I read several books by John Bellairs to my kids before they became teenagers. Bellairs books featured youngsters not afraid to take some risks to solve mysteries that contained Supernatural elements. Of the several series Bellairs wrote, my favorite was the Lewis Barnavelt series. Lewis is a smart but chubby boy who gets picked on at school. His parents are dead and Lewis has been taken in by his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt, a wizard. Needless to say, Lewis and his uncle stumble over all kinds of supernatural happenings.
The first three titles in the Lewis Barnavelt series were written by John Bellairs. Following Bellairs’ death in 1991, his estate commissioned Brad Strickland to write three more Lewis Barnavelt novels based on notes and manuscripts left by Bellairs. Strickland then went on to write six more original novels in the series.
The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder is the 5th book in the Lewis Barnavelt series. Lewis and his uncle travel to England to visit their cousin at the ancestral Barnavelt Manor. The Manor is in disrepair because Cousin Pelly is struggling financially. Lewis meets the housekeeper’s son, Bertie, who is blind. The boys explore the large garden maze and accidentally summon the ghost of Malachiah Pruitt, a 300 year old Witch-Finder, who tried to have one of Lewis’s ancestors executed for witchcraft. Pruitt uses his powers to stun Cousin Pelly and Uncle Jonathan so it’s up to Lewis and Bertie to wrestle with this powerful spirit and his spooky familiar.
While the Lewis Barnavelt books are classified as Young Adult novels, the stories are compelling and with each book the reader sees Lewis grow more confident in his battles with demonic forces. Fun reading! I recommend the entire series! GRADE: B+
Lewis Barnavelt novels:
1 The House with a Clock in Its Walls (1973)
2 The Figure in the Shadows (1975)
3 The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring (1977)
4 The Ghost in the Mirror (1993)
5 The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder (1993) (with Brad Strickland)
6 The Doom of the Haunted Opera (1995) (with Brad Strickland)
SERIES CONTINUED BY BRAD STRICKLAND:
7. The Specter from the Magician’s Museum (1998)
8. The Beast Under the Wizard’s Bridge (2000)
9. The Tower At the End of the World (2001)
10. The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost (2003)
11. The House Where Nobody Lived (2006)
12. The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008)
I was aware of Bellairs as a bookseller, but didn’t try his work, nor continuations….thanks for the pointers!
Todd, the target audience for most of Bellairs and Strickland’s work are pre-teens. Of course, Diane tells me I’m a 12-year-old at heart!
These books were hot, hot, hot in my early days at Books & Company.
There’s a movie of The House with a Clock in Its Walls and it isn’t bad. Jack Black is tolerable; this is one of his less obnoxious roles.
Beth, Patrick and Katie enjoyed the Bellairs and later the Strickland books before they moved on to more Young Adult teenager novels. I still enjoy reading Bellairs and Strickland when I come across their books.
I’ve only read “The House with a Clock in It’s Walls” but keep meaning to read more Bellairs. May this fall. He seems like an autumn read.
I live a short drive from Bellair’s hometown of Marshall that was the inspiration for New Zebedee and where the house that inspired the house that was the inspiration for the book still stands. It’s a very charming little town.
Byron, I read “The House With a Clock in its Walls” and saw the movie version. The series gets more spooky as it goes along. Autumn (and maybe Halloween) might be the perfect time to read more Bellairs! And the books are fairly short so reading them is a breeze!