
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Published in 1973, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a time-travel fiction and witch fiction novel by John Bellairs. The story is set in New Zebedee and Michigan. It features Isaac Izard, Lewis Barnavelt and Jonathan Barnavelt. Readers will find themes of magic, magicians, clocks and Halloween.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.2 out of 5 from 17 ratings, and 191 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 41 editions across 4 languages.
It runs to roughly 179 pages — 3–4 hours of reading at an average pace.
About The House with a Clock in Its Walls
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls—a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!
Quick answers
Who wrote The House with a Clock in Its Walls?
The House with a Clock in Its Walls was written by John Bellairs and first published in 1973.
What genre is The House with a Clock in Its Walls?
It is usually shelved as Time Travel, Witch Fiction and Magicians & Illusionists.
How long is The House with a Clock in Its Walls?
The median edition has 179 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to The House with a Clock in Its Walls?
Readers who like it often enjoy The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Howl's Moving Castle and The Magician's Nephew.
More by John Bellairs
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The Curse of the Blue Figurine
John Bellairs

The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring
John Bellairs

The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt
John Bellairs

The Mansion in the Mist
John Bellairs

The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder
John Bellairs, Brad Strickland

The Doom of the Haunted Opera
John Bellairs, Brad Strickland
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