The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder
- Downloads：7796
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-03-16 11:22:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brad Strickland
- ISBN：B0BDLGV8MC
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
When Fergie takes a book from the library， little does he know that the book will put him under the spell of Jarmyn Thanatos， an evil sorcerer。 As Fergie falls more and more under Thanatos' influence， he jeopardizes not only his own life， but also the lives of his friends Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass。 Can Johnny and the professor save Fergie， or will they all perish under Thanatos' secret reign of terror？
Reviews
Susan
，
I really enjoyed reading this book。This is a horror book written for kids。It's scary， and it has good characters and a good story。In this book， as in all of this series， the horror is balanced against the loving relationship between the main characters and their families and friends。 I first got hooked on this series when my son read them， now I'm reading them all。 These books were originally written by John Bellairs。 After Mr。 Bellair's death， Brad Strickland took over the series， finished some I really enjoyed reading this book。This is a horror book written for kids。It's scary， and it has good characters and a good story。In this book， as in all of this series， the horror is balanced against the loving relationship between the main characters and their families and friends。 I first got hooked on this series when my son read them， now I'm reading them all。 These books were originally written by John Bellairs。 After Mr。 Bellair's death， Brad Strickland took over the series， finished some that were not quite complete， and wrote some additional books with the original characters and atmosphere。 Both writers do a great job。 。。。more
Daniel
，
I've slowly reread all of John Bellairs' novels， and I'm now amid the Strickland novels involving Bellairs' characters and gothic style。 Some of these I read before， but this one， and others to come will be new to me。 The formulaic nature of these books becomes much more apparent as an adult， and detracts from Bellairs' originals toward the end of the line。 Strickland took characters who had become rather stagnant and worked hard to develop them more fully while staying mostly true to how Bellai I've slowly reread all of John Bellairs' novels， and I'm now amid the Strickland novels involving Bellairs' characters and gothic style。 Some of these I read before， but this one， and others to come will be new to me。 The formulaic nature of these books becomes much more apparent as an adult， and detracts from Bellairs' originals toward the end of the line。 Strickland took characters who had become rather stagnant and worked hard to develop them more fully while staying mostly true to how Bellairs' conceived them。 This included some updates to more modern sensibilities for kid's lit， such as having Professor Childermass try to quit smoking cigarettes because he knows they're bad for you。 But it also includes introducing new characters and making existing ones and their families grow a bit more。 Strickland also excels at trying to better connect novels， having characters bring up events of past experiences more often， without requiring readers to have actually read those previous books to really understand any sentiments。 But， as Strickland wrote novels based on plots or snippets that Bellairs had come up with， and moved onto his own original stories， Strickland's books also began to feel stagnant， and the books seemed to contain less of the supernatural creepiness and frights that the best of Bellairs had offered。The Bell， The Book， and the Spellbinder feels more refreshing than some of the previous entries by Strickland because of two factors。 He finds a better balance of combining his characterization with elements of horror and gothic atmosphere， and he shifts the threats of the plot onto the historically secondary character Fergie rather than Johnny， or the Professor， as previously。 Previous books also commonly feature the children united in keeping secrets from the adults （and vice versa）， whereas here it is more between Fergie and Johnny， with Johnny always being on the same page as the adults in figuring out what is happening to their friend。 Spooky fun along with the ever evocative illustrations of Gorey。 Hope this balance continues in the next novels。 。。。more
Charles Lupo
，
I think this one was written entirely by Brad Strickland， and it was quite good。 The usual cast of characters （plus Sarah who I don't know） with the usual horrific supernatural events to thwart， but this time Fergie is in trouble。I finished my collection of Bellairs novels， so I'm going to read those last 4， but based on the quality of this one， I might pick up another Strickland book or two as well。 I think this one was written entirely by Brad Strickland， and it was quite good。 The usual cast of characters （plus Sarah who I don't know） with the usual horrific supernatural events to thwart， but this time Fergie is in trouble。I finished my collection of Bellairs novels， so I'm going to read those last 4， but based on the quality of this one， I might pick up another Strickland book or two as well。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Good， not great。
Persephonie
，
I’ve had this book since I was a kid and I remember being so transfixed by the dust jacket art。 Too bad the story inside was slow-paced and kind of a snooze-fest。
Cliff
，
I'm a little disappointed in this iteration of the Johnny Dixon story。 The reason is that if you change the book into a blue Egyptian figurine and Fergie into Johnny， this is effectively a retelling of the first book。 It doesn't sufficiently distinguish itself from that earlier book。Otherwise， the pacing seemed fairly typical （practically an entire school year elapses during the course of this story， yet oddly， Johnny is seemingly no older than he was in that first novel）。 Though， I will admit t I'm a little disappointed in this iteration of the Johnny Dixon story。 The reason is that if you change the book into a blue Egyptian figurine and Fergie into Johnny， this is effectively a retelling of the first book。 It doesn't sufficiently distinguish itself from that earlier book。Otherwise， the pacing seemed fairly typical （practically an entire school year elapses during the course of this story， yet oddly， Johnny is seemingly no older than he was in that first novel）。 Though， I will admit that this plot was more direct than what I've come to expect from Bellairs。If you were hoping to see more of Sarah， she's unfortunately mostly on the periphery here。 Here's hoping that she plays a larger role in the final book。 。。。more
Apurva Khadye
，
No harm can come up from reading a book。 Well， think it over folks because if it is written by evil sorcerer harm will definitely find your way。 Byron 'Fergie' Ferguson， Johnny's best friend picks up a book in library to tackle his boredom but it turns out book has magical abilities。 Professor Childermas was as usual amazing and it's nice to see him having active role since beginning than Johnny hiding things from him and then professor finding out about them。 It was really happy change that tro No harm can come up from reading a book。 Well， think it over folks because if it is written by evil sorcerer harm will definitely find your way。 Byron 'Fergie' Ferguson， Johnny's best friend picks up a book in library to tackle his boredom but it turns out book has magical abilities。 Professor Childermas was as usual amazing and it's nice to see him having active role since beginning than Johnny hiding things from him and then professor finding out about them。 It was really happy change that trouble came from Byron than Johnny。 Book seriously gave me creeps。 Narrative， plot and all the characters are extremely wonderfully written。 。。。more
David
，
A solid entry in the Dixon series。 Readers need not be familiar with the other books to enjoy this one。 Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars。
Alex
，
Brad stayed true to the writing style of John。 Bellairs was most most favorite author as a kid and this was the first I've read of his characters since then！ Definitely brought me back *tear* The story was engaging， even for an adult， but there were several points that I thought were a bit too over the top to stay classified as elementary/middle school ages （5-8）。 If I were reading this to my child I'd skip full paragraphs in the beginning and middle。Can't wait to read more of Strickland！ Heck， Brad stayed true to the writing style of John。 Bellairs was most most favorite author as a kid and this was the first I've read of his characters since then！ Definitely brought me back *tear* The story was engaging， even for an adult， but there were several points that I thought were a bit too over the top to stay classified as elementary/middle school ages （5-8）。 If I were reading this to my child I'd skip full paragraphs in the beginning and middle。Can't wait to read more of Strickland！ Heck， now I want to reread more of John's I haven't cracked open in several decades！ （Am I THAT old already？！） 。。。more
Matthew Webb
，
Death in order to liveA great fast read of friendship， hamburgers and death！ It’s so good it almost melts your bones。 Read it today！
Cynthia
，
This one was a real page-turner！ I love Johnny Dixon and his pals， Sarah， Fergie and Professor Childermass。 It has the feel of a John Bellairs book and plot line and gets just as dark and scary， but written by Brad Strickland。 A whirlwind gothic horror ride！
Kate
，
Johnny Dixon's friend Fergie has found the last book in the library， but unfortunately， instead of making wishes come true as the title implies， it possesses him and puts him in the power of a weird old man who may be hundreds of years old。 Not as tight a plot as a real Bellairs， and a bit of extra religion， but a darn good creepy-necromancyy-friends-to-save book。 Johnny Dixon's friend Fergie has found the last book in the library， but unfortunately， instead of making wishes come true as the title implies， it possesses him and puts him in the power of a weird old man who may be hundreds of years old。 Not as tight a plot as a real Bellairs， and a bit of extra religion， but a darn good creepy-necromancyy-friends-to-save book。 。。。more
Greg Kerestan
，
Much as it pains me to say it， Strickland's eleventh volume to the twelve-part Johnny Dixon series might be one of the best， bettering many of the Bellairs solo titles。 Part of the appeal here is the everybody-in feel to the story， which unites all of the major players without sidelining any of them; another is that Strickland has the Bellairs style down pat， but is willing to get a little weirder and nastier than his predecessor did。 The Thanatos mouse is a ghoulish touch of body horror that I Much as it pains me to say it， Strickland's eleventh volume to the twelve-part Johnny Dixon series might be one of the best， bettering many of the Bellairs solo titles。 Part of the appeal here is the everybody-in feel to the story， which unites all of the major players without sidelining any of them; another is that Strickland has the Bellairs style down pat， but is willing to get a little weirder and nastier than his predecessor did。 The Thanatos mouse is a ghoulish touch of body horror that I can't imagine Bellairs approving of， but （along with the army of insect husks） it works perfectly well in context， pushing the boundaries of kid-friendly without actually stepping into "no longer something you could give a Spooky Kid without guilt" territory。 。。。more
Eliza Whiting
，
I read this book in fifth grade and was very creeped out by it。 But it was really interesting。 I liked it because of the mystery in it。
Jennifer Heise
，
This is a marked improvement over the previous Brad Strickland volume I'd read; this captures the Bellairs flavor。 This is a marked improvement over the previous Brad Strickland volume I'd read; this captures the Bellairs flavor。 。。。more
Steve
，
One of the best of the series
Joanne G。
，
Johnny Dixon's disgruntled friend， Fergie， has grandiose ideas which end in disaster after an encounter with a creepy old man and a magical book。 It's up to Johnny， his intelligent schoolmate Sarah， a cranky professor， and a brave priest to save Fergie from imminent destruction。 Although dark and sinister， the bonds of friendship and camaraderie make this a sweet story。 If I were younger， I'd devour the entire series， but there are too many books and so little time。 If only I had a book that cou Johnny Dixon's disgruntled friend， Fergie， has grandiose ideas which end in disaster after an encounter with a creepy old man and a magical book。 It's up to Johnny， his intelligent schoolmate Sarah， a cranky professor， and a brave priest to save Fergie from imminent destruction。 Although dark and sinister， the bonds of friendship and camaraderie make this a sweet story。 If I were younger， I'd devour the entire series， but there are too many books and so little time。 If only I had a book that could give me more time。。。 Okay， therein lies madness！Adding to the reading pleasure is the illustration by Edward Gorey。 On a side note， I've hit a reading streak where priests serve in a heroic capacity。 It must be time for me to read some Brother Cadfael again。 。。。more
Matthew Connolly
，
This is one of the "John Bellairs" stories written entirely by Brad Strickland after Bellairs' death; and as such， I wasn't expecting to like it very much。 I've blamed Strickland for some of the weaker elements in the stories that Bellairs started and he finished。 This one， however， seemed to be pure Bellairs through and through in its style and plotting。 It contains some genuinely creepy elements: the magical book， the phantom bell， Fergie's plight， and the various undead creatures that appear。 This is one of the "John Bellairs" stories written entirely by Brad Strickland after Bellairs' death; and as such， I wasn't expecting to like it very much。 I've blamed Strickland for some of the weaker elements in the stories that Bellairs started and he finished。 This one， however， seemed to be pure Bellairs through and through in its style and plotting。 It contains some genuinely creepy elements: the magical book， the phantom bell， Fergie's plight， and the various undead creatures that appear。 In true Bellairs style， it also features a long drive through New England to find the villain's lair at the climax of the story。The one element that didn't work for me is the addition of Johnny's female friend， Sarah。 She may have been introduced in the previous book in the series， which I haven't read， and perhaps Strickland had better reasons to use her there。 Here， however， she comes across as rather superfluous and uninteresting。 。。。more
Devin Maraldo
，
it's awesome so far！ it's awesome so far！ 。。。more
Becca Dunlap
，
One in a series， Strickland builds suspense and mystery with an evil sorcerer who will stop at nothing to get eternal life。 This is a classroom library must have for students that have trouble getting into books or love a good black magic mystery。
Ilene
，
I love how Brad Strickland took over the John Bellairs series and I think he's a great writer also。 I love how Brad Strickland took over the John Bellairs series and I think he's a great writer also。 。。。more
Justin K。 Rivers
，
This is one of the best books in the entire series。 A lot of people complain that Brad Strickland isn't as good as Bellairs， that the newer books aren't as great as the old ones they remember。 Those people are wrong， and here's why: Most people don't re-read the older books in tandem with the new ones。 I've spent the last year re-reading every single book， and comparing each novel， taking notes。 I think most people recall the original books fondly， and then pick up one of the Strickland ones tha This is one of the best books in the entire series。 A lot of people complain that Brad Strickland isn't as good as Bellairs， that the newer books aren't as great as the old ones they remember。 Those people are wrong， and here's why: Most people don't re-read the older books in tandem with the new ones。 I've spent the last year re-reading every single book， and comparing each novel， taking notes。 I think most people recall the original books fondly， and then pick up one of the Strickland ones that they haven't read yet， and are disappointed because their memory of how the Bellairs books made them feel is very strong。 People don't realize that 1）The Bellairs books were （although I love them dearly） rather simplistic and had little character development， and 2） the ones Strickland "completed" are actually almost entirely authored by him。 Bellairs left very little in the way of manuscripts behind， the completed books are just fragments or ideas of books that Strickland then turned into full novels。What I've found is that， in many cases， Strickland is better at certain things。 He is often more careful about how he wraps up the plot。 He has also been much more pro-active in developing the characters and in making the books part of a cohesive world。 One of the things that he isn't as good as， however， is the weird stuff。 Part of what made John Bellairs so great is that he was really WEIRD。 His books are filled with loners and misfits， and contain strange， surreal juxtapositions of disparate elements， such as baseball and killer robots， or trolley cars and time travel。 These elements can only come from a certain special creative genius。 Strickland's plots are just a bit more mainstream， more socially well-adjusted， in a way。 The Bell， the Book， and the Spellbinder shows Brad Strickland at his best。 This is a Fergie-centric story， and we delve deeper into his character。 His fears and insecurities and desires create a suspenseful and dramatic story， with a great theme emerging gradually about the power of friendship。 The book contains some of the finest character moments， as well as some of the finest imagery， in the series。 The Thanatos mice （creepy and inimitable！）， the swarm of locusts， the eponymous bell， they all have moments of simple but effective poetry。 Sure， the ending is a bit rushed。 But it mostly makes sense。 The plot isn't as far-out as， say， Eyes of the Killer Robot， but I think the villain in this story is more appropriate， in a way。 The villain's identity is linked to what the book is fundamentally about。 It's not only a page-turner， but a meaningful progression for the characters we have come to know and love。 。。。more
Travis
，
Johnny Dixon’s friend Fergie Steals a mysterious book from the library called “The Book of True Wishes” strange things started to happen to them。 One of them was that Fergie ran away from his friends Johnny and professor Roderick。 Then he hears eerie bells that no one else could hear。 Then he gets dreams that seems real to him。 The dreams were about a ghost boy trying to warn him about something。 Fergie loses control of his body more and more every night after he had lessons about reading the bo Johnny Dixon’s friend Fergie Steals a mysterious book from the library called “The Book of True Wishes” strange things started to happen to them。 One of them was that Fergie ran away from his friends Johnny and professor Roderick。 Then he hears eerie bells that no one else could hear。 Then he gets dreams that seems real to him。 The dreams were about a ghost boy trying to warn him about something。 Fergie loses control of his body more and more every night after he had lessons about reading the book from a man named Jarmyn Thanatos。 Later one Fergie no longer trusted his friends， who were trying to help。 Then Johnny and Professor childermass discovered that Fergie was being controlled by an evil wizard who wants immortality。 。。。more
Maggie
，
I didn't like this book。 I was really disappointed。 I've read some John Bellairs books before and liked them， but When Brad Strickland wrote this using John Bellairs Characters I just thought it was weird。 I didn't like this book。 I was really disappointed。 I've read some John Bellairs books before and liked them， but When Brad Strickland wrote this using John Bellairs Characters I just thought it was weird。 。。。more
Flower
，
Some what of a ghost story with a touch of magic。
Traci
，
i love this book it is a good mystery
Sally
，
To tell the truth，i've NEVER had anobsession with a book as much as this！i would read the whole story again and again！[this is my 3rd time:]and i'm so sad that there isn't a movie on it，because this book is just so awesome！and the characters are great！too bad Edward gory died。he illustrated so nicely。i like the frontipiece he made in this book--the last one。R。I。P:[but atleast Brad is still here。i hope he continues making these Johnny Dixon books and someday makes an episode on everyone of them。 To tell the truth，i've NEVER had anobsession with a book as much as this！i would read the whole story again and again！[this is my 3rd time:]and i'm so sad that there isn't a movie on it，because this book is just so awesome！and the characters are great！too bad Edward gory died。he illustrated so nicely。i like the frontipiece he made in this book--the last one。R。I。P:[but atleast Brad is still here。i hope he continues making these Johnny Dixon books and someday makes an episode on everyone of them。 。。。more
Heather
，
I wasn't really a fan of what Strickland did with John Bellairs' characters， they didn't seem true to their prior development in the series。 The book felt like an impostor。 Maybe I'm going overboard there。 Dunno， I'm feeling negatively about the book though。 Strickland took an outline from Bellairs' notes and inserted shadows of personalities and plot devices。 I wasn't really a fan of what Strickland did with John Bellairs' characters， they didn't seem true to their prior development in the series。 The book felt like an impostor。 Maybe I'm going overboard there。 Dunno， I'm feeling negatively about the book though。 Strickland took an outline from Bellairs' notes and inserted shadows of personalities and plot devices。 。。。more
Ledawn
，
Creepiest book for boys， great mystery for those "allowed" to read books about alchemy/black magic。 Creepiest book for boys， great mystery for those "allowed" to read books about alchemy/black magic。 。。。more
Kristen
，
this was one of the first books i ever relle read =P
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I do not have personal preferences or opinions。 However， 'The Bell， the Book， and the Spellbinder' is a fictional book written by Brad Strickland， a renowned author known for his works in the genres of mystery， suspense， and science fiction。 The book follows the adventures of two teens， Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger， as they try to uncover the mysteries surrounding a sinister bell and a magical book that may hold the key to their success。 The Spellbinder， a wand-wielding magician with dubious intentions， adds to the suspense in the story。 It is an exciting read that is sure to captivate readers who enjoy books that incorporate mystery， magic， and adventure。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I don't have personal preferences or opinions， as I am programmed to be neutral。 However， 'The Bell， the Book， and the Spellbinder' is a book written by Brad Strickland， and it is part of the 'Lewis Barnavelt' series。 It follows the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt， his friend Rose Rita Pottinger， and their Uncle Jonathan as they investigate a mysterious bell that has been stolen， and a spellbook that has been discovered by a local thief。 They soon discover that the spellbook is cursed and must work together to break the spell before it's too late。 The book is a mix of fantasy， adventure， and mystery， suitable for young readers。
tpg2
，
As an AI language model， I cannot form an opinion about books。 However， I can provide some information about "The Bell， the Book， and the Spellbinder"。 "The Bell， the Book， and the Spellbinder" is a novel by Brad Strickland。 It was published in 1997 and is part of the "Lewis Barnavelt" series。 The story follows Lewis， a young boy who sets out on a quest to uncover the whereabouts of his missing parents。 Along the way， he discovers a magical bell that can summon spirits， a mysterious book that reveals ancient secrets， and an evil sorcerer known as the Spellbinder， who seeks to use the power of the book for his own nefarious purposes。 The book has received mixed reviews， with some readers praising its fast-paced plot and imaginative setting， while others criticize its simplistic characters and predictable storyline。 However， it remains a popular choice among fans of children's fantasy literature。
Tag
-
the bell the book and the spellbinder