John Bellairs books

Anthony Monday Mysteries Reading Order

Children’s

Johnny Dixon Reading Order

Lewis Barnavelt Reading Order

Short Story Collections

Standalone Novels

John Bellairs (1938-1991) wrote gothic mysteries for children that combine genuine spookiness with warmth and humor. His most famous work is “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” (1973), which launched the Lewis Barnavelt series about a boy living with his wizard uncle in a house that contains a mysterious ticking clock. The book was illustrated by Edward Gorey, whose pen-and-ink drawings became inseparable from the stories’ atmosphere.

Bellairs also created the Johnny Dixon series, featuring a boy and his elderly friend Professor Childermass solving supernatural mysteries, and the Anthony Monday series about a boy who investigates magical artifacts. After Bellairs’ death in 1991, Brad Strickland completed his unfinished manuscripts and wrote additional entries in all three series. Bellairs’ early standalone novels, particularly “The Face in the Frost” (1969), a fantasy novel for adults, have a cult following. His books remain in print and “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” was adapted into a major motion picture in 2018.