A review by thesleepyreader79
The Curse of the Blue Figurine, by John Bellairs
5.0
This book was recommended by my husband. When he was growing up, he read a lot of books by John Bellairs and really enjoyed them. I read The House with the Clock in its Walls and really liked it, so I was looking forward to reading this one.
The story centers around a boy named Johnny Dixon. His mother has recently passed away and his father is off to war again, so Johnny is living with his grandparents. Across the street from his grandparents is the eccentric Professor Childermass. The professor has been telling Johnny about a local legend, the ghost of a priest, Father Baart. Johnny is a smart, quiet kid who is often bullied by a boy in school named Eddie. One day while hiding from Eddie, he ducks into the church near the school and decided to wander into the basement. While down there he stumbles upon a hollowed-out book that has a scroll and a blue Egyptian looking figurine and it appears to have belonged to Father Baart. The scroll says not to remove the items from the church, but Johnny gets spooked and runs home, book in hand. The next time Johnny goes to the church he meets a man named Robert Beard. He seems odd and gives Johnny a strange ring. After that encounter, supernatural and strange things start happening and Johnny turns to Professor Childermass to help him out, fearing his grandparents won't believe him. As the days go by, Johnny is becoming more secretive and seems to be ill. Things take a turn for the worse. Can the professor help Johnny escape the curse of the blue figurine?
This is the first of the Johnny Dixon books. It is spooky, supernatural and just a really fun read. I love the character of Professor Childermass and his relationship with Johnny. Even though the book is technically for kids, it's not written in a kiddie way and there were a few times the author used words I had to look up. The author definitely doesn't water it down for kids. Adults will definitely enjoy these stories. I highly recommend any book by John Bellairs.
The story centers around a boy named Johnny Dixon. His mother has recently passed away and his father is off to war again, so Johnny is living with his grandparents. Across the street from his grandparents is the eccentric Professor Childermass. The professor has been telling Johnny about a local legend, the ghost of a priest, Father Baart. Johnny is a smart, quiet kid who is often bullied by a boy in school named Eddie. One day while hiding from Eddie, he ducks into the church near the school and decided to wander into the basement. While down there he stumbles upon a hollowed-out book that has a scroll and a blue Egyptian looking figurine and it appears to have belonged to Father Baart. The scroll says not to remove the items from the church, but Johnny gets spooked and runs home, book in hand. The next time Johnny goes to the church he meets a man named Robert Beard. He seems odd and gives Johnny a strange ring. After that encounter, supernatural and strange things start happening and Johnny turns to Professor Childermass to help him out, fearing his grandparents won't believe him. As the days go by, Johnny is becoming more secretive and seems to be ill. Things take a turn for the worse. Can the professor help Johnny escape the curse of the blue figurine?
This is the first of the Johnny Dixon books. It is spooky, supernatural and just a really fun read. I love the character of Professor Childermass and his relationship with Johnny. Even though the book is technically for kids, it's not written in a kiddie way and there were a few times the author used words I had to look up. The author definitely doesn't water it down for kids. Adults will definitely enjoy these stories. I highly recommend any book by John Bellairs.