{"product_id":"the-curse-of-the-blue-figurine-9781497637733","title":"The Curse of the Blue Figurine","description":"\u003cb\u003eA boy sneaks into an old church to confront a mad ghost in this adventure by the author of \u003ci\u003eThe House with a Clock in Its Walls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It's the 1950s when Johnny Dixon's mother dies, his father goes to fight in the Korean War, and he goes to live with his grandparents. Although life in a new house is strange, Johnny's \"Grampa\" listens to his favorite ballgames, takes him on long walks, and tells him stories of the strange mysteries that lurk in the shadows. Best of all, he's friends with Professor Childermass, an eccentric academic who's about to take Johnny on the adventure of a lifetime. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When the professor learns Johnny loves ghost stories, he tells the boy the spookiest legend in Duston Heights, Massachusetts--the tale of the haunted church on the edge of town, with demonic carvings on its altar, and the troubled spirit of mad Father Baart, who is said to have killed two people before vanishing long ago. With the professor as his guide, Johnny sets out on a quest that will put him face-to-face with the crazy, long-dead priest. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The first book in the delightful Johnny Dixon series by the author who provides \"suspense and action aplenty\" (\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eThe Curse of the Blue Figurine\u003c\/i\u003e is a good old-fashioned Gothic adventure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn 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 \u003ci\u003eThe House with a Clock in Its Walls\u003c\/i\u003e, is a classic. He also wrote a series of novels featuring the character Johnny Dixon. Among the titles in that series are \u003ci\u003eThe Curse of the Blue Figurine\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eThe Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eThe Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull\u003c\/i\u003e. His stand-alone novel \u003ci\u003eThe Face in the Frost\u003c\/i\u003e is also regarded as a fantasy classic, and among his earlier works are \u003ci\u003eSt. Fidgeta and Other Parodies\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Pedant and the Shuffly\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Bellairs was a prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely death in 1991. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Road Integrated Media LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641709465874,"sku":"9781497637733","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dbae4e4d-3aed-4d91-a651-dfbb0f5afae8.jpg?v=1733031771","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-curse-of-the-blue-figurine-9781497637733","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}