Johnny Dixon (series)

Johnny Dixon is a fictional American boy featured in a series of twelve children's gothic horror novels, 1983 to 1999, written by John Bellairs or his successor Brad Strickland. In each book, 12-year-old Johnny and his group of friends face and overcome evil forces usually bent on ending the world.Bell, Bob: "Bellairs' Book Fast-Paced Thriller", Edmonton Journal, November 12, 1986."BookPicks: Kids' Books", Herald-Journal, May 12, 2004.Clendineng, Sarah: "What's Happening @ Your Library: Halloween Reads", Fort Madison Daily Democrat, October 24, 2007. Alternatively, Johnny Dixon is the book series ("Johnny Dixon and the Professor" in ISFDB).

The series is set in the early 1950s. Johnny lives with his paternal grandparents in fictional Duston Heights, Massachusetts. His mother has died of cancer some time prior to the beginning of the series, and his father is a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Johnny's best friend, history professor Roderick Childermass, lives across the street. In The Mummy, the Will and the Crypt, Johnny meets a boy his own age, Byron Q. "Fergie" Ferguson, at a Boy Scouts camp. Thenceforth, Johnny, Fergie, and Professor Childermass (who is typically referred to as simply "the professor") are the three principal characters of the series.

Series bibliography

#TitleMonthYearChapters Pages Writer Illustrator01The Curse of the Blue FigurineBellairs, John. The Curse of the Blue Figurine. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1983. May198312200John BellairsEdward Gorey02The Mummy, the Will, and the CryptBellairs, John. The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1983. Nov198316168John BellairsEdward Gorey03The Spell of the Sorcerer's SkullBellairs, John. The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1984. Nov198411170John BellairsEdward Gorey04The Revenge of the Wizard's GhostBellairs, John. The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1985. Nov198515147John BellairsEdward Gorey05The Eyes of the Killer RobotBellairs, John. The Eyes of the Killer Robot. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1986. Oct198617167John BellairsEdward Gorey06The Trolley to YesterdayBellairs, John. The Trolley to Yesterday. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1989. Jul198918183John BellairsEdward Gorey07The Chessmen of DoomBellairs, John. The Chessmen of Doom. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1989. Nov198916155John BellairsEdward Gorey08The Secret of the Underground RoomBellairs, John. The Secret of the Underground Room. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1990. Mar199013127John BellairsEdward Gorey09The Drum, the Doll, and the ZombieBellairs, John. Completed by Brad Strickland. The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1994. Sep199415153 John Bellairs (outline) and Brad Strickland (written by) Edward Gorey10The Hand of the NecromancerStrickland, Brad. The Hand of the Necromancer. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1996. Sep199618168Brad StricklandEdward Gorey11The Bell, the Book, and the SpellbinderStrickland, Brad. The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997. Oct199716149Brad StricklandEdward Gorey12The Wrath of the Grinning GhostStrickland, Brad. The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1999. Sep199915166Brad StricklandEdward Gorey13The Stone, the Cipher, and the ShadowsStrickland, Brad. The Stone, the Cipher, and the Shadows. Open Road Media, 2022. Oct202217207Brad Strickland(not illustrated) One Johnny Dixon book was outlined by Bellairs and completed by Strickland.

Johnny Dixon (series)

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