The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge

The first of the Lewis Barnavelt novels will always be my favourite, but Brad Strickland does such a good job of continuing the series that I’m always glad to dive into another adventure with Lewis and Rose Rita! In this story they face possibly their scariest foe yet - a creature from another dimension, that is clearly inspired by those of Lovecraftian lore. Rather than being summoned by a sorcerer from the depths of the ocean, this one accidentally made its way to earth by way of a meteorite that landed not too far from where Lewis and his uncle make their home, and was given power by a strange spell that entwined its life force with an evil sorcerer. The sorcerer’s spell didn’t work properly the first time though, so only part show more of the creature’s power manifested - along with the tale of how another coming of the legendary meteor would awaken more of its kind - surviving to the time when Lewis is alive. But down the ages a pair of evil spell casters have been waiting to complete the spell and bring the cthulian beasts to life - and Lewis and Rose Rita are the only ones who seem to realize exactly what’s going on. Of course, they’re completely forgetting about the knowledge of Uncle Johnathan and Mrs. Zimmerman (and the rest of the Capharnaum County magicians), but it wouldn’t be quite the same adventure if they left it all up to the adults now, would it? Between the bunch of them, they manage to solve the riddle and cast just the right spell to send the horrible creature catapulting into the sun - hopefully never to be seen again! Strickland might have been a little overly ambitious in terms of plot and complexity in this children’s book (the plot would have done well as an adult-sized novel with some added denouement), but we got just enough adventure and excitement to last us through this latest escapade. show less

A bridge over a local river is being torn down and replaced, and Lewis, Rose Rita, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmerman are all worried what that will mean. The bridge was more than a public works project - it was build with magic iron to keep something very evil at bay. So Lewis and Rose Rita do some sleuthing to figure out exactly what is lurking under the bridge and who is trying to set it free.
I think Stickland does a nice job of taking over this series, and this is another fun entry. Charlie certainly enjoys them and they make great bedtime read-alouds.