The House Where Nobody Lived Book

The lovable underdog Lewis Barnavelt and his best friend Rose Rita are at it again—investigating the curious (and possibly supernatural?) goings-on in their town of New Zebedee. They get more than they bargained for when a new family moves into the Hawaii House, one of the oddest-looking houses in town, and Lewis and Rose Rita are drawn into a mystery involving forces far beyond the shores of their imagination. Why are there strange drumbeats emanating from the top floor of the Hawaii House? And why is Lewis having dreams about Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire?

Incorporating actual Hawaiian legends with a spine-tingling story of suspense, this is another great addition to the Bellairs canon.

Children's Literature

Lewis Barnavelt, age eleven, and his pal Rose Rita Pottinger find an unusual abandoned house outside New Zebedee, Michigan. Spooked by drumming noises and ghostly images he encounters there, Lewis consults his Uncle Jonathan, a skilled sorcerer, who advises the children to avoid the Hawaii House because the house's first owner, Captain Abediah Chadwick, his Hawaiian wife, Princess Makalani, and their servants had mysteriously died there. Several years later, David Keller and his family move into the Hawaii House, unaware it is haunted. Concerned about his new classmate, Lewis tells Uncle Jonathan, who visits the Kellers with his wise maga neighbor, Mrs. Florence Zimmermann, to scan the house for malevolent spirits. Lewis, Rita, and Mrs. Zimmermann research Hawaiian legends, trying to find clues explaining who haunts the house and why. Uncle Jonathan helps the Kellers repair the house's plumbing and insulation so he can investigate further. An exhausted David reluctantly reveals to Rita strange occurrences in his house, interfering with his sleep. Armed with an amulet provided by Mrs. Zimmermann, Lewis spends a night in Hawaii House, experiencing its surreal nocturnal conditions and confronting hostile spirits. This well-paced story provides readers with a suspenseful page-turner. Robert Louis Stevenson's The Bottle Imp, illustrated by Jacqueline Mair, (1996) features another Hawaiian house and supernatural elements similar to this adventure in "A John Bellairs Mystery Featuring Lewis Barnavelt" series.