O Mistério da Casa do Relógio

There are things I have liked about John Bellairs' writing since I was a kid – mostly, his descriptions of light for whatever reason... Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are lovely, sweet, and understanding people and that's also a big plus, especially for a kid who didn't get a lot of that at home. I am going to try to read this whole series for the first time - my husband says I shouldn't because it could ruin it for my childhood memories - but I've never read more than a few, and I read them out of order so I'm going to try anyway. The point it, if you kid likes stories of magic and ghosts, this is a good one to try.

Cute book and quick read.

I read this with my son and although we both enjoyed it I don't think it has aged particularly well when you compare it to ‘children's' books released these days.

Very reminiscent of the Goosebumps books. I really enjoyed it. Definitely an author I will have to keep in mind for introducing the future kiddos to horror and gothic stories. I loved the cute dynamic between Florence and Johnathan. Lewis is a wonderful hero; I look forward to reading the rest of his series someday.

3,5/5

Clever story, but oddly paced. The hidden ticking clock is meant to portend some imminent evil, and as the story builds, it seems that young Lewis is going to be in the thick of it. But then suddenly it's all over. What? Also, unfortunately, there's a lot of outdated name-calling–too many “fatso” and “fatty, fatty two-by-four” taunts.

I imagine these shortcomings will be corrected in the upcoming movie, and I definitely can see Jack Black as Uncle Jonathan. So, despite the two stars, not a waste of my reading time.

Creepy when read as both a child and adult and the perfect gateway book to more of Bellair's works

I remember having this book as a kid - this may have been the book that sparked my love of weird fiction and horror. But somehow I retained no memories of the plot; I only remembered that I had read it and that it had great illustrations by Edward Gorey.

So it was delightful to revisit this with a fresh mind - experiencing the story all over again. And I was not disappointed! Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman are awesome, fun grownups and Lewis is a believable, sympathetic character, even when he's making some bone-headed decisions.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie with Jack Black and Cate Blanchett! I guess a lot of people will assume the movie is just an imitation of Harry Potter - isolated orphan child goes to live with quirky, loving guardians who show him that magic is real. But of course, this was written 24 years earlier than Rowling's first volume. It stands up surprisingly well, and was enchanting and amusing.

Fascinating to read this for the first time in 30 years. As much as I remembered, there were a few things I'd forgotten. You build a story in your head of how you remember the book progressing, but in the reread I discovered that it was far more terse than I remembered. And Tarby is a jerk.

Chilling gothic for the young

Well worth the decision to re read. Bellairs has some nice touches as an author. His portrait of Lewis runs true as it should with his uncle and Florence shadowy as befits their warlock and witch status and yet leaves Lewis room to move and grow. So even if Lewis is up against the dead and blackest of necromancy the two adults provide reassurance. Lean nothing wasted in the story telling, no more complicated than it need be but always hinting at greater depths.