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

5.0

This was one of my favorite books growing up... I have distinct memories of my 10-year-old self sitting and reading in shivery delight. And it was with this book that I discovered my lifelong love of [a:Edward Gorey|21578|Edward Gorey|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200338278p2/21578.jpg]'s illustrations. As I've been slowly making my way through the delightful [b:Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer|11461883|Floating Worlds The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer|Edward Gorey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327891958s/11461883.jpg|16396043], this story has been on my mind, but I had a little trepidation about going back and re-reading it: what if, almost 40 years after my initial reading, the story fell flat for me? How disappointing! But yesterday I faced my fears and opened it up again, and needn't have worried: the magic of [a:John Bellairs|101070|John Bellairs|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1197854239p2/101070.jpg] swept me right back in with his warm and humorous writing and his quirky characters. I love Lewis and Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman, and the Izards ooze evil. It was a real treat to go back and re-read this favorite.