• click here to return to the homepage •
or 
Home > Categories > Books > Fantasy > The House With a Clock in Its Walls review
Lewis Barnavelt doesn't have time on his side...When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbour, Mrs Zimmermann, are both witches! Lewis couldn't be happier. What's not to like about seeing his uncle practise spells and eating Mrs Zimmermann's famous cookies?
At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that evil Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls - a clock that could obliterate humankind. As the clock can be heard ticking away in the house all the time, sometimes louder, sometimes quieter, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, it is up to the Barnavelts to find where it is hidden in the walls - and stop it. A true race against time...
Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders
The 39 Clues - 1 - The Maze of Bones
Winterstrike
My Story: War Stories for Girls
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea
Miss Melicious Cupcakes
Stan Stinky
Underland Chronicles 1 - Gregor the Overlander
The Girls From Corona Del Mar
Klutz Prankster Magic
Kiwi Corkers: The Ugly Hatchling
Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: The Novel
My Brother's Name is JessicaProduct reviews...
Review by: mizim (Miriam)
Dated: 30th of September, 2018
I've been interested in the film adaptation since my kids and I saw the first trailer, I hadn't any interest in seeking out the original story but when I saw it in the back room at work I thought I'd grab it and give it a read. The film jumps straight into Lewis having been freshly orphaned and moving to live with his uncle in New Zebedee. Lewis is a young, overweight boy who quickly comes to love his new home. There are very few characters in this book and we don't really get to know any of the particularly well, they're all easy to figure out and no one changes or grows personality wise. Infact, when it came down to the final confrontation, I didn't find myself particularly caring about any of the characters.
The plot itself is nothing stunning and I kept finding myself hoping for more to happen, it was only the fact that it was a short book that had me continuing to read till the last page. I liked the basic premise of the book, moving into a new house with a secret that has to be discovered before things go catastrophically wrong. This book was praised when it came out but I find that it hasn't aged well and I'm expecting a lot more action in its big screen version as there was very little here. I expect Lewis is meant to be a likeable character and there was a good subplot revolving around that yearning to fit in but I didn't feel sorry for him, despite that being the aim.
In the end, the premise intrigued me but the story didn't entertain me.
Random listing from 'Books'...
This is the story of Peter Nimble, a ten-year-old blind orphan... who also happens to be the greatest thief who ever lived. One fateful afternoon he steals a box from a mysterious traveller - a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes.
Little does Peter know that these eyes will transport him on an unforgettable adventure to discover his true identity.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Advertising: The science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it."
Stephen Leacock
