
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
15 quotes
Biography
The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a 1973 juvenile mystery fiction novel written by American author John Bellairs and illustrated by Edward Gorey. It is the first of the Lewis Barnavelt novel series.
"[First lines, writing letter] Dear Lewis: Enclosed, please find one bus ticket and two silver dollars for your trip to Michigan. I'm really sorry about the loss of your parents. Your mom was my sister, so that makes you family. And I'll do my best to make you feel right at home. As Einstein said, life is like a bicycle. To stay balanced, you got to keep moving forward. And so will we. I look forward to meeting you. Your Uncle Jonathan. PS Sorry for the stain on the letter. That's chocolate."
"[Last lines, when the Griffin's topiary waste splat onto the Chair with The End card] Bad kitty! Use the litter box!"
"There's a clock in the walls. We don't know what it does, except... something horrible."
"[To Lewis] I can give you the right books, teach you the right spells, but that last 1%, that's up to you."
"We don't know where the clock is or what it does, except something horrible. No, we gotta do the responsible thing: lie to the kid."
"[Upon being surrounded by possessed pumpkins] Don't worry, their teeth are made of pumpkin, they can't really hurt us. [Pumpkin projectile vomits in his face] Okay, I made that one up."
"[Upon being surrounded by possessed pumpkins] Oh, my giddy aunt."
"[A host of pumpkin monsters appear, but she blasts them] God, I hate pumpkins."
"[While Jonathan is playing the saxophone, to Lewis] Be a dear: fetch a knife and stab me in the ears."
"Kyle MacLachlan as Isaac Izard"
"Renée Elise Goldsberry as Selena Izard"
"Vanessa Anne Williams as Rose Rita Pottinger"
"You're invited somewhere timeless."
"Discover a place where magic lives."
"Magic lives behind every door."