Review: House "Creepy And Disturbing And Awesome On A Deeper Level"

Book review: The House with a Clock in its Walls

My parents, in their wisdom, never let my brother or me read the Goosebumps series. But they let – no, encouraged us to read Gothic novels by John Bellairs, which are creepy and disturbing and AWESOME on a deeper level.

These loser kids get mixed up in all kinds of horrible doings. Lewis Barnavelt in The House with a Clock in Its Walls necromances an evil spirit to impress a new friend. Doomsday is usually in the offing. Which is much more scary than the slimy ghouls in Goosebumps.

Besides the supernatural baddies, there’s lots of human cruelty. Kids bully our pudgy heroes relentlessly. There’s betrayal, cowardice, weakness. People sniffle and whine. But these books are comforting, too, because everything is alright in the end. The good guys vanquish evil, save the world and drink hot cocoa with fluffy marshmallows. Which is not a bad way to live your life.

I almost forgot to mention that Edward Gorey designed the covers. His drawings suit the books perfectly. They capture the awkward, slouching kids and the musty evil that lurks around them.

Hunt down a couple of these books, find a hammock and a sweet cold drink and spend a sunny afternoon in bliss. You won’t regret it.

 
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