The Dark Secret of Weatherend

Anthony Monday Mysteries #2

by John Bellairs, Edward Gorey (Illustrator)

When Anthony Monday stumbles upon the diary of J.K. Borkman, he thinks he's unearthed a worthless piece of junk. But Borkman's mysterious writings turn out to be much more--plans to turn the world into an icy wasteland. By the time ghastly weather sets in and Anthony realizes it's Borkman's fanatical son who is bent on carrying out his father's horrific work, it may be too late to stop him.

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

John Bellairs (1938–1991) was an American novelist. He is best known for the children's classic The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) and the fantasy novel The Face in the Frost (1969). Bellairs held a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame University and a master's in English from the University of Chicago. He later lived and wrote in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2nd story in the Anthony Monday Series was better than the 1st one I thought. I thought it was exciting. They take a look at the Weatherend mansion that is empty and out of nowhere, someone is at the house. From there, things get weird. They meet the owner and he hypnotizes both Anthony an Miss Ells. They found a book of spells and it's taken from them.

Borkman is a sorcerer (John Bellairs loves a good sorcerer villain.) and he knows how to use the weather to end the world. Silly, but oh, the gothic content in the story is epic. Anthony and Miss Ells have to go up to Duluth to find the grave of old Borkman to end the spell. There is such a journey to get up there in some harrowing weather and then it's a puzzle to solve.

This is some fun stuff and I loved this story. I am thrilled to get another John Bellairs book to read. I'll do a re-read of the 3rd book, which I have read and then I will read my last book that John wrote for kids. I'm glad I have gotten through them all, but I will be sad to finish these stories. They are great for young readers and I think they can still entertain any generation. They are so good and creepy and spine tingly. It has been a treat and a pleasure reading these stories.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

--- RE-READ: January 2023 :)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Re-read: January 2016

Just as fun, creepy, and awesome as I remember. :D

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Re-Read January 2021!! Of course I loved it just as much as the other 5 times haha

________________________________________

Such a perfect spooky and fantastical winter read!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Bellairs beats the pants off of the Da Vinci Code as far as the "collect the clues and figure out what the hell is going on" genre is concerned. Dan Brown should be ashamed of himself. He should also probably read this book to see how it should be done.

I remember re-reading this probably once a year when I was younger, and still got creeped out each time I read it. With relics hidden in statues and seemingly out-of-control weather that seems to be signifying the end of the world... the story still holds up.

I still recommend this to parents looking for a good creepy YA book for their kid(s) at the bookstore.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying sequel to the first book in the Anthony Monday series, The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn. I like this one a bit better. At first, I was unsure because it had supernatural elements and the first one didn't. I was hoping it wasn't because the first book wasn't successful so John Bellairs had to change his strategy, but he was pretty well-known for writing supernatural Gothic horror, so I think he knew what he was doing. And he did pull off the magical bits well. It wasn't too overbearing and it gave the story a creepy, dark tone which I liked.

I'm starting to like Anthony and Miss Eells more. My only problem with this book was the ending. It is anticlimactic and I didn't like how everything was explained at the end. Miss Eells' brother explained everything, they were all happy, etc. It felt too juvenile. Speaking of juvenile, the name Weatherend. Weather end: the end of the world brought about by apocalyptic weather. Really? Overall, this was a quick read (I read it in about two hours). There are still two more books left in the series, and since I bought the last one for a dollar I might as well finish reading them.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the Anthony Monday kept their intrigue for me because they were in many ways alien, and difficult for me to understand in elementary school--St. Cloud, Minnesota? Inheritances, saint's bones? The threat of the apocalypse?--yet still so chilling. I also really liked Ms. Ells.

[Mjhancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise: 14 year old Anthony Monday and his best friend, the 68 year old librarian Miss Eells, trespass on to the old Weatherend property, and get chased off by its new owner. They soon realize something sinister is going on, as said owner seems to be behind an escalating series of devastating weather trends. Can they save the world from terminal bad weather?
Primary Characters: Anthony Monday, a 14 year old boy with a lot of curiosity but also a bit on the timid end; Miss Eells, an abrasive 68 year old librarian with a penchant for stirring up trouble; Emerson, Eels' younger lawyer brother and a bit of a know it all; Anders Borkman, sorcerer and would-be destroyer of Earth.
How Haunted is the House? : Mmmm. Not very haunted, TBH. The garage has some eldritch statues, and there's a neat crypt at the end, but I'm not sure the characters ever actually go in the titular house. Bit of a mispick on my part, I'm afriad.
Is it spooky? : Slightly spooky. More a frisson of spooky. A soupçon of spooky. There are some tense moments, such as the aforementioned crypt exploration, but it's mostly the kind of spook you'd get from a 1980s children's novel that's slightly darker than the typical adventure book.
Is it Halloween? : Yeah, yeah I'm going to say it is. It's weird, it's fun, and there's just enough spook there to give it a bit of flavor. The adventure is a little scary and a little bit of a riddle, the stakes are clear, the baddie is appropriately villainous, and the characters are fun together. It's not quite the same thrill and adult equivalent of this would give, but for a kid story, it qualifies as Halloween under the arbitrary specifications I have created.
Also, it has a cover by Edward Gorey, which I think bumps it up a point on my invented scale.

Quote: [context: Eells has been demoted to the library annex for offending a member of the library board. Anthony is visiting her.]
"Hi, Miss Eells!" he said grinning cheerfully. "I had the day off today, so I thought I'd come and see you! How're you doin', huh?"
Mis Eells made a sour face. "Don't ask! Actually, if you want to know, I'm bored out of my ever-loving mind! About three people a day come to use this stupid little library, pluse one or two tourists who need to use the bathroom. Thank God you stopped by! I think that in another hour I would have been pitching rocks at passing cars."

Random thoughts (with spoilers): In case it's not clear, even if it's not really a haunted house story, I found this book very charming. The main characters are a teen boy and his best friend, a 68 year old librarian. And their dynamic is delightful throughout. I want a dozen more Eells stories.
I also really liked the villain. The story is essentially a comic book supervillain plot, but instead of Captain America or Dr Strange for his nemesis, this guy has Miss Eells from small town Minessota as an a nemesis.
If I made a pact with demons to utilize the weather to destroy the world, then died mysteriously, would I leave instructions for my son to continue my work AND leave a series of clues that would give unlikely heroes a limited chance to foil said son? I like to think I would.

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Anthony Monday book by John Bellairs, and unlike the first, which contains no supernatural elements, The Dark Secret of Weatherend brings Monday into Bellairs' more typical world of wizards and midwestern gothic magic.

Like his other novels, this one is well written and charming. All of his books have an odd style - gothic supernatural elements set in the 1950's, set either in the Midwest (as with this book) or New England (the Johnny Dixon books). Compared to the others, Weatherend has a unique and interesting plot, although the climax is a bit rushed. As a whole, the Anthony Monday books were not as popular as his other series, and you can see why with this one. Anthony's partner in crime, the elderly Miss Eels, does not have the depth of character and background to make as compelling a story as, say, Johnny Dixon's Prof. Childermass.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's great having Grandkids who are as into reading as I am! Recently our 9 year old granddaughter suggested I read this book and I am so GLAD that I did. It's a mystery that will keep you reading as you want to find out what happens next in each chapter. As she says, "it's so descriptive"!

I found it along the lines of Indiana Jones and his adventures. The unlikely pair of a 14 year old boy named Anthony and Miss Eells, described as an elderly librarian (but I think she is only in her 60's and right now I don't consider that elderly!) trying to solve a mystery happening in their town which could destroy it and all that they know.

A thriller for sure and definitely worth a read! I will be looking for his other books as well.

[MaryEllen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book with delightful characters. Magic, evil villain, and the destruction of the works - what more could you ask for! So glad I picked up my first John Bellairs book! 😁

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong entry in Bellair's canon. The second Anthony Monday book is a departure from the previous one, as it has the addition of very strong supernatural elements. The interactions between the characters are fun. There was a little too much "deus ex machina" at the end, but it fits with the mood of the book.

By now, the Bellairs books (This is the seventh in a row I've read!) have fallen into a bit of a routine, so I think I'll take a break for awhile -- I don't want to burn through them all too quickly!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! The characters make the story. I love the friendship between Anthony and Ms. Eells. And I love how Bellairs isn't afraid to portray real evil in his stories. "Horror" for kids has been watered down in the last 20 years or so. And it's a shame because kids like to be scared, and without good kidlit to scare them, they'll often find themselves drifting into teen and adult horror territory which they might not be ready for yet.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 2011:Who knew that Duluth was such a hotbed of sorcerous skulduggery?

For reasons which I've never quite been able to put my finger on, Bellairs has always been my comfort reading of choice. This isn't one of his very best but since there are so few in the Anthony Monday series I thought I'd start my re-read with it.

December 2016: One of my snowy weather re-reads.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gothic-style novel for young readers. Good, but resolves a little conveniently. I generally feel that if you need an additional chapter after the climax to explain to the protagonist (and the reader) what happened, how, and why, you've not done the job properly.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

"Fourteen-year-old Anthony Monday of Hoosac, Minnesota, and his friend Miss Eells, the Hoosac librarian, try to stop an evil wizard from turning the world into an icy wasteland." (From Amazon)

A great mystery paranormal children's novel

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in the Anthoy Monday series. I liked this one a lot better than the first one. It was a plesant surprise.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow burn, but I made Jeff read aloud for two hours the other night so we could get to the climactic end, which involves the blood of Jesus. Correct, the blood of Jesus.

[Amanda Langdon]

Great Suspense/Thriller for Young Readers

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty much love anything by John Bellairs.

[Leaflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild stuff. And most of it happens in Duluth.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decidedly creepy juvenile gothic about Anthony Monday and Miss Eells, a decrepit estate, and a plot to end the world with the weather.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never, never, never read books by Bellairs after dark. They scare me to shivers. Always finish them before it becomes dusk or you will stay up all night afraid.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent. Better than some of the Lewis Barnavelt ones.

[Alicia A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little more sorcery, but still really good.

[Cris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this title up because it was listed as a read alike for the Harry Potter series. I disagree.

[Reece Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this one a couple of times now, but each reading feels like a new experience and I was happy to discover that this book is definitely one of Bellairs' best.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting through this book, I didn't connect with the characters at all and it had a magical element which was just unconvincing. Having been published in the mid-80s, a full 10 years before the publishing of the Harry Potter series, any kind of magical theme would be compared to the JK Rowling standard and this book does not make the grade. Though apparently the author is well-known for his gothic mystery stories - so perhaps his Junior Fiction works improved through the years.

The main characters are Anthony Monday, a teen, and an elderly Librarian, Miss Eells who have become good friends after working together at the local Library. One afternoon Miss Eells takes Anthony to explore the abandoned Estate of Weatherend. Anthony is not enthusiastic about the visit but follows along anyway. Inside a dilapidated barn Anthony discovers an old diary that belongs to the original owner, who was known to have been a millionaire madman, J.K. Borkman. While there, they also discover that the Estate is not actually deserted. Fearful of a barking dog in the distance they grab the book and take off, the dog right behind them.

Enter the glowering wizard of the story, Anders Borkman, the son of J.K. Borkman who wants the book back. The book is necessary for his evil plan to control the world by controlling the weather. The reader is never a witness to any of Borkman's spell conjuring but we do learn that he can hypnotize people and he can disrupt the weather and cause misery in that manner.

Of course, Miss Eells and Anthony are the only two people that can save the world and despite many convoluted roadblocks along the way, they keep on trying. The end finishes up with a problem to solve which is really the only section of the story where you feel like you, as the reader, could be a part of the puzzle-solving, where you are given some information to process and try to figure out along with the protagonists.

After the climax of the story the author then includes another chapter that tries to fill-in all the parts of the story that had been left unanswered. Again, it was a very unconvincing effort overall.

[Rachel]

1950s Minnesota and a gawky teenager is weirdly BFF with the town old lady librarian (and yet I didn't blink an eye at Johnny Dixon buddying up with Professor Childermass) when spooky shit starts going down at the old abandoned mansion outside of town. Pretty straightforward, but then we get bits of ephemera like this:

A Disquisition Concerning the Inwardness of Things, and How the World Made Be altered And the Clouds Made to Do Your Bidding
Incense and offerings before the throne of the Most High, and seven candles lit to the seven thrones of knowledge, and the four thrones of the bringers of lightning, hail, wind, and snow. How I will laugh, when I have brought low those who mocked me! Jupiter the Hurler of Bolts stands again in the temple. A roaring wind shall sweep aside Unbeliever and Fool, and the slate will be wiped clean, so that life may begin anew...

Look, if you're 9 in 1996 and reading this on the school bus, it's a deeply bad ass experience. The antagonist in this, telepathic golem Anders Borkman, is far scarier than the coot in the previous book. And, of course, we've got some spooky Catholic relics to thank for all this wickedness.

[Simón · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't resist picking this up from a library free box during this spooky month. I don't remember reading it either as an avid Bellairs fan child. Of course, I'm sold on adolescent nerdy boys befriending clumsy elderly librarians. Fun read, but also as an adult, I'm super impressed with this coded queer stuff going on. There's the single, criminally-overdressed uncle with fancy pipes and vintage car. There's the child-free librarian who doesn't get along with the "tea time" women at work because they're normies. And of course there's our hero who isn't like his hotrod brother and worries about believing in magic and has no friends. Yes! No wonder I felt such kinship with these books. Wikipedia tells me that Bellairs married a woman. I appreciate how this fictional world supported my imagination.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Bellairs read. Solid prose. Call backs to earlier things with characters that live in that time deeply instead of shallow understanding of the time. Jingles, products, places, accurately researched. Very pleasant to see an author go through so much work for what is seen as a kid's adventure/mystery story. And it is used so in passing that it it doesn't stand out. The mystery itself has clues that may seem improbable to be solved by any one person without broad knowledge in obscure things and sayings. But it is an absurd tale of mystery for kids, so let it be. At least the clues weren't solved by a single individual alone and they have to work for it mostly.