The Letter, The Witch, & The Ring by John Bellairs

The Letter, The Witch, and The Ring is the final book in John Bellairs trilogy and was a great ending to this series for young adults. This series was first published in the 70's and I'm sure it's well known by many children's and young adult author's today.

The last book in the series turns it's focus from Lewis to Rose Rita, Lewis' best friend. Lewis has gone off to boy scout camp for the summer and Rose Rita is upset because she is left alone, without her friend. Rose Rita is also going through an identity crisis. She's 13 and finding that she's not like other girls. She'd rather dress like a boy and play sports. She's more about adventure and wants to go to boy scout camp with Lewis. Mrs. Zimmerman, Lewis' next door neighboor, picks up on Rose Rita's sadness and offers her an adventure for the summer.

Mrs. Zimmerman has received a letter from her recently deceased cousin. He has left her his farm in his will and along with the farm, he has left her a magic ring. Mrs. Zimmerman is an experienced witch and doesn't know if the ring truly exists but thinks it's in her best interest to go investigate. Her and Rose Rita embark on a summer adventure with many twists and turns in what is definitely the most suspenseful novel of the trilogy.

I really enjoyed this series. The books are witty, adventurous, gloomy, magical, and above all very human. Great for children. Bellairs did a great job examining real life issues in children and young adults. Lewis is a child dealing with the loss of both of his parents, being over weight, unpopular, and not your "typical male". Rose Rita is a tomboy, likes sports, hates dresses, and likes to hang out with boys. He addresses these issues perfectly and builds these characters as strong, bold, unique individuals that are empowered and brave. Two thumbs way up for John Bellairs!

The Figure In The Shadows by John Bellairs

The second book in John Bellairs trilogy, The Figure in the Shadows, delighted me as much as the first. This book follows our same characters as the first book: Lewis, his Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmerman, and adds Lewis' new best friend Rose Rita.

Lewis is still quite the unpopular kid at school as he was in the first book. He's still chunky, still no good at sports, and is still quite clumsy. He's getting picked on quite a bit at school. To try to cheer him up, his Uncle Jonathan goes through an old chest with Lewis and they root through all kinds of old treasures. Among them is an old "lucky coin." Mrs. Zimmerman declares that the coin has no magical value, but Lewis is not convinced and decides to wear the coin aware his neck. Things start to look better for Lewis, but with things looking better, a not so friendly side of Lewis appears (can we say "my precious"). A figure in the shadows also appears as do some haunting messages.

The illustrations by Mercer Mayer are great. I love Mayer's work and always have. His Little Critters books were some of my favorites when I was a little kid, so it was nice to see some of his work that was new to me.

The Figure in the Shadows is another delightfully creepy tale by John Bellairs and I'm so glad that chose to read this series! Next up is the Letter, The Witch, and the Ring...the final book in the trilogy. Just to remind everyone, you can get all 3 of these novels in one hardcover book called The Best of John Bellairs for $9.99. I'm reminding you because I think it's a great deal and I'm really enjoying them. Really quick reads and quite fun. Perfect for those looking for something for the R.I.P. challenge.

This is the last book on my list for the Banned Books Challenge. I think it's so silly that this book has been banned! My best guess for why it's been banned is for some minor cursing and religious reasons, and for witchcraft I'm sure. Whatever, I'll definitely be passing this book onto my kids one day way in the future. I would've loved these stories around 10 years old. They're great!

The House With A Clock In It's Walls by John Bellairs

What a great little book. The House with a Clock in it's Walls is the first book in a trilogy written by John Bellairs. They are all collected in a book I'm reading called "The Best of John Bellairs" but I decided to review them individually. I'm reading the second book in the trilogy, The Figure in the Shadows, for the Banned Book Challenge.

The House with a Clock in It's Walls is about a young boy named Lewis who's parents have died recently and has now gone to live with his uncle Jonathan. His uncle Jonathan is this wonderfully strange man who lives in a wonderfully strange mansion with a wonderfully strange neighbor by the name of Mrs. Zimmerman. Lewis soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman both dabble in magic...he also learns of a clock buried in the walls of the mansion, and of his uncle's strange obsession with clocks.

Lewis is also going through a rough adjustment process. He's in a new town with new relatives and is trying to make friends. But he's a little chubby kid who's horrible at sports. When one of the popular boys at school shows an interest in him, he does everything he can to keep him as a friend. He goes as far as jumping into aspects of magic and necromancy that he knows nothing about. In doing so, Lewis may have awakened something that can't be put back to rest.

I really enjoyed this first book in the trilogy that was illustrated perfectly by Edward Gorey. This would be a perfect selection for anyone looking for something for the R.I.P. challenge. This book is a hardcover book that contains 3 full novels for $9.99 so it's a great deal. I found my copy at Barnes and Noble and you can click on the link above to get it through their website. The first novel is illustrated by Gorey, the second by Mercer Mayer, and the third by Richard Egielski, who I'm not familiar with.