The House With a Clock in Its Walls

The House With a Clock in Its Walls (1973), a young adult fantasy novel by John Bellairs, was illustrated by acclaimed artist Edward Gorey. It is the first in the series of Lewis Barnavelt novels, followed by eleven other books. Orphaned, ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt moves in with his mysterious Uncle Jonathon in Michigan. Uncle Jonathon is a relatively mediocre warlock, and his friends also possess magical powers. Upon moving in with his uncle, Lewis finds himself caught up in a plot to stop a sinister couple of evil wizards from coming back from the dead to destroy the known world.

When Lewis's parents die in an accident, Lewis finds himself orphaned and his life turned upside down. He moves to New Zebedee, Michigan, a small town where his uncle, Jonathon Barnavelt, a mysterious man whom he has never met, lives. Lewis meets his Uncle Jonathon in his old historic home; Lewis realizes this is now his home as well. Shortly after his arrival, Jonathon reveals to Lewis that he is a warlock, a man with the magic power to cast spells and influence the world around him. Jonathon's neighbor, Florence Zimmermann, also has powers – though Lewis realizes that hers are much better honed than his uncle's. Jonathon is a mediocre but kind-hearted warlock, and Florence is a powerful good witch. Lewis quickly learns many new things about the magical world from his uncle.

Immediately upon his arrival, Lewis is thrust into an ongoing mystery in the lives of Florence and Jonathon. The house where Jonathon lives is old; throughout the house, there is a loud ticking sound, like the ticking of an enormous clock. The ticking sometimes slows down, sometimes speeds up, but it can never be found or turned off. Jonathon and Florence have no idea what the ticking means or where it is, but Jonathon suspects it has something to do with the previous owners of the home, Isaac and Selenna Izard, who were black sorcerers that committed evil magic.



Lewis ignores his uncle's problem, however, upon his enrollment in a new school. Lewis has always been an unpopular kid; he is overweight and often teased for being bad at sports and not having the same interests as the popular kids. One popular boy, Tarby, takes an interest in Lewis, however. Amazed by his good luck, Lewis invites Tarby over for dinner one night. During the visit, Uncle Jonathon causes a lunar eclipse. Tarby is so amazed, he decides he wants to spend more time with Lewis. Desperate for the attention of someone he admires, Lewis decides he will do whatever he can to keep Tarby interested.

As the days wear on, Tarby’s interest in Lewis fades, and he drifts away from the friendship. This devastates Lewis, who doesn't understand why he is unappealing. To keep Tarby around, Lewis promises that he can raise a spirit from the dead. The boys go to the graveyard at night, and Lewis inadvertently chooses Selenna Izard's grave. His magic works, much to Lewis's own amazement. Tarby writes off the trick, however, leaving Lewis devastated and unsure what to do about the spirit he raised.

Soon, Lewis learns that a new neighbor is Selenna in disguise and that the clock ticking in the walls is part of a grand plot to end the world that she and her husband, Isaac, planned many years before their deaths. Selenna traps Lewis, and Florence has to come to his rescue. In a strange turn of fate, however, Lewis proves himself as a wizard when he is the only one able to send Selenna back to her grave and destroy the clock that will end the world. The book ends as Lewis settles into his new life and makes a new friend, a girl who is obsessed with canons.



John Bellairs is an American author of children's literature best known for his gothic mystery series following Lewis and Jonathon Barnavelt on their magical adventures. The Lewis Barnavelt series includes twelve volumes, written from 1973 to 2008. The last book in the series is called The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer. The House with a Clock in Its Walls was adapted into a feature film in 2018, starring Jack Black as Uncle Jonathon. The house that inspired the book is the Cronin House from Bellairs' hometown of Marshall, Michigan.