes to the cemetery on Halloween to raise someone from the dead. What could possibly go wrong?
John Bellairs' tale of a 10-year-old orphan, his warlock uncle, and world-destroying villains back from the dead -- first in a long series -- has entertained and spooked readers since 1973. Edward Gorey's classic illustrations manage to be both creepy and endearing. There's more than a bit of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" as young Lewis Barnavelt gets in way over his head raising people from the dead, and a strong sense of loving (if really strange) family and friends to set things right.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the magic spells in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. How does the magic in this book compare with that in other stories you've read or seen in movies?
Do you think you'll go see the movie of The House with a Clock in Its Walls when it comes out? What do you think might be better in the movie -- and what seems like it would be better in the book version?
Do you think that the story being set in 1948 is important? What might be different if it happened now?
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The House with a Clock in Its Walls: Lewis Barnavelt, Book 1
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
