Books in Johnny Dixon Mystery series

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. "Heart-stopping" -Booklist "As moody as a cold rainy day in March ... a horror story to be savored until the final page." -School Library Journal

John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude, and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. Now, the ten top-selling titles feature an updated cover look. Loyal fans and enticed newcomers will love the series even more with this haunting new look!

Professor Childermass's brother Peregrine has left behind a huge inheritance--a mansion, ten million dollars and a cryptic riddle that might save the world from a madman. The only catch is that the professor must stay on the estate up in Maine for the entire summer. Johnny Dixon and his friend Fergie decide to come along to keep the professor company but little do they know the dangerous magic that awaits them there. As they try to decode the strange rhyme in Peregrine's will, a powerful force is circling ever closer. Will they solve the mystery in time? Will the madman stay one step ahead of them? Who will help them save the world from destruction? This seventh book in the Johnny Dixon mystery series will have readers on the edge or their seats...or maybe hiding under the covers.

Their friend Father Higgins is in trouble and it's up to Johnny and Professor Childermass to save him from the forces of evil. In this, the eighth Johnny Dixon mystery, Johnny and the professor hear word of Father Higgins being haunted and when he disappears, clues lead them to England. There, they find the priest has been possessed by Dr. Masterman, the ghost of a deranged knight bent on ruling the world. Masterman intends to reanimate the bodies of seven evil fellow knights trapped in a hidden, underground room. Hundreds of years ago, the knights sold their souls to the devil and, if Masterman can bring them back, the entire world would be his to control. Can Johnny and the professor stop him in time? Is there any hope of getting their friend back from the spirit's clutches?

By donating a box full of strange objects, Professor Childermass gets his young friend Johnny Dixon a summer job at the Gudge Museum. Everything seems okay as Johnny mops the floors and dusts the artifacts. That is, until a sinister man named Mattheus Mergal shows up looking for the one item the professor held back to keep safe--a wooden hand carved by the evil wizard Esdrias Blackleash. If Mergal gets the hand, he'll be able to bring back his long-dead relative and their sinister powers will be unstoppable. It's up to Johnny and the professor to keep Mergal from taking over the world, but they'll have to face nightmares, snakes, and imprisonment inside a tiny snow globe. Can they stop Mattheus Mergal in time? In this tenth book in the Johnny Dixon series, author Brad Strickland continues the fast-paced adventures and eerie atmosphere first created by master of chills John Bellairs.

John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude, and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. Now, the ten top-selling titles feature an updated cover look. Loyal fans and enticed newcomers will love the series even more with this haunting new look!