The House with a Clock
in its Walls
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The House With a Clock in Its
Walls about a boy named Lewis Barnavelt whose parents were
killed in an auto accident one night. Lewis is a chubby
10-year-old who is afraid of everything.
He is sent to live with his
Uncle Jonathan in New Zebedee. Lewis meets his uncle's
friend, Mrs. Zimmermann. Lewis learns that Uncle Jonathan
and Mrs. Zimmermann are both witches.
When school starts up, the
kids make fun of Lewis because of his size and because he
can't catch, pitch, bat, or throw when they play
baseball.
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After Lewis becomes friends with a boy
named Tarby who helps him play baseball better, Lewis feels he should
do Tarby a favor. Lewis has Tarby over to his uncle's mansion, and
Uncle Jonathan eclipses the moon. Tarby doesn't believe Uncle
Jonathan really eclipsed the moon so Lewis's friendship changes with
Tarby. Tarby stops being Lewis's friend and starts avoiding Lewis.
Lewis wants to win back Tarby's friendship so Lewis says he'll raise
the dead on Halloween night. Lewis learns to do this without Uncle
Jonathan's permission.
On Halloween night Lewis does raise the
dead. By mistake he raises the evil witch named Serenna Izard.
Serenna Izard had tried to end the world, but she had died before she
finished setting her clock. The clock is in Uncle Jonathan's house.
Now Lewis, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmermann are the only ones who
can stop her from destroying the world.
Lewis gets caught by Serenna when he
goes in Serenna's house to face her in a magic duel. Luckily Mrs.
Zimmermann saves Lewis and almost kills Serenna again. Uncle Jonathan
tells Lewis to make up instructions for a ceremony so they can find
the clock in the walls of the house.
The first instruction of Lewis's
ceremony is to light candles in every window. The second instruction
is to play "Chopsticks" on the organ. The third instruction is to
play poker until someone gets the Ace of Nitwits. Then Uncle Jonathan
has to put the Ace on his forehead with a piece of bubblegum. The
last instruction is to get a magic eight ball and ask it where the
clock is. When they find the clock, Mrs. Izard is already there. She
was just about to finish setting the clock when Lewis throws the
clock and breaks it. Lewis lives happily after that until the next
book, The Figure in the Shadows.
