The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs (1993)

I m an optimist, but I do think there are many tasks that are impossible. One of those impossible tasks would be to come up with a single list of classic children s literature that every child should read. Rather, I think each individual must make his or her own list of which books spoke to him or her and which books left him or her a greater person for having read it. I d be hard-pressed to put together a list that I d feel was comprehensive. If I did, though, most of those books would probably appear on many people s lists: The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Phantom Tollbooth, and James..

After both his parents die, LEWIS, a quiet ten-year old boy, goes to live with his mysterious Uncle Jonathan. UNCLE JONATHAN is a heavyset, boisterous man who lives in a mansion. Lewis likes living there the mansion is cool and Uncle Jonathan is like a big kid. And Jonathan can do magic. Lewis explores the town it s beautiful and old, with a sense of antiquity that makes it a rather surreal and mysterious place, in rather a Mark Twain sort of style. It made me miss the old New England town where I grew up. Subtle magical stuff happens, particularly in Jonathan s house. Jonathan tells Lewis..

Somehow I was lucky enough that some grownup chose "The House with a Clock in its Walls" as a Christmas gift to me when I was 11 or so. They didn't realize, I don't think, that they had landed on a true classic. The story, which later grew into a trilogy, is of a young, overweight, nervous boy who goes to live with his intriguing uncle in New Zebedee, Michigan, in 1948, after his parents die. Lewis soon finds that his uncle, who lives in a creaky old mansion with dozens of unused rooms, is not your typical guy. Both Uncle Jonathan and his next door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are witches. But..

Long, long, long before Harry Potter invaded the children's literature landscape, there was Lewis Barnavelt, his Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman - and later, Rose Rita. After his parents' death, Lewis travels to New Zebedee where he will live with his Uncle Jonathan. Uncle Jonathan lives in a large, old house with creaky stairs and strange sounds - including a ticking that comes from behind the walls. In addition, Lewis find his uncle to be a bit of an oddball, and finds him muttering strange sounding words with his next door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman. Uncle Jonathan reveals that he is a...