Brad Strickland – författare

A flu epidemic ushers in a plague of dark magic in this spooktastic mystery featuring teenage sleuth Johnny Dixon from The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost.   Though forty miles away, Duston Heights is not safe from the flu that’s raging through Boston. When Johnny Dixon’s grandmother falls ill, he’s sent to live with his neighbor to avoid infection. So many locals are getting sick that school is canceled for a week, and the reclusive Dr. Abram Ashburn comes out of retirement to make house calls.   After seeing a scary vision of his bedridden grandmother outside of a window, Johnny starts to feel on edge. Then he and his best friend find what looks to be a weird map of a cemetery in Dr. Ashburn’s house. One specific grave is marked with an “X,” the burial place of a woman who practiced witchcraft in the seventeenth century.   The townspeople recover from the flu, but they can’t escape the terrifying illusions and shadow people that now haunt them, unless Johnny and his friends find the key to unlock the secrets of the graveyard before a dreadful prophecy comes to pass . . .  Praise for The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost   “Fans of the series will enjoy this new supernatural adventure, which reads so much like Bellairs’s books that they won’t believe he didn’t write it.” —School Library Journal   “Strickland’s story is eerie, suspenseful, and true to the personalities and writing style of Bellairs, who began the Johnny Dixon series . . . This is good reading for adventure enthusiasts as well as for series fans.” —Booklist

Safe Harbor? Five months into their undercover search for the pirate Jack Steele, Captain Hunter and the Aurora head for the island of Tortuga to put in for repairs after a battle with a deadly Spanish ship. Davy Shea, now fifteen years old and accepted by the Aurora's crew, continues to help his uncle Patch in the ship's surgery, but Captain Hunter has a special mission for him. The Captain has learned that captured British officers are being held on the island for ransom from the Crown, and he is determined to rescue those officers, even risking the Aurora's cover. As a servant boy, Davy can easily pass among the various pirate groups thriving on Tortuga. But as Davy begins to uncover the many secrets and deceptions that shroud this beautiful island, he soon realizes that more is at stake than the lives of a few captured officers. A plan is in the works that will force the pirate hunters on the Aurora to make new alliances...and bring them face to face with former enemies.

There's no turning back. The year is 2085, and a new teen has arrived at Mars Experimental Station One, a colony built to test humans' ability to live self-sufficiently in an alien and hostile environment. Already in existence for ten years, "Marsport" is a functioning city of two thousand people -- with only twenty teenagers. These teens, part of the controversial Asimov Project, were hand selected from the billions on Earth and are always under the watchful eyes of the adults. The newcomer, Sean, is a fifteen-year-old orphan who acts tough but secretly thinks he can't measure up to the others. His companions are Jenny, also fifteen, an ethereal blond whose frail looks belie her fierce intelligence, and Alex, a fourteen-year-old pilot in training who doesn't always know his boundaries. They each have reasons to doubt themselves...and distrust each other. But one thing is certain: Mars offers them something Earth never could. When the existence of Marsport is suddenly threatened, the group must overcome their fears and join forces, for their survival depends on nothing less.

What is it about the old Wilder Creek Bridge that makes Lewis Barnavelt so curious-and so afraid? When Lewis and his best friend Rose Rita Pottinger set out to explore the bridge and the deserted farm nearby, they discover shocking secrets—and a horrifying monster. Even Lewis''s Uncle Jonathan and the magical Mrs. Zimmermann may not be able to vanquish this ferocious creature! "[Strickland''s] characters ring true in this entertaining page-turner that will captivate readers." —VOYA"A wonderful blend of mystery, adventure, ghosts, and friendship." —School Library Journal

Two kids find a haunted opera score capable of raising the dead! When Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger explore an abandoned theater, they discover an unpublished opera score entitled “The Day of Doom”. Ignoring a strange omen, they show it to their music teacher, who heralds “The Day of Doom” as a masterpiece. Little do they know that the eerie Henry Vanderhelm, the composer''s grandson, arrives-with a plan…A plan to awaken the dead and enslave the world!Books by John Bellairs: The Doom of the Haunted OperaThe Figure In the ShadowsThe Ghost in the MirrorThe House With a Clock In Its WallsThe Letter, the Witch, and the RingThe Mansion in the MistThe Specter From the Magician''s MuseumThe Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornThe Vengeance of the Witch-FinderFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

It was a warm summer day in 1951 when Rose Pottinger and Mrs. Zimmermann entered the tunnel. When they had emerged, it was snowing...and the year was 1828. Mrs. Zimmermann had felt that the ghost of Granny Wetherbee, who had taught Mrs. Zimmermann witchery, was in trouble and needed help. So she and Rose Rita had traveled to Pennsylvania where Granny had lived. They never dreamed that they would also journey back to a time long ago where they would encounter a sorcerer more terrifying than either could have imagined. Books by John Bellairs: The Doom of the Haunted OperaThe Figure In the ShadowsThe Ghost in the MirrorThe House With a Clock In Its WallsThe Letter, the Witch, and the RingThe Mansion in the MistThe Specter From the Magician''s MuseumThe Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornThe Vengeance of the Witch-Finder

Based on John Bellairs'' mystery-adventure series, this thrilling story will keep you on the edge of your seat!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. And this installment by Brad Strickland is no exception! After Rose Rita Pottinger cuts her finger on an enchanted Egyptian scroll, Lewis must work together with his neighbor Florence and sorcerous uncle Jonathan to rescue Rose Rita from the tomb in which she''s imprisoned.

Something evil has taken over… Lewis Barnavelt and his uncle are in England, visiting a cousin at Barnavelt Manor. Lewis quickly becomes friends with the housekeeper’s son, and as the two boys explore a garden maze, Lewis accidentally unleashes demonic forces that summon the ghost of an evil wizard bent on destroying his entire family.  Can Lewis fight the maniacal wizard, or will all the Barnavelts perish? * “Chock-full of deliciously spooky details and narrated in a voice that is as cozy as it is ornery, this tale is utterly spellbinding.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “The well-devised plot and the spooky atmosphere will please the series'' many fans as well as new readers who like their mystery stories scary.”—Booklist “Satisfyingly hair-raising.”—Kirkus ReviewsBooks by John Bellairs: The Doom of the Haunted OperaThe Figure In the ShadowsThe Ghost in the MirrorThe House With a Clock In Its WallsThe Letter, the Witch, and the RingThe Mansion in the MistThe Specter From the Magician''s MuseumThe Treasure of Alpheus WinterbornThe Vengeance of the Witch-Finder

Safe Harbor? Five months into their undercover search for the pirate Jack Steele, Captain Hunter and the Aurora head for the island of Tortuga to put in for repairs after a battle with a deadly Spanish ship. Davy Shea, now fifteen years old and accepted by the Aurora''s crew, continues to help his uncle Patch in the ship''s surgery, but Captain Hunter has a special mission for him. The Captain has learned that captured British officers are being held on the island for ransom from the Crown, and he is determined to rescue those officers, even risking the Aurora''s cover. As a servant boy, Davy can easily pass among the various pirate groups thriving on Tortuga. But as Davy begins to uncover the many secrets and deceptions that shroud this beautiful island, he soon realizes that more is at stake than the lives of a few captured officers. A plan is in the works that will force the pirate hunters on the Aurora to make new alliances...and bring them face to face with former enemies.

The hunt is on!It is 1688 and the Aurora is still sailing under cover, searching for the real pirate king, Jack Steele. Young Davy Shea is a full member of the crew now, helping his uncle in the ship''s surgery whenever casualties arrive.And there are many casualties. Captain Hunter has become obsessed in his search for Steele, because the pirate has taken to plundering ships and small isolated towns in a devastating manner...and leaving behind a calling card indicating it is the work of Captain Hunter!Now the crew of the Aurora will have to make allies from enemies and beard the pirate in his den, for the deadly Red Queen has put in to port and Hunter will let nothing stop his final showdown!

While living on Deep Space NineTM, Jake Sisko has seen a lot of strange things, since his father, commander of the station, opened it to every lifeform who passes through this sector of space. But when Jake''s Ferengi friend Nog says he''s seen a ghost, Jake doesn''t believe him, until a shimmering figure with glowing red eyes appears in Jake''s quarters. Soon enough the spectre has Jake on a dangerous mission into the depths of the station, with the fate of Deep Space Nine resting on his boyish shoulders.

There''s no turning back. The year is 2085, and a new teen has arrived at Mars Experimental Station One, a colony built to test humans'' ability to live self-sufficiently in an alien and hostile environment. Already in existence for ten years, "Marsport" is a functioning city of two thousand people -- with only twenty teenagers. These teens, part of the controversial Asimov Project, were hand selected from the billions on Earth and are always under the watchful eyes of the adults. The newcomer, Sean, is a fifteen-year-old orphan who acts tough but secretly thinks he can''t measure up to the others. His companions are Jenny, also fifteen, an ethereal blond whose frail looks belie her fierce intelligence, and Alex, a fourteen-year-old pilot in training who doesn''t always know his boundaries. They each have reasons to doubt themselves...and distrust each other. But one thing is certain: Mars offers them something Earth never could. When the existence of Marsport is suddenly threatened, the group must overcome their fears and join forces, for their survival depends on nothing less.

A Startling Discovery The colony is racing to complete its deep drilling project on the shoulders of Olympus Mons to tap the underlying heat of Mars for power generation. When an unexpected underground cavity collapses, a devastating quake damages a number of the buildings in the colony, most vitally some of the greenhouses in which food is grown. The scramble to repair and rebuild the greenhouses becomes critical, but their food source is nothing compared to what is found in some of the previously undiscovered lava tubes and caves that lead far below the Martian surface....

From Bad to worse... Landslides, a deadly climate, and the increasingly unpredictable weather of Mars make survival nearly impossible, but the most immediate problem facing the Marsport colonists is the dwindling water supply. The group decides to onstruct an automated station in a rift valley where ice accumulated from the atmosphere will be melted and moved through warming pipelines to Marsport. The kids of the Asimov Project participate in the work, but then a fierce storm hits and a team that includes Jenny is isolated and lost. Despite orders not to leave Marsport, Sean puts together a group of kids to go out and find the team. As the race to save the missing colonists becomes increasingly dangerous -- and pits Sean against Amanda and the administration of the colony -- Sean quickly learns that schisms within the social order are almost as deadly as Mars itself.

Lewis''s hopes for a peaceful summer vacation are shattered as one accident after another plagues him. Is all his bad luck really just a coincidence? Or does it have something to do with the mysterious hooded figure he keeps seeing?    

When Lewis, his uncle Jonathan, and their friends Rose Rita Pottinger and Mrs. Zimmermann take a trip to a small town near Lake Superior, they expect a pleasant vacation. Instead, they find themselves facing the ghastly Ishmael Izard, son of the fiendish creator of the Doomsday Clock that was once hidden in the walls of Uncle Jonathan''s house. Ishmael himself is a cruel and heartless sorcerer, and he is determined to wreak vengeance upon the entire world. Will Lewis and his friends be strong enough to defeat him, or will their fate be decided by their most formidable foe yet?

Lewis Barnavelt is back and this time he has stumbled upon something more powerful than even his imagination can dream up. A camping trip with his Scout troop leads Lewis straight to an old grave and a mysterious, magical whistle. When Lewis discovers that this whistle has the power to stop the boys who insist upon bullying him, he is left with a tough decision. Does he continue to use the whistle, which he suspects might not be fully safe? Is Lewis strong enough to face the potent spirit that he is unknowingly summoning?

The lovable underdog Lewis Barnavelt and his best friend Rose Rita are at it again—investigating the curious (and possibly supernatural?) goings-on in their town of New Zebedee. They get more than they bargained for when a new family moves into the Hawaii House, one of the oddest-looking houses in town, and Lewis and Rose Rita are drawn into a mystery involving forces far beyond the shores of their imagination. Why are there strange drumbeats emanating from the top floor of the Hawaii House? And why is Lewis having dreams about Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire?

Incorporating actual Hawaiian legends with a spine-tingling story of suspense, this is another great addition to the Bellairs canon.

In 1957, a stranger in a small Georgia town opens a movie theater—where the midnight shows bring the locals’ most horrific fantasies to life . . .   Athanial Badon arrives in Gaither, Georgia, to reopen a shuttered cinema. Gaither is the epitome of postwar America with its community Christmas pageants, white picket fences, genial dispositions, and evangelical good will toward friends, family, and neighbors. It really is the ideal place for the ShadowShow Theater.   Badon promises the townspeople family entertainment that mirrors their own lives, fulfills their dreams and fantasies, and reflects what really lies in their hearts. Now, night after night, when the lights go down, graphic images of murder and gore, human debasement, and violent sex cast a flickering glow on the faces of the audience. It’s just the beginning of Badon’s plan. He knows what they want. He’s giving it to them. They deserve it. And all they have to do is watch. But the good folks of Gaither can’t imagine what’s coming next . . .    A chilling tale of darkness lurking in a small Southern town, ShadowShow is a horror novel perfect for fans of Stephen King, Bentley Little, and Robert R. McCammon.  

Jeremy Sebastian Moon is transported far from Earth where his dreams and his job in advertising provide comfort but not much happiness, a world where fantasy is reality. This new magical world presents to Jeremy his double, a dangerous wizard who wants him to take his place and stand before the Council of Mages. Jeremy’s mission before he returns home is to help the Mages battle the Evil in Thaumia. He encounters a beautiful thief, an enchantress and Nul, along his journey, but will his newfound powers take him back to Earth? 

A young man fights to save his father from a spirit''s curse in the epic finale to a series starring "a terrific hero" (The New York Times) The sea is calm, the air is fresh, and the bobbing boat feels like a living creature underneath Johnny Dixon''s feet. Johnny hardly ever sees his father, who trains Air Force pilots in Colorado, and their annual Florida fishing trip is the highlight of his year. They''re on their way back to Duston Heights, Massachusetts, where Johnny lives with his grandparents, when a visit to a fortune-teller puts a terrible fright into Johnny. Inside the seer''s crystal ball, he sees a grinning ghost who cackles out a fearsome message: "The universe shall be mine!" Johnny tries to forget what he saw, but when he and his father return to Duston Heights, his dad falls into a coma, and Johnny is certain that the ghost is to blame. With the help of his old friend Professor Childermass, Johnny will defeat the smirking ghoul—or never see his father again. The Johnny Dixon series, from the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls, is full of fun, adventure, and supernatural chills, along with "believable and likable characters" who are a delight to spend time with (The New York Times).

In a Massachusetts town, an evil wizard is about to come back from the dead and a young hero must fight to stop him . . . In the days of the Salem witch trials, the sleepy hamlet of Duston Heights had just one practitioner of the dark arts: the notorious necromancer Esdrias Blackleach. As the fever for witch hunting reached its terrible peak, Blackleach was accused of using powerful black magic against his fellow townsfolk. But just before he could be brought to trial, he dropped dead, escaping justice forever. Or so it seemed . . . Fast forward to the 1950s, the inquisitive young sleuth Johnny Dixon and his mentor Professor Childermass are getting ready to donate a box of Blackleach artifacts to the local museum when a descendant of the sorcerer shows up and attempts to steal his ancestor''s wooden hand. He has a fiendish plan to raise the old necromancer from the dead, and only Johnny and the professor can stop him and make the town safe from black magic forever. The Johnny Dixon stories, from the award-winning author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls, have been acclaimed for their "believable and likable characters" (The New York Times) and "spine-tingling" supernatural adventure (Publishers Weekly).

A young sleuth and his professor friend fight voodoo, black magic, and a hungry zombie horde . . .   The drum is small, no bigger than a plastic cup, and decorated with sun-bleached bones. It is a token from the island of St. Ives, whose voodoo cults are infamous around the world, and it is one of the most dangerous objects Johnny Dixon has ever held. When he raps the little drum, the wind howls, and an explosion rocks the house. There are more surprises to come. An inquisitive young man, Johnny has tangled with all manner of supernatural beasts along with his friend Professor Childermass, and now they will confront the living dead.   The drum summons up a whirlwind of black magic and throws one of the professor’s colleagues into a strange trance. To rescue him, Johnny and the professor must defeat an evil sorceress, and send her zombies back to where they belong.   From the author of the Lewis Barnavelt novels, including The House with a Clock in Its Walls, the Johnny Dixon series is full of fun, adventure, and supernatural chills, along with “believable and likable characters” who are a delight to spend time with (The New York Times).

Hidden away in the local library, a sorcerer''s book casts an evil spell in a novel by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls Johnny Dixon and his best friend Fergie are whiling away a rainy day at the Duston Heights library when Johnny asks a screwy question: "What''s the last book in the library?" After Johnny goes home, Fergie decides to find out. There, under number 999.99, he finds a very peculiar tome, The Book of True Wishes, which is all about Fergie''s favorite subject: himself. The book knows Fergie''s name, and it promises him everything he ever wanted, which means he is about to forget a very important rule: Be careful what you wish for. When the book puts Fergie under the spell of a mad old wizard, Johnny and his friend Professor Childermass will do whatever it takes to break the book''s hold and save their friend. Johnny Dixon and his eccentric professor friend are two of the most delightful characters in literature as well as "an endearing detective team," and their adventures continue to hold readers of all ages spellbound (The New York Times).