The Best of John Bellairs...random thoughts

The House With the Clock in Its Walls.

Me: What did you guys think? Did you like it?

Max: Yeah.

Gray: Me, too.

Me: Enough to try the next one?

Gray and Max: Yes!

Gray: Can we start it now?

Me: Maybe. What did you like most about it?

Gray: It was spooky.

Me: How spooky would you say it was? Too spooky? Not enough spooky? Or just right spooky?

Gray: Just right spooky. Too spooky equals scary. And scary gives me bad dreams.

(I personally have to agree with Gray. It really is "just right spooky"! Actually, I was afraid at times it might be too much for them, but they loved every second of it.)


The Figure in the Shadows.

Me: Verdict? Was this one as good as the first one?

Max: They were almost the same good.

Gray: I liked The House With the Clock in Its Walls more. But that was a really hard decision, because they were both really good.

Me: I liked this one, too, but for me I definitely liked the first one better. So, who's your favorite character?

Max and Gray, enthusiastically and in unison: Uncle Jonathan!

Max: No, wait. I liked the ghost in the last one.

Me: You did, huh? Would you like him so much if you had to meet him?

Max: No!

Me: So why Uncle Jonathan?

Max and Gray, again in unison: He's so funny!

Gray: Yeah, and it doesn't hurt that he's a wizard.

Me: Yeah, that is a bonus, isn't it? My favorite character is Mrs. Zimmerman. She's a spunky one. And she's always bringing everyone homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Max: Can you make some chocolate chip cookies?

Me: Hmmm...I sort brought that one on myself, didn't I?

Max and Gray: *grin*


The Letter, The Witch, and the Ring

Me: Okay guys, for me, this one was by far my favorite!!! What about for you?

Gray: Tie. This one and the first one.

Max: Mostly the first.

Me: This book had some pretty scary moments, but there were also some times when you two monkeys were giggling away. What made you laugh in this book?

Gray: Gert Bigger!

Max: The chicken! (We can't discuss this avenue any further for fear of spoilers.)

Me: Gert Bigger was a mean old bag, wasn't she? But sometimes you did just have to laugh at her. What parts did you think were the scariest?

Gray: Gert Bigger!


*****
Okay, so we didn't give you much of a review here. ;)  But let me just say how much all of us enjoyed these three books. They were perfectly wonderful!!! Definitely a bit scary (especially the last one, in my opinion). At times humorous. With a bit of an old-fashioned feel (and I mean that in the very best of ways). Filled with wonderful characters, all of whom are slight misfits...the adults (Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman) content and truly happy in their oddity, while the children (Lewis and Rose Rita) struggle a bit with not fitting in. Truly, I love them all.

And you know what, it might sound silly, but I really think that The Letter, The Witch, and The Ring is a great book for the Women Unbound reading challenge. :D  This book focuses mainly on Mrs. Zimmerman, a wonderful role model, and Rose Rita, a girl just reaching those teen years, struggling because she doesn't feel she fits in. She'd rather play baseball than date the baseball players. But she learns her inner strength, and becomes a bit more confident and trusting in who she really is. Yep, I love both these ladies!