The House with a Clock in Its Walls

The House With a Clock in Its Walls is a gothic horror novel directed at child readers. It was written by John Bellairs and originally published in 1973. The book was illustrated by Edward Gorey. The book begins when the recently orphaned Lewis Barnavelt moves to the (fictional) town of New Zebedee, Michigan, to live with his mysterious uncle Jonathan Barnavelt. Jonathan turns out to be a mediocre, though well-intentioned, wizard, while his next-door neighbor and good friend, Florence Zimmermann, is a far more powerful good witch. Jonathan's house was previously owned by Isaac and Selenna Izard, a sinister couple who had dedicated their lives to evil magic, and plotted to bring about the end of the world. Before dying, Isaac constructed...