The Doom of the Haunted Opera

by John Bellairs, Brad Strickland

Overview

When Lewis and Rose Rita explore an abandoned theatre, they discover an unpublished opera score entitled "The Day of Doom." Ignoring a strange omen, they show it to their music teacher, who heralds "The Day of Doom" a masterpiece. Little do they know that the eerie Henry Vanderhelm, the composer's grandson, arrives with a plan to awaken the dead and enslave the world! Soon, all the adults are enamored—and enspelled—by Henry Vanderhelm. A mysterious fog descends upon New Zebedee and everyone is trapped inside it. It is up to Lewis and Rose Rita to stop the dead coming back to life. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848128200
Publisher:	Bonnier Books UK
Publication date:	04/15/2020
Series:	The House with a Clock in Its Walls , #6
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	491,731
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

John Bellairs (1938-1991) was an award-winning American author of many gothic mystery novels for children and young adults, including The House with a Clock in Its Walls, which received the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year Award. Brad Strickland has written more than 75 books, including the Lewis Barnavelt series after John Bellairs's death in 1991. He is a professor of English at the University of North Carolina Gainesville. 

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-8A delightful, spooky mystery starring Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger, heroes of several earlier novels. A school assignment leads these 1950s teens to an abandoned theater in the heart of their hometown, New Zebedee, where Lewis finds sheet music inside an old pianoand a ghost, who warns him, ``Beware the doom of the haunted opera!'' The whole town gets involved in staging the opera, and a stranger shows up to watch the action. Henry Vanderhelm claims to be the composer's grandson, but when New Zebedee is suddenly cut off from the outside world, a horrid suspicion dawns on Lewis. Vanderhelm is the composer himselfand the opera is really an elaborate spell designed to make him King of the Dead and enable him to take over the world. Lewis and Rose Rita are bright and likable protagonists. Other characters are equally well drawn, especially the evil Vanderhelm and the mistake-prone would-be magician, Mrs. Jaeger, a neighbor who helps the young people. The action moves quickly; tension escalates nicely, and Lewis gets a boost of confidence from a surprising source when things look bleakest. A great addition to the mystery shelf.Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL

School Library Journal