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Johnny Dixon #1
The Curse of the Blue Figurine
A mysterious stranger gives Johnny Dixon a magical ring that plunges him into a terrifying adventure during which he must outwit the ghost of the mad Father Baart.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
203 people are currently reading
1814 people want to read
About the author
John Bellairs
63 books561 followersJohn Bellairs (1938–1991) was an American novelist. He is best known for the children's classic The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) and the fantasy novel The Face in the Frost (1969). Bellairs held a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame University and a master's in English from the University of Chicago. He later lived and wrote in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
May 20, 2016
the place: a small town. the time: America during the Korean war. the hero: little Johnny Dixon, bookish and fascinated by history, a fussy boy and a lonely one - his mother having recently died and his father off to war, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. Johnny is thoughtful and curious, which leads to the problem: after he steals a quaint blue figurine from a church basement, a dark spectre from the past sets his sights on the lad, seeking to return to life through him. Bellairs tells his story in tones of rainy gray and earthy brown and shadowy black, creating an absorbingly oppressive atmosphere that mirrors Johnny's slow breakdown. a gothic tale - for the little ones! despite the darkness, Bellairs is a master at adding the light and warm touch here and there, in just the right places, just enough to make the story effectively heartwarming while avoiding anything remotely maudlin. the novel also features some of the most charming yet realistic senior citizens I've read about in a while. Johnny's special friend the professor is a predictable favorite, but I also loved grouchy Gramma and minds-his-own-business Grandpa.
it features a timeless lesson all kids everywhere should always keep in mind: if an adult is doing odd things with you and then insisting you keep it a secret... don't keep it a secret!
it features a timeless lesson all kids everywhere should always keep in mind: if an adult is doing odd things with you and then insisting you keep it a secret... don't keep it a secret!
September 1, 2024
“Nutty people don't rat on you. Nice, friendly, ordinary next-door neighbor types--they would rat on you and think nothing of it.”
The Curse of the Blue Figurine ~~ John Bellairs
The plot is simple enough, a lonely boy gets caught up in an epic magical adventure, involving a magical ring, a cursed statue, and a ghostly body thief. It's great stuff ~~ and terrifying at times. I couldn't put this down and devoured it. In the end, this was a fun, Victorian, Gothic adventure. I only wish I had gotten caught up in Johnny Dixon's world when I was a kid.
A fun read all the way around. I’m excited to go on more adventures with Johnny & the professor!
The Curse of the Blue Figurine ~~ John Bellairs
The plot is simple enough, a lonely boy gets caught up in an epic magical adventure, involving a magical ring, a cursed statue, and a ghostly body thief. It's great stuff ~~ and terrifying at times. I couldn't put this down and devoured it. In the end, this was a fun, Victorian, Gothic adventure. I only wish I had gotten caught up in Johnny Dixon's world when I was a kid.
A fun read all the way around. I’m excited to go on more adventures with Johnny & the professor!
April 3, 2018
Of all the authors who had a major impact on my psyche growing up, John Bellairs (and his frequent illustrator Edward Gorey) cannot be overstressed. His mix of children's/YA and Edwardian "uncanny horror" sounds like it should not work- and maybe to some it does not work- but it blew my mind as a kid, and still holds up on revisiting decades later. Bellairs was rarely more open in his use of M. R. James or E. F. Benson iconography than here, with Father Baart and his ornately-carved altarpiece seemingly ripped directly from a Jamesian 'sinister minister' type. Yet somehow, this mix of the old and florid with the simple and homespun doesn't jar, it clicks directly into place.
August 29, 2017
I can't believe many of these John Bellairs's books are going out of print. They are some great middle grade mystery, gothic and horror all rolled into one story. I read this for the first time and I enjoyed this little book set up in New England. Johnny find this little blue Egyptian figurine in the basement of a church one day and it starts all kinds of trouble. His cranky neighbor, professor Childermass helps him by being a friend. The end is rather thrilling. This is a quick read for middle grade literature. Find a copy and give this a read. Good stuff.
March 27, 2009
"Nutty people don't rat on you. Nice, friendly, ordinary next-door neighbor types--they would rat on you and think nothing of it."
September 5, 2007
I stumbled on this old edition (notice I didn't select the non-Gorey-illustrated edition- for shame publishers! for shame! Gorey's illustrations were as much a part of the experience as Bellairs words) in the Goodwill last season. An unfortunate head cold left me longing for simpler reading fare and Bellairs lived up to my middle school memories. A solid mystery with real characters. You better beat Summer to the old editions wherever you may find them before she snatches up every last Gorey-illustrated edition...
December 29, 2020
Re-read in 2020 for John Bellairs Month!
One of my favorites of his and a great winter and year-round read :)
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One of my favorite books by John Bellairs!
One of my favorites of his and a great winter and year-round read :)
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One of my favorite books by John Bellairs!
October 10, 2016
I loved every ingenious intricacy of "The House With A Clock In Its Walls", wondering why I didn't know John Bellairs as a child. Johnny Dixon's series depicts 1951 instead of 1983 but books by John, who died in 1991, are special. I hope the ones continued for him are well done. "The Curse Of The Blue Figurine" did not approach the former's mysteriousness and ostentatious wonderment. A professor friend provides eccentricity and Grampa, joviality. Johnny solely lost a Mom and has a Dad in the military, different from Lewis Barnavelt. Grama is prudish but loving and stable.
Johnny deals with a violent peer, jealous over his scholarly skill. He stops being open with his guardians, after taking a curiosity from their church's basement that might confirm the professor's tale about a priest's ghost. The metaphysical emerges slowly but was doubted most of the way through. Belated confirmation detracted the sensation of reader and protagonist landing in a wacky atmosphere of infinite possibilities. I was kept wondering when the woo-woo factors or ancient connections might take centre stage. Even though the figurine mimicked an Egyptian item, this novel never delved into that territory.
Johnny's unexplained ordeal did take a physical toll, so he and the professor share a fun mountain trip. When they reach an ill-chosen town, there is no more doubt. Tumultuous action and spookiness suddenly grow heart-thumping. John's creativity is still admirable. His less tantalizing work nonetheless merits four stars. The sequels may well build-up steam. I wonder if it was too grand a possibility to recreate Lewis Barnavelt's calibre, at least in an opening volume. I appreciate John's obvious compassion for children overcoming difficulty. In the 1970s and 1980s, his spotlights banished away loss and bullying. This story too was in the hands of a sensitive original.
Johnny deals with a violent peer, jealous over his scholarly skill. He stops being open with his guardians, after taking a curiosity from their church's basement that might confirm the professor's tale about a priest's ghost. The metaphysical emerges slowly but was doubted most of the way through. Belated confirmation detracted the sensation of reader and protagonist landing in a wacky atmosphere of infinite possibilities. I was kept wondering when the woo-woo factors or ancient connections might take centre stage. Even though the figurine mimicked an Egyptian item, this novel never delved into that territory.
Johnny's unexplained ordeal did take a physical toll, so he and the professor share a fun mountain trip. When they reach an ill-chosen town, there is no more doubt. Tumultuous action and spookiness suddenly grow heart-thumping. John's creativity is still admirable. His less tantalizing work nonetheless merits four stars. The sequels may well build-up steam. I wonder if it was too grand a possibility to recreate Lewis Barnavelt's calibre, at least in an opening volume. I appreciate John's obvious compassion for children overcoming difficulty. In the 1970s and 1980s, his spotlights banished away loss and bullying. This story too was in the hands of a sensitive original.
June 2, 2014
I was so happy to find this first book in the Johnny Dixon series at the book sale a few weeks ago. My local library has never had this book and so I have only heard about the story from his later books.
This is just a creepy ghost possession book on the surface, but Johnny and the Professor are such rich characters and we get to see the beginning of their very strange friendship developed, including the discovery that the Professor has a "fuss closet" in his house to help let off steam, and that he used to do intelligence work in the war so he knows how to sneak around tailing people :)
Reading these as an adult I notice more how much religion and prayer are a part of Johnny's daily life, and how little support a boy in that era had against bullies and the like. And of course, how much more freedom kids had to roam, and the innocent view of his relationship with the crochety old guy down the street.
A fun little adventure. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of this series.
This is just a creepy ghost possession book on the surface, but Johnny and the Professor are such rich characters and we get to see the beginning of their very strange friendship developed, including the discovery that the Professor has a "fuss closet" in his house to help let off steam, and that he used to do intelligence work in the war so he knows how to sneak around tailing people :)
Reading these as an adult I notice more how much religion and prayer are a part of Johnny's daily life, and how little support a boy in that era had against bullies and the like. And of course, how much more freedom kids had to roam, and the innocent view of his relationship with the crochety old guy down the street.
A fun little adventure. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of this series.
January 20, 2019
Bellairs is scary and yet comforting. But genuinely scary. I enjoyed these books when I was young and find them still exactly the same.
October 25, 2019
While I think that I enjoy the Lewis Barnavelt novels better, I enjoyed this novel. It has that Bellairs' quality with just enough supernatural to make it tingly fun but also great characters. I liked the church element, that made it even more spooky! I am looking forward to reading the other two in the series that were written by Bellairs.
February 28, 2024
John Bellairs was probably my favorite author as a kid. I first read this in 1996 (I remember because I was reading it when we went to the Olympics), and it scared me so bad I had nightmares. I’m no longer so easily frightened…alas!
I wish to god I could find the copy I had back then because it had plates by Edward Gorey, and this edition I have recently purchased does not, and whoever approved a reprint of this book without them should be fired.
Not to get too spoiler-y, but this book actually predicts a very great loss New Hampshire experienced exactly 20 years later. I almost wish it hadn’t been put out into the universe!
I wish to god I could find the copy I had back then because it had plates by Edward Gorey, and this edition I have recently purchased does not, and whoever approved a reprint of this book without them should be fired.
Not to get too spoiler-y, but this book actually predicts a very great loss New Hampshire experienced exactly 20 years later. I almost wish it hadn’t been put out into the universe!
November 27, 2020
There's a lot of good in John Bellalirs' writing, and this 3-star book is fine, it's just not exceptional. The ostensible protagonist has little to do, and is for the most part extremely passive. Events tend to unfold despite the main characters' actions, not because of them, and ultimately the adventure is concluded in a sudden, somewhat haphazard way.
But it's pretty much charming throughout, I love how Bellairs' always features older characters in prominent parts, it's easy to read and flows nicely, and when I was a child this would have been spooky as heck. Sometimes I end up with 3-stars as a compromise between the bits I hate and the bits I love, but this is pretty much a solid 3 all the way through: it's the nice, clean Days Inn of children's books. It wasn't the highlight of your trip, but you'd certainly stay there again.
I do want to mention, though, that there's an inconsequential passage in the book about characters meeting by a statue: then it's explained that the statue honors a white woman who killed ten Indians (apparently in retaliation for their having killed her baby, which sounds unlikely). It has nothing substantitive to do with the book, but it rather jumps out as being somewhat upsetting, and not for the reason the author intended back then. So be aware of that, and you might want to mention to young impressionable people something about how standards and mores change over time, and that the book was set in 1951 and written in 1980.)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
But it's pretty much charming throughout, I love how Bellairs' always features older characters in prominent parts, it's easy to read and flows nicely, and when I was a child this would have been spooky as heck. Sometimes I end up with 3-stars as a compromise between the bits I hate and the bits I love, but this is pretty much a solid 3 all the way through: it's the nice, clean Days Inn of children's books. It wasn't the highlight of your trip, but you'd certainly stay there again.
I do want to mention, though, that there's an inconsequential passage in the book about characters meeting by a statue: then it's explained that the statue honors a white woman who killed ten Indians (apparently in retaliation for their having killed her baby, which sounds unlikely). It has nothing substantitive to do with the book, but it rather jumps out as being somewhat upsetting, and not for the reason the author intended back then. So be aware of that, and you might want to mention to young impressionable people something about how standards and mores change over time, and that the book was set in 1951 and written in 1980.)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
June 4, 2016
John Bellairs is one of the authors I read as a kid who shaped me most today, and this is one of his most effective stories. It introduces us to young Johnny Dixon, an awkward and smart kid, and his new best friend, the eccentric and kindly (and foul-tempered) Professor Roderick Childermass, who become embroiled in supernatural shenanigans when Johnny is snooping around the local church basement and finds magical objects belonging to the evil ghost of the church's former priest.
Bellairs's writing is full of wonderful atmospheric details, and his characters are all intelligent people. This book, along with several other Bellairs novels, made me a lover of the horror genre, even if the scares here are relatively low-level. If you have a ten-year-old nearby who could use a spooky read, give Bellairs a try. (This is the first in one of his major series. His other series-openers are THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS and THE TREASURE OF ALPHEUS T. WINTERBORN.)
Bellairs's writing is full of wonderful atmospheric details, and his characters are all intelligent people. This book, along with several other Bellairs novels, made me a lover of the horror genre, even if the scares here are relatively low-level. If you have a ten-year-old nearby who could use a spooky read, give Bellairs a try. (This is the first in one of his major series. His other series-openers are THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS and THE TREASURE OF ALPHEUS T. WINTERBORN.)
January 14, 2009
Best Bellairs title, IMHO. Scared the pants off me and still does. A particularly deft handling of how a child experiences guilt.
February 19, 2020
Gateway horror at its best! Read these when I was a kid, and it took me years to figure out John Bellairs was the author. For my money, the Johnny Dixon series is his best work.
April 6, 2020
Good and creepy and I like how the adults didn't condescend to the kids.
July 11, 2024
There's just something very comforting about John Bellairs books and this one is a good example. There are lots of funny little details like the professor's fuss closet or grandma being mostly extremely grumpy that are novel and well rounded. Also given how stealth Christian these books can be I am honestly sometimes a little surprised that I enjoy them so much.
Johnny and the Professor have a friendship that seems genuine and unproblematic. It also seems to emerge pretty naturally that a smart but shy boy might be more comfortable with an adult. The Professor is pretty weird, has intense social and anger management issues, and seems to be managing them, sometimes imperfectly but is presented as a well rounded character. As someone who is blunt and often quick tempered, it makes sense that he says things more harshly than he means to or occasionally flies off the handle and realizes later that he's been unfair. Bellairs represents very keenly the satisfaction of someone who enjoys being right and their chagrin when they realized they were overly hasty. Grandma not liking the professor is also a nice touch. It's ok that two basically decent characters just don't like each other.
Like many a good children's book, sensuality is displaced onto food, in this case chocolate cake.
A few things that strike me more as an adult than when I read this as a tween. It is honestly unhinged that Johnny's dad loses his wife and immediately volunteers for the Korean war and peaces out when he does not have to go. People of color only occur in the interstices of daily life in Dustin Heights. The Koreans that Johnny's dad is bombing, the indigenous people that Hannah Dustin murders in the past, and of course the mysterious and sinister Kushites in Egypt. Presumably there are black people in or around Dustin Heights, as Eddy's family was apparently in the KKK (a jaw dropping touch) but the black people they would have been terrorizing are also not visible in the narrative.
Johnny and the Professor have a friendship that seems genuine and unproblematic. It also seems to emerge pretty naturally that a smart but shy boy might be more comfortable with an adult. The Professor is pretty weird, has intense social and anger management issues, and seems to be managing them, sometimes imperfectly but is presented as a well rounded character. As someone who is blunt and often quick tempered, it makes sense that he says things more harshly than he means to or occasionally flies off the handle and realizes later that he's been unfair. Bellairs represents very keenly the satisfaction of someone who enjoys being right and their chagrin when they realized they were overly hasty. Grandma not liking the professor is also a nice touch. It's ok that two basically decent characters just don't like each other.
Like many a good children's book, sensuality is displaced onto food, in this case chocolate cake.
A few things that strike me more as an adult than when I read this as a tween. It is honestly unhinged that Johnny's dad loses his wife and immediately volunteers for the Korean war and peaces out when he does not have to go. People of color only occur in the interstices of daily life in Dustin Heights. The Koreans that Johnny's dad is bombing, the indigenous people that Hannah Dustin murders in the past, and of course the mysterious and sinister Kushites in Egypt. Presumably there are black people in or around Dustin Heights, as Eddy's family was apparently in the KKK (a jaw dropping touch) but the black people they would have been terrorizing are also not visible in the narrative.
January 28, 2024
A nice ghost story deeply rooted in religion and local history which added a lot of believability for me. There were some very tense moments that really drew me in towards the end.
There are a lot of similarities between the main character of this book, Jonny Dixon, and Lewis Barnavelt from House with a Clock in Its Walls. They are both a bit nerdy, struggle to stand up for themselves, come across some magical means to overcome those shortcomings, and have a close friend who is much older then them to provide wisdom and insight - I kinda like it. There's something captivating about it and, though similar, these two titles were different enough to keep me glued to the page.
There are a lot of similarities between the main character of this book, Jonny Dixon, and Lewis Barnavelt from House with a Clock in Its Walls. They are both a bit nerdy, struggle to stand up for themselves, come across some magical means to overcome those shortcomings, and have a close friend who is much older then them to provide wisdom and insight - I kinda like it. There's something captivating about it and, though similar, these two titles were different enough to keep me glued to the page.
August 3, 2025
This was my pick for a book published in 1983 that I had never read before... that I'd intended to finish in July. Unfortunately, I didn't get started on it until the very end of the month, which happened to coincide with my husband being out of town on a business trip. I mention this, because for all that it's a YA horror novel, it does a very good job of being subtly creepy, especially in the first 2/3rds or so of the book. Just enough in fact, that I decided to put it aside until after I was no longer alone in the house when I read it. All in all, a nice creepy tale that actually left me guessing through most of it as to whether there was really something supernatural going on.
March 18, 2024
A guy from church mentioned to me that he read these books as a kid. I was not familiar with the author who also wrote The House with a Clock in Its Walls. This is a story of a young boy who find a blue figurine in a church basement with a note that says not to remove it or you will be cursed. As you might guess, he removes it. You can read the story to see where things go.
December 2, 2024
Rereading this for the first time since I originally read it in elementary school. Still loved it. John Bellairs was one of my favorite authors growing up and it took me back to childhood....not the topic, but just reliving a great story! Highly recommend all of his books for younger (or, in my case, older) readers who love a good scare.
April 26, 2019
I loved it!!! It was a great short and easy read.
March 5, 2022
I was not expecting the ending of this book at all. It’s perfectly average I suppose.
September 12, 2023
This is a book I wish I had found when I was a kid. It's intelligent and spooky, doesn't condescend to its audience or main character.
November 16, 2020
Read again for the first time in 20 years. Same chills I remember getting from Bellairs’ books as a kid.
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November 2, 2024The Curse of the Blue Figurine
It starts off with Childermass coming by the Dixon’s angry because his car is stuck in the snow. Then they have dinner and Grandpa and Johnny help him get the car out. After this, the Professor invites himself back inside for a drink (and to vent about automobiles). The Professor is amazed that Johnny likes to read and is reading books about Eygpt. Jonny asks him about mummies and then ghost and the Professor tells him some stories about spooky happenings. He likes the stories but tells the Professor he doesn’t believe in ghost. The Professor seems amused by this and tells him he might change his mind one day. Then he tells him about a tale about the church.
(I’m just gonna copy and paste this out of laziness). The book says Father Remigius Baart was the one who had the church built. And he hired a wandering artist to do the alter piece in the church. He was very talented and said his name was “Nemo.” But it seems that the wood-carver was more than just a wood-carver. The story is that he had dealings with the devil, that he diddled around with the black arts. After he finished the altar screen and got paid, this Nemo character left town and was never seen again. But people claim that before he left, he gave Father Baart something. Noone knows what it was but some say it’s a talisman or a book or an evil object that allowed him to do all kinds of nasty things and be have been caused his own destruction.
Father Baart made a lot of enemies. Strange things started to happen. A man by the name of Mr. Herman -who was an enemy of Baart-was looking at the church’s tower and a big rock fell and killed him. There were no workmen on the tower and it was said to be “accidental”. Then another enemoy of his-Mrs.Mumaw got ran down by horses. Father Baart disappeard tho with only a note left behind. The passage refers to Moses. According to the Bible, when Moses died, his body was carried away by angels and was buried secretly somewhere. They never found his body but he’s said to still appear in the church.
There’s the typical bully-Eddie Tompka- whose strong but not smart thus jealous of Johnny. To avoid him one day, he ducks into the church. Once inside, he takes a minute to gaze at the elaborate alter piece by Nemo. Then he lights a candle for his mother. When he checks Eddie is still outside. He can’t go out the back so he decides to check out the basement. He finally sees something of interest. It’s a book but it’s covered in spiders. The spiders vanish and he tries to touch the book but his hand keeps jerking back.
The book’s title is “Roman Missle” and it’s been hollowed out. In the hole is yellow parchmeant and a figurine of an Egyptian mummy. This is what the paper says Whoever removes these things from the church does so at his own peril. I abjure you by the living God not to endanger your immortal soul. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Remigius Baart. He hears footsteps and grabs the book and gets out of there. He dumps the book in the cellar so as not to be questioned by his Grandma.
On a Saturday, Johnny decides to show the book to the Professor. When he examines the blue figurine he finds a label that says SUVENIR OF CAIRO ILLINOIS. He advises him not to take the things back tho. He says the figurine might be valuable. He should find out if it is. He also advises to keep it from his Grandma. He invites him back for chocolate cake and a chess game later. On the way back from the Professor’s house, Johnny sees a short, stocky, figure. He speaks but the man doesn’t speak back. Telling himself it’s just Mr. Sivartou-a strange man on his street-. When he looks out his window (once in his room) the man is gone.
After this Johnny and the Professor become friends. Johnny writes “Hobbies” magazine to inquire if his figurine has any value. Johnny finds his grandmother spraying for spiders and sees the same kind of spiders that he found crawling over the book. They’re there for a couple of days. Then they vanish. Grandma thinks it’s the spray. One night coming from the movies, he has a feeling someone’s following him. Later, he has a dream that he’s headed for a United Cigar Store. There’s a sign over the door that says R BARRT ANTIQUES AND CURIOUS (In the midst of life, we are in death). There’s a light on inside. In the display windows are gray sand and blue, mummy, figures sticking up. Gray spiders are all over the floor. Everything is dusty and dirty.
There’s a “lady” behind the counter -who he knows is really Father Baart- He tells her he’s come to solve the mysteries of life. As he comes around the counter, he sees she’s standing in a grave. He tries to run but the woman’s grip drags him down. Then he sees her face is a skull. He screams but doesn’t hear any sound. Then she pulls him into the grave. This is when he wakes up. After school, he goes to see the Professor about his worries, but he tells him it’s all in his mind. His suggestion is to let him beat him as chess and have some of his prune cake (uh NO!)
A month later, the spiders return but the spooky feelings and dreams go away. Hobbies Maagazine responds back and says there were several colors of the figurine produces (red, blue, and gold) and they’re worth 25.00 At school there’s a contest of collecting newspapers. One of Johnny’s teacher’s ask him to go inside and bring her (her) watch but he sees Eddie about to pick it up. Eddie claims he was about to return it and then he calls Johnny “brown noise” one time to many.
It ends up with Johnny snapping at him and then Eddie almost cutting off one of his fingers with a pair of scissors. The Sister sends him home and says his side one. On the way, Johnny starts to have dark thoughts about Eddie. At home, he takes out the blue figurine and says “I hope he brings his goddamn neck.” He almost gets caught by Grandma -who chews him out about coming in the way he did-. But then when she hears about the fight she’s sympathetic, fixes him up, and tells him the Thompkins are like that. They’re apart of the KKK. Later, he worries what he did grabbing the figurine.
The next day, Eddie’s arm is in a cast. That night, he tells his grandparents he’s going to see the Professor, but instead he goes to the church. There’s a strange man there and he finds himself confessing to him about Eddie and the figurine. The man says that the figurine -its clear- isn’t magic but what he should do is pretend it is (to give him the strength to stand up against Eddie. Because whatever you think you are is what you are). One night Johnny dreams he’s a month. Then the dream shifts and he’s at the store again with the “woman” chasing him all around the store. When he wakes up he hears a ghostly whispering. He decides to “play the game” Mr. Beard suggested. He calls out to the Gods but then after feels silly and goes to school. In class he notices the clasp on his briefcase has been teampered with. When he opens it his most prized possession-his prayer book- is gone. His mind jumps to a boy named Phil and he’s about to ask him if he took it but the teacher interrupts. Sister Electa never leans the room, so Johnny can’t “make” him confess that he took the book.
During a rehersal, he actually sees Phil-whose a little off in the head- with the book with the book. When confronted in front Sister, Phil claims the book is his. Sister knows Phil has problems so she asks Johnny if the book has any identifying marks. He says he has a dedication to him by his father. When she looks it’s been torn out. She finds it in his pockets. Phil says Eddie made him do it. Sister makes him apologize and stay after school.
Eddie walks up to him and says he’s glad he got the book back and calls Phil a liar. After school, Johnny isn’t in the mood to go home. So, he goes to the river. Eddie is there tossing rocks. He comes up to him and tells him he hope he falls down and breaks his other arm. He knows he made Phil steal his book. All of a sudden his ring starts to flash and a strong wind starts to blow. Things start blowing around. Eddie tries to steady himself. He cuts his hand on a sharp piece of glass. Both boys are freaked out. The adults notice Johnny isn’t sleeping and having nightmares. He isn’t coming to see the Professor but he’s not hanging with anyone his age. The Professor says one night he’ll trail him to the church and get to the bottom of it. He gets his chance that night.
Johnny heads out to Saint Micheals Church to talk to Mr. Beard-who told him he’d see him in a week yet he hasn’t been back to the church. He wonders if he knew about the ring and doesn’t want to think he did. If he knows something about the ring, he’ll smash the figurine later. Johnny finds a note in on the back pew to meet Mr. Beard at Dustin Park. Mr. Beard tho does know about the ring. He asks if the ring bothers him. Then then an pain shots up his arm until he begs him to stop. He says he accepted the ring so now he’ll have to accept the consequences.
He asks hasn’t he gussed who he is and then his form starts to change. The Professor sees Johnny talking to an empty bench. Father Baart tells him to meet him again in seen days and bring the ring. He can’t tell anyone or he’ll die. If he does this his life will return to normal. The Professor suggest to Johnny’s grandfather he sent him to get some mental help (and tells him what he saw). The doctor finds nothing. The psychiatrist tells him that he spoke of meeting with a ghost under hypnosis and the Professor makes the connection.
He says they should explain to him his mind is just playing tricks. Then he should go with him to the park to prove there’s no ghost. Then he thinks he should get out of town. The Professor says he can take him on a trip. He says he has Johnny’s ring and that he told him he couldn’t remove it, but he took it out and he didn’t die. They try to have a talk with him and convince him it was a hallucination, but this doesn’t go over well. The Dr tells him rings flash in the sunlight, and the sea can cause violent weather.
Johnny and the Professor go to the mountains and sight see. The professor goes to get cigarettes and johnny goes back to the cabin. He notices a Gideon bible left out with the passage about venge is mine underlined. The Professor says this is normal. That night, a shadowy figure enters Johnny’s room and his ring is now back on his pillow. Johnny follows the figure out the door. He finds Johnny and the ghost on the edge of a mountain. He saves Johnny from falling off and then uses fire to ward off the ghost. The Professor is able to get the ring off and Johnny comes back to himself dazed and confused.
The Professor thinks to search the cave for the ghost’s body since it says it’s strongest there. Just as he finds the box, the ghost shows up and makes the Professor vanish into dust. Johnny picks up the box and throws it and the ghost disappears and the Professor appers below him. There’s another rock slide (there was one when the Professor found Johnny) but they’re rescued by a helicopter.
My Thoughts:
For the most part I’ve enjoyed these and this was a good first book to begin the series. I didn’t start this series from the beginning -I think I started with the House With The Clock In The Wall- but had I begun with this one, I definitely would have wanted to continue on with it. Some books you can tell just from the beginning it’s going to be a loooong journey but you just stick it out until the end. But the mysteries in these are interesting -if not quick-reads. The horror (scare) aspect is always chilling and there’s no “distractions” to take away from it.
Rating: 7
It starts off with Childermass coming by the Dixon’s angry because his car is stuck in the snow. Then they have dinner and Grandpa and Johnny help him get the car out. After this, the Professor invites himself back inside for a drink (and to vent about automobiles). The Professor is amazed that Johnny likes to read and is reading books about Eygpt. Jonny asks him about mummies and then ghost and the Professor tells him some stories about spooky happenings. He likes the stories but tells the Professor he doesn’t believe in ghost. The Professor seems amused by this and tells him he might change his mind one day. Then he tells him about a tale about the church.
(I’m just gonna copy and paste this out of laziness). The book says Father Remigius Baart was the one who had the church built. And he hired a wandering artist to do the alter piece in the church. He was very talented and said his name was “Nemo.” But it seems that the wood-carver was more than just a wood-carver. The story is that he had dealings with the devil, that he diddled around with the black arts. After he finished the altar screen and got paid, this Nemo character left town and was never seen again. But people claim that before he left, he gave Father Baart something. Noone knows what it was but some say it’s a talisman or a book or an evil object that allowed him to do all kinds of nasty things and be have been caused his own destruction.
Father Baart made a lot of enemies. Strange things started to happen. A man by the name of Mr. Herman -who was an enemy of Baart-was looking at the church’s tower and a big rock fell and killed him. There were no workmen on the tower and it was said to be “accidental”. Then another enemoy of his-Mrs.Mumaw got ran down by horses. Father Baart disappeard tho with only a note left behind. The passage refers to Moses. According to the Bible, when Moses died, his body was carried away by angels and was buried secretly somewhere. They never found his body but he’s said to still appear in the church.
There’s the typical bully-Eddie Tompka- whose strong but not smart thus jealous of Johnny. To avoid him one day, he ducks into the church. Once inside, he takes a minute to gaze at the elaborate alter piece by Nemo. Then he lights a candle for his mother. When he checks Eddie is still outside. He can’t go out the back so he decides to check out the basement. He finally sees something of interest. It’s a book but it’s covered in spiders. The spiders vanish and he tries to touch the book but his hand keeps jerking back.
The book’s title is “Roman Missle” and it’s been hollowed out. In the hole is yellow parchmeant and a figurine of an Egyptian mummy. This is what the paper says Whoever removes these things from the church does so at his own peril. I abjure you by the living God not to endanger your immortal soul. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Remigius Baart. He hears footsteps and grabs the book and gets out of there. He dumps the book in the cellar so as not to be questioned by his Grandma.
On a Saturday, Johnny decides to show the book to the Professor. When he examines the blue figurine he finds a label that says SUVENIR OF CAIRO ILLINOIS. He advises him not to take the things back tho. He says the figurine might be valuable. He should find out if it is. He also advises to keep it from his Grandma. He invites him back for chocolate cake and a chess game later. On the way back from the Professor’s house, Johnny sees a short, stocky, figure. He speaks but the man doesn’t speak back. Telling himself it’s just Mr. Sivartou-a strange man on his street-. When he looks out his window (once in his room) the man is gone.
After this Johnny and the Professor become friends. Johnny writes “Hobbies” magazine to inquire if his figurine has any value. Johnny finds his grandmother spraying for spiders and sees the same kind of spiders that he found crawling over the book. They’re there for a couple of days. Then they vanish. Grandma thinks it’s the spray. One night coming from the movies, he has a feeling someone’s following him. Later, he has a dream that he’s headed for a United Cigar Store. There’s a sign over the door that says R BARRT ANTIQUES AND CURIOUS (In the midst of life, we are in death). There’s a light on inside. In the display windows are gray sand and blue, mummy, figures sticking up. Gray spiders are all over the floor. Everything is dusty and dirty.
There’s a “lady” behind the counter -who he knows is really Father Baart- He tells her he’s come to solve the mysteries of life. As he comes around the counter, he sees she’s standing in a grave. He tries to run but the woman’s grip drags him down. Then he sees her face is a skull. He screams but doesn’t hear any sound. Then she pulls him into the grave. This is when he wakes up. After school, he goes to see the Professor about his worries, but he tells him it’s all in his mind. His suggestion is to let him beat him as chess and have some of his prune cake (uh NO!)
A month later, the spiders return but the spooky feelings and dreams go away. Hobbies Maagazine responds back and says there were several colors of the figurine produces (red, blue, and gold) and they’re worth 25.00 At school there’s a contest of collecting newspapers. One of Johnny’s teacher’s ask him to go inside and bring her (her) watch but he sees Eddie about to pick it up. Eddie claims he was about to return it and then he calls Johnny “brown noise” one time to many.
It ends up with Johnny snapping at him and then Eddie almost cutting off one of his fingers with a pair of scissors. The Sister sends him home and says his side one. On the way, Johnny starts to have dark thoughts about Eddie. At home, he takes out the blue figurine and says “I hope he brings his goddamn neck.” He almost gets caught by Grandma -who chews him out about coming in the way he did-. But then when she hears about the fight she’s sympathetic, fixes him up, and tells him the Thompkins are like that. They’re apart of the KKK. Later, he worries what he did grabbing the figurine.
The next day, Eddie’s arm is in a cast. That night, he tells his grandparents he’s going to see the Professor, but instead he goes to the church. There’s a strange man there and he finds himself confessing to him about Eddie and the figurine. The man says that the figurine -its clear- isn’t magic but what he should do is pretend it is (to give him the strength to stand up against Eddie. Because whatever you think you are is what you are). One night Johnny dreams he’s a month. Then the dream shifts and he’s at the store again with the “woman” chasing him all around the store. When he wakes up he hears a ghostly whispering. He decides to “play the game” Mr. Beard suggested. He calls out to the Gods but then after feels silly and goes to school. In class he notices the clasp on his briefcase has been teampered with. When he opens it his most prized possession-his prayer book- is gone. His mind jumps to a boy named Phil and he’s about to ask him if he took it but the teacher interrupts. Sister Electa never leans the room, so Johnny can’t “make” him confess that he took the book.
During a rehersal, he actually sees Phil-whose a little off in the head- with the book with the book. When confronted in front Sister, Phil claims the book is his. Sister knows Phil has problems so she asks Johnny if the book has any identifying marks. He says he has a dedication to him by his father. When she looks it’s been torn out. She finds it in his pockets. Phil says Eddie made him do it. Sister makes him apologize and stay after school.
Eddie walks up to him and says he’s glad he got the book back and calls Phil a liar. After school, Johnny isn’t in the mood to go home. So, he goes to the river. Eddie is there tossing rocks. He comes up to him and tells him he hope he falls down and breaks his other arm. He knows he made Phil steal his book. All of a sudden his ring starts to flash and a strong wind starts to blow. Things start blowing around. Eddie tries to steady himself. He cuts his hand on a sharp piece of glass. Both boys are freaked out. The adults notice Johnny isn’t sleeping and having nightmares. He isn’t coming to see the Professor but he’s not hanging with anyone his age. The Professor says one night he’ll trail him to the church and get to the bottom of it. He gets his chance that night.
Johnny heads out to Saint Micheals Church to talk to Mr. Beard-who told him he’d see him in a week yet he hasn’t been back to the church. He wonders if he knew about the ring and doesn’t want to think he did. If he knows something about the ring, he’ll smash the figurine later. Johnny finds a note in on the back pew to meet Mr. Beard at Dustin Park. Mr. Beard tho does know about the ring. He asks if the ring bothers him. Then then an pain shots up his arm until he begs him to stop. He says he accepted the ring so now he’ll have to accept the consequences.
He asks hasn’t he gussed who he is and then his form starts to change. The Professor sees Johnny talking to an empty bench. Father Baart tells him to meet him again in seen days and bring the ring. He can’t tell anyone or he’ll die. If he does this his life will return to normal. The Professor suggest to Johnny’s grandfather he sent him to get some mental help (and tells him what he saw). The doctor finds nothing. The psychiatrist tells him that he spoke of meeting with a ghost under hypnosis and the Professor makes the connection.
He says they should explain to him his mind is just playing tricks. Then he should go with him to the park to prove there’s no ghost. Then he thinks he should get out of town. The Professor says he can take him on a trip. He says he has Johnny’s ring and that he told him he couldn’t remove it, but he took it out and he didn’t die. They try to have a talk with him and convince him it was a hallucination, but this doesn’t go over well. The Dr tells him rings flash in the sunlight, and the sea can cause violent weather.
Johnny and the Professor go to the mountains and sight see. The professor goes to get cigarettes and johnny goes back to the cabin. He notices a Gideon bible left out with the passage about venge is mine underlined. The Professor says this is normal. That night, a shadowy figure enters Johnny’s room and his ring is now back on his pillow. Johnny follows the figure out the door. He finds Johnny and the ghost on the edge of a mountain. He saves Johnny from falling off and then uses fire to ward off the ghost. The Professor is able to get the ring off and Johnny comes back to himself dazed and confused.
The Professor thinks to search the cave for the ghost’s body since it says it’s strongest there. Just as he finds the box, the ghost shows up and makes the Professor vanish into dust. Johnny picks up the box and throws it and the ghost disappears and the Professor appers below him. There’s another rock slide (there was one when the Professor found Johnny) but they’re rescued by a helicopter.
My Thoughts:
For the most part I’ve enjoyed these and this was a good first book to begin the series. I didn’t start this series from the beginning -I think I started with the House With The Clock In The Wall- but had I begun with this one, I definitely would have wanted to continue on with it. Some books you can tell just from the beginning it’s going to be a loooong journey but you just stick it out until the end. But the mysteries in these are interesting -if not quick-reads. The horror (scare) aspect is always chilling and there’s no “distractions” to take away from it.
Rating: 7
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2024
Super cute, cozy book. Loved this and excited to read more John Bellairs books. Fun to read even as an adult - the 50s slang is hilarious.
October 16, 2014
John Bellairs' current reputation rests pretty squarely on his first YA book, THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN IT'S WALLS. It's too bad, really, because many of his later books are much more satisfying. In fact, his books would be GREAT source material for a TV series or movie series. Now that I think about it, all his books would be an excellent series to adapt into graphic novels, considering the mood and gloom that permeates his novels.
THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE is the first of the JOHNNY DIXON books, and it's a well-written, spooky, supernatural mystery. There are some genuinely scary moments in it, and some wonderfully realized scenes and character bits. His protagonist is a 12-year-old outsider, who finds himself dealing with forces far beyond what he expected when he accidentally steals a blue figurine from the basement of a church. As usual with Bellairs books, Johnny has an adult companion to help him with his circumstances, this time in the form of an old family friend.
Highly recommended.
THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE is the first of the JOHNNY DIXON books, and it's a well-written, spooky, supernatural mystery. There are some genuinely scary moments in it, and some wonderfully realized scenes and character bits. His protagonist is a 12-year-old outsider, who finds himself dealing with forces far beyond what he expected when he accidentally steals a blue figurine from the basement of a church. As usual with Bellairs books, Johnny has an adult companion to help him with his circumstances, this time in the form of an old family friend.
Highly recommended.
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March 22, 2016These books were my absolute favorites when I was a kid and I've recently managed to buy all the original Johnny Dixon series in their hardback editions with the Edward Gorey artwork. I'm planning on rereading all 9 this year in order (though I don't think there's a greater timeline). I won't be rating them because they were all 5 star books when I was 11.
What I love about Bellairs: he doesn't treat his reader like an idiot. He names chess strategies and antiques and ancient Egyptian curses in the same sentence. While Catholicism plays a big part in these books, it's more in the mode of "capital R Religion" than anything resembling zealotry or devotion. I wished--and still do--that I had my own Professor Childermass across the street to eat cake with, and someday my dream house will have its own Fuss Closet.
What I love about Bellairs: he doesn't treat his reader like an idiot. He names chess strategies and antiques and ancient Egyptian curses in the same sentence. While Catholicism plays a big part in these books, it's more in the mode of "capital R Religion" than anything resembling zealotry or devotion. I wished--and still do--that I had my own Professor Childermass across the street to eat cake with, and someday my dream house will have its own Fuss Closet.
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