The Letter, the Witch and the Ring (3) (The House with a Clock in Its Walls)

Odd that this book should be included in the Lewis Barnavelt series in that Lewis barely puts in an appearance in this book. Nor does his uncle. This book is about Lewis’ best friend Rose Rita and the uncle’s best friend Mrs. Zimmermann. They take a road trip together and the last stop is hell…so to speak. Poor Mrs. Zimmermann more than meets her match in an old rival who has taken possession of a magic ring meant for Mrs. Zimmermann. Once again, John Bellairs carries over his oft-used themes from his other books: children given to lying to adults and, just as Lewis was under the power of a magic coin, so too does Rose Rita fall under the sway of the EVIL magic ring. Instead of coopting one of Lewis’ books for Rose Rita, Bellairs should have just given her a series of her own. A fun read.

I love this book, it's so well written, it's from the olden days, you are transported by the authors descriptions and story telling, it's great.

Fun book

Oh, my stars. I was so excited to find this book. I first read it in grade school. I am 57, now and I still love John Bellairs books.Mr. Bellairs is one of the greatest authors in the world. His books can be enjoyed by adults and children. No doubt, his books are classics.His characters are so life like. Rose Rita, Lewis, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are so lovable.If you enjoy some magic, mystery, humour and adventure from a cast of great characters, this is a dandy read. Every book in this series is delightful from the beginning to the end.

This is another great story from an author who was lost too soon. You can't help but like the primary characters and their adventures of good vs. evil. This and all his stories that can be read time and again with the same level of enjoyment. Thank you Amazon for putting his books in Kindle format. Please put up the rest!

Out of all the John Bellairs books I remember reading this one is the scariest. I didn’t read it as a child, but reading as an adult still creeped me out a little and it was an interesting look at Rose Rita and gender conformity, especially given the decade it was published in.

We finished this book in less than a day and we loved it so much! I would read it again a million times again!

As with Bellaris' other novels, this one focuses on the importance of integrity and keeping one's word. Lying is an important aspect and he highlights it here as well as why necromancy is something one should never dabble in.