Book description
Living with his grandparents gives Johnny Dixon a lot of time to find
trouble. Or adventure. Or, is it both? In this, the first Johnny Dixon
mystery, our young hero hears the spine-tingling story of Father Baart,
a madman who haunts the town's church. At first, Johnny doesn't believe
in ghosts, but when he takes a scroll and a small Egyptian figurine from
the church basement, all that changes. Soon, a mysterious stranger gives
him a ring, and Johnny plunges headlong into a terrifying adventure.
Along with his new friend Professor Childermass, Johnny races to solve
the mystery of this very real ghost before another life is lost. John
Bellairs is beloved as a master of gothic young adult novels and
fantasies. His series about the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt and his
Uncle Jonathan, which includes THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, is a
classic. He also wrote a series of novels featuring the character Johnny
Dixon. Among the titles in that series were THE CURSE OF THE BLUE
FIGURINE; THE MUMMY, THE WILL, AND THE CRYPT; THE SPELL OF THE
SORCERER'S SKULL and others. His solo novel THE FACE IN THE FROST is
also regarded as a fantasy classic and among his earlier works are ST.
FIDGETA AND OTHER PARODIES and THE PEDANT AND THE SHUFFLY. He was a
prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely
death in 1991.
