40th Annual Historic Home Tour

John Bellairs's hometown is celebrating 40 years of its Historic Homes Tour on September 6 and 7, 2003.

The Marshall, Michigan home tour continues offering exquisite private homes and businesses for public viewing and enjoyment. The tour will feature eight vintage homes and will include five historic museums covering diverse specialties such as unusual architecture, antique home furnishings, Civil War memorabilia, and a restored antique post office. To close out the tour's sixteen structures will be three businesses from Marshall's well-maintained historic business district. The event takes place every year on the weekend after Labor Day.

For further information call the Marshall Historical Society or the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce.

Inside the Cronin House (1977)

As a fifth grader growing up in Marshall, Michigan, author Bryndis Rubin had a class interview assignment.  Being extremely fond of John Bellairs' books, she talked her classmates into doing something involving the Cronin House, the inspiration for the house with a clock in its walls. Upon calling the owners, the Misses Elizabeth and Virginia Cronin, she explained the project and was granted a tour and interview.

Book Alert: The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost

After two years of staying silent in New Zebedee, the latest adventure of Lewis Barnavelt and company has been released, The Whistle, the Grave and the Ghost. This is the tenth book in the Barnavelt series, coming 30 years after the release of the first, The House with a Clock in its Walls. Cheers to Lewis and Brad.

Authentic Author To Be Cited

Ruth Martin passes word along that John Bellairs will be profiled in the upcoming Favorite Children's Authors and Illustrators, part of a 6-volume reference set aimed at middle-school readers.