Best of John Bellairs

3 gothic fantasy classics for kids and adults

John Bellairs remains one of the 20th century's best gothic fantasy writers. Bellairs had a unique flair for bringing scenes to life with concrete detail. He heightens the creeping tension in his stories with the humor of his quirky characters. His tales hit home because his nameless horrors intertwine with common childhood problems, like feelings of rejection and fears of abandonment. His talents are well-represented in this collection. Each story is satisfying and memorable (The House with a Clock in Its Walls is my favorite). I particularly admire how Bellairs doesn't tidy up every loose end. He leaves some questions unanswered, and unanswerable. John Bellairs is perfect for middle-school/junior-high kids and older. He avoids gore and carnage by evoking shivers through suggestion and indirection. (Younger kids with vivid imaginations might find some of his images too scary, or the unease too intense.) Buy one for your favorite bright young teen, and get one for yourself while you're at it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I couldn't put it down!

When I was a girl, 'The Figure In The Shadows' thrilled me. I read it over and over until the binding finally broke and some pages fell out. The hero, Louis, was a shy, overweight, socially inept little boy whose inner strengths overcome overwhelming obstacles, with help from his tomboy best friend Rose Rita, neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman, and warlock Uncle Jonathan. Louis was one of most fully developed characters I had ever come across in my young life. Nearly twenty years after first reading Bellairs, I came across my tattered book at my mother's house while looking for something for my visiting nephew to read. He is an avid reader and had run out of things that he hadn't read at least twice. For his birthday, I bought 'The Best of John Bellairs'. He's a fan of that Potter boy, but said that these stories spooked him even more. While visiting recently, I stayed up very late reading these stories over again. They were as deliciously scary and wonderfully moving as ever! If you have a Harry Potter fan who is looking for something new, buy this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

scariest story 've ever seen in my life

this novel is totally unforgetable......tooo scary

Amazing.

The three stories in this book are amazing.They all have mystery to them that will keep you turning pages. My favorite was 'The figure in the shadwos' story its definitley the best one that will make you you jump. But all of them are really well written and inspire me to write.

A Classic Trilogy

For anyone wanting to get a taste of John Bellairs then this compilation, of rather the three individual books, is THE place to start. While each adventure is standalone excitement, it is nice to see a volume containing three perfectly written, much-praised spine-tingling stories. It¿s a testament to Bellairs that the three books were published in the 1970s (1973, 1975 and 1976, respectfully) and each one is still being loved by generations of fans. Once you read these three stories, take a look for anything else with the name ¿John Bellairs.¿ You will not be disappointed.

Wow--I can't believe I found this--a Gold Mine

I cannot believe I found this book. I was in elementary school (around 6th grade I think) when I read The Figure in the Shadows and The Letter, the Witch and the Ring. Now being 33, I found myself thinking about those stories as I introduce my children to Harry Potter and wanted something else. I cannot believe I found this and I highly recommend it. I can remember not being able to put those books down all those years ago, what a memory! You will be totally engulfed from the first page to the last. I am now looking forward to my order as I never got to read The House with a Clock in it's Walls.

Even Better Than Harry Potter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was in school one day I had to get a book for a report in school and I just picked anything out randomly and as I looked at the cover title it said the 'The Figure in the Shadows,' and I thought oh god, another book that will take forever to read like a month and will bore me, but as I turned the pages it started to fascinate me and take me into a whole different world of fun and even some horror, also thinking how can this author come up with something this good!!! It took me only a couple of days to read it, rather than like a month because I was so interested in it! It isn't like a regular book that my eyes always wondered around gazing at things in the room,while I think man! When is this page gonna end! But this is literally the very, very, very, first book in my whole life so far I have ever read that I loved & enjoyed this much! I tried to actually read a part of the story in the classsrom when the teacher wasn't talking, and so I did. And what is really amazing I used to literally HATE books! But I started to love em' now after this book Bellairs wrote changed my whole entire opinion about them, but I still only like his books. I guess, now I should reccomend some books you should read and here is the answer... ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING, with an author on the front top title page that says 'John Bellairs.' I promise every single one of yous out there that lay your eyes on the first page of one of his books you will not want to stop it! So buy it for your kids or someone for Christmas I am getting 'The Best of John Bellairs,' here at Barnes & Nobles, which not only has one but THREE book of Bellairs in only one edition, because my grandmother is buying me it 4 me and I can't wait till' the order comes in. That's why I think John Bellairs' books are great, because they have some spooky and suspensful parts in them and just because they are plain old GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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