When you were young was there a book that you read over and over again? One that the school librarian nearly just gave to you to keep because you just kept checking it out? Can you remember how it looked and felt?
For me, that book was
I had forgotten about it. Then one day I was in line to check out a book or dvd or two at my library, and as I glanced back over the shelves of the juvenile fiction secion, there it was on top of a bookshelf on a little highlight stand.
The story by John Bellairs introduces us to Lewis Barnavelt, his Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann, Uncle Jonathan’s next-door neighbor. Published more than 20 years before the first Harry Potter book, the storyline has similar elements. Lewis is a young boy who is orphaned and sent to live with his Uncle, but instead of Lewis being a wizard or a witch, his Uncle and Mrs. Zimmermann turn out to be the enchanted characters. Many magical things happen as Lewis struggles to fit in and make new friends. There is a scary evil force to be reckoned with that I found well-written and still chilling even after all these years since I read it as a 3rd grader.
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