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Summary: One night Lewis Barnavelt, his best friend Rose Rita Pottinger, and his elderly neighbor Mrs. Zimmermann are gathered together for a meeting with Lewis's guardian and uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt. Lucius Mickleberry, president of Capharnaum County Magicians' Society for the past 30 years, has just passed away. Because Uncle Jonathan is a wizard and Mrs. Zimmermann is a witch, it is necessary for both of them to attend the funeral taking place in Florida.
A little later, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann leave on a plane for Florida. Mrs. Holtz is left in charge of Lewis. Days after the adults' departure, Lewis and Rose Rita are thinking up an idea for a school project on a historical building in New Zebedee, the town where they live. They decide to do their project on the old and closed opera building. The two children find a way into the opera house and start searching for things to write about. When Rose Rita goes to look for costumes behind a curtain, Lewis pokes around the organ. He opens a compartment in the organ and picks up an unpublished opera score entitled "The Day of Doom." Thinking Rose Rita is standing right next to him, Lewis turns around to show her the opera score he has found.
Standing next to him, however, is not Rose Rita but a ghostly figure. "Beware!" whispers the figure in a hoarse croak. "Beware the doom of the haunted opera! He means to be King of the Dead!" Lewis screams as loudly as he can. After explaining what has happened to Rose Rita, Lewis shows her what he has found. Rose Rita and Lewis take the composition to a music teacher, who plays it on the organ. The music teacher acts as if the opera piece is a sacred object. That is when the mysterious Henry Vanderhelm, the grandson of the composer of the opera score, shows up.
Vanderhelm gathers the teachers and all of the other adults in New Zebedee at the school. There he gives out parts in the opera to each person. While the adults of New Zebedee are practicing, school is canceled, and the opera house reopens. Lewis and Rose Rita discover that Vanderhelm's goal is to perform "The Day of Doom" in order to raise the dead and help the evil musician enslave the world. When Lewis and Rose Rita go on a picnic in a nearby town, they see a heavy fog. After they pass through the fog, they discover they are going the opposite way from which they have come. After that, New Zebedee becomes even stranger.
As the two kids pass by the cemetery, they see a gravestone that reads: "The trumpet shall sound and the dead will be raised." When the children get back to Lewis's house they call every magical person in town asking for help. They cannot get through to anyone except for a very weak witch named Mrs. Jaeger. All of the other magicians are trapped inside their own houses. After explaining the situation to Mrs. Jaeger, the trio come up with a daring plan to stop the opera score from being performed and to get Henry Vanderhelm to leave for good.
In Florida, Mrs. Zimmermann and Uncle Jonathan learn about people not being able to get into New Zebedee. Sensing that some demonic spirit is behind this, the pair decide to go home. Meanwhile, Rose Rita and Lewis attempt to burn the musical piece. The magical Vanderhelm, however, takes the form of a very strong figure and captures the kids. Vanderhelm takes Lewis and shoves him down a trap door behind the stage. Luckily, Rose Rita is able to get back and warn Mrs. Jaeger.
On the day of the opera, Mrs. Jaeger is able to contact Mrs. Zimmermann and Uncle Jonathan, who are very close to New Zebedee, through Mrs. Zimmermann's magical mirror. Miraculously, Lewis is able to get out through the trap door. Unfortunately, when Lewis emerges from the trap door, he receives bad news from a singer in the musical. The opera is going to start at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than planned. Mrs. Zimmermann and Uncle Jonathan are not going to arrive at Zebedee until 7 p.m.
Luckily, the opera lasts longer than an hour. When Mrs. Zimmermann, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Jaeger arrive at the opera, they still have time to carry out their plan. While the kids do their best to distract Vanderhelm, the adults chant something very powerful and angry. Suddenly, there is a loud booming noise, and the opera comes to a halt. The singers act as if they do not know what they are doing, and despite Vanderhelm's efforts, they will not continue singing. Vanderhelm disappears, and according to Uncle Jonathan, the evil spirit will not come back. The opera score is confiscated, and New Zebedee returns to normal.
Booklist: "Bellairs fans will welcome the return of Lewis Barnavelt and his best buddy Rose Rita Pottinger."
School Library Journal: "A great addition to the mystery shelf."
Amazon.com: * * * * 1/2
Behind the Books: A Closer Look at John Bellairs: * * *
