John Bellairs Books In Order

Publication Order of Lewis Barnavelt Books

Publication Order of Anthony Monday Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Johnny Dixon Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Children's Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

John Bellairs was an American author who focused the majority of his work in the Gothic genre. He is best known for his books The Face in the Frost and The House with a Clock in its Walls.

His novel The House with a Clock in its Walls was adapted into a movie starring Owen Vaccaro as Lewis, Jack Black as Uncle Jonathan. The movie was directed by Eli Roth and released in September 2018. Some of Bellairs’s work was continued and published posthumously by Brad Strickland.

The House with a Clock on its Walls

The House with a Clock on its Walls features Lewis Barnavelt, a young man who lost his parents in a grisly accident. He goes to stay with his uncle Jonathan in Marshall, Michigan. Lewis expects to have a normal childhood. While his uncle’s physique scares him at first, he quickly learns that he’s one of the kindest people he’s ever met. To Lewis’s delight, Uncle Jonathan also comes with a superpower. Both Uncle Jonathan and the neighbor next door, Mrs. Zimmerman are magicians. Lewis is thrilled to see the two magicians in action, and as time goes, the young boy is tempted to try the magic as well.

Life at Uncle Jonathan’s Victorian mansion fun and the only thing that disturbs the peace here is the deafening tick of the clock that echoes throughout the house. The weird thing is no one can see the clock. While experimenting with magic, Lewis unknowingly resurrects Selena Izard, the former owner of the house. It turns out that Selena, together with her husband, had built a clock into the walls of the house. This timepiece was like no other as it had the capacity to obliterate humankind. The only people who could stop this clock are the Barnavelt. Now the Barnavelt is left with no choice but to race against time to save mankind.

It is refreshing to have a main character that many kids can identify with. Lewis doesn’t have much self-confidence, and this becomes clear when he is willing to bend over backward for a relationship. Like many boys his age, Lewis runs away in tears every time things do not go as he expected. Lewis’s life gets a little better when he befriends Tarby, the most popular boy in school. Lewis is determined to do anything to maintain the status quo, and when he feels Tarby pulling away, he does something that comes with more significant consequences than he expected. His magic attempt lands more than just the Barnavelt in trouble.

The House with a Clock on its Walls is a spooky children book filled with haunting moments and magic. To make some of the details sink even further, the book comes with very clear illustrations. The book is short and can be enjoyed in a single sitting, and the story flows well from the start to the end. This book is not just great for children. If you are young at heart and is looking for a magic theme, quirky and endearing characters, The House with a Clock on its Walls is a perfect choice.

The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn

The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn is the first book in the Antony Monday Mysteries. The book features Anthony Monday, a boy working at a local library. Anthony hears his parents fight about money every night and decides to help whichever way he can. When his father suffers a heart attack and cannot go back to work, Anthony is left with no choice but to get a job. Because of his age, getting a job is not as easy, but when he talks to Miss Eells, she is all too happy to offer Anthony a part-time job at the Hoosac Public library.

The Hoosac library is housed in an old house previously owned by Alpheus Winterborn. Alpheus owned a silverware company that made him a lot of money. And thanks to his wealth, he could afford to spend time and other resources inventing and collecting things. A rumor that Alpheus hid treasures in the old library went around, but no one confirmed whether this was the truth or not.

Miss Eells makes it clear that his job includes filing books and dusting shelves, but Anthony’s curiosity leads him to think deeply about an old legend on peculiar millionaire Alpheus Winterborn. Because whatever Anthony earns from the library can barely cover a fraction of his needs, he is determined to discover the treasure hidden in the library. As Anthony digs deeper into the legend, he finds clues that could lead to the Alpheus treasures.

Anthony shares his findings with Miss Ella, who concludes that the clues are simply jokes left by Winterborn just before his death. She changes her mind when strange things start to happen. Puzzling dealings with Mr. Hugo Philpot’s, Alpheus’s nephew makes Miss Eells believe that there is more to the gold coin and the verses that Anthony discovered. The boy could just have discovered some information that could leave them insanely rich at the end of the day. Unfortunately, Anthony and Miss Eells are not the only people who are keen to discover the hidden treasures.

Anthony has a full-blown mystery at his hands. What the young boy does not anticipate are the deadly turns the mystery takes. Like any 13-year-old, Anthony is impulsive. Fortunately, he has Miss Eells to guide him and keep him grounded. Will these two survive the journey they embark to discover the hidden treasures? Will the rich brat, Hugo Philpot get to the treasure way before these two can figure the exact location? Well, read all this and so much more in The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn.

This book is light on the horrors, but it is still a sound mystery piece for children. The story is simple, so it is easy for the average 13-year-old to follow and understand all that is going on. The cast is colorful, Anthony and Miss Eells make an odd team, and the mistakes they make along the way are hilarious. An excellent read that both the young and old can enjoy.