The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie

by Brad Strickland, John Bellairs, Johnny Heller (Read by)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200982325
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	01/17/2023
Series:	The Johnny Dixon Series , #9
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 5.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

John Bellairs (1938-1991) was beloved as a master of Gothic young adult novels and fantasies. His series about the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt and his uncle Jonathan, which includes The House with a Clock in Its Walls, is a classic. He also wrote a series of novels featuring the character Johnny Dixon. Among the titles in that series are The Curse of the Blue Figurine; The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt; and The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull. His stand-alone novel The Face in the Frost is also regarded as a fantasy classic, and among his earlier works are St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies and The Pedant and the Shuffly.

Bellairs was a prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely death in 1991.

Brad Strickland was born in New Holland, GA, in 1947 and has written over seventy-five books in the intervening years. He is also a professor of English at the University of Georgia in Gainsville, about six miles from where he was born. He and his wife Barbara have two grown children, both of whom have artistic careers of their own. Their nest is not empty, however, as they have three cats and two dogs, which is enough to keep them busy.

Johnny Heller is an award-winning audiobook narrator who has recorded hundreds of titles. A multiple Earphones and Audie Award winner, he was named a 2008 and 2009 Listen Up winner by Publishers Weekly and a Best Voice of 2008 and 2009—as well as one of the top fifty voices of the 20th Century—by AudioFile. A veteran stage, television, and commercial actor, he is also a stand-up comic, author, and playwright.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-7-Completed posthumously, this book offers readers another taste of Bellairs's macabre writing. During a party, noted folklorist Dr. Coole shows Professor Childremass, Johnny Dixon, and his friend Fergie a small drum and tells them a strange story about voodoo cults in Haiti and the Caribbean. A few casual taps on the drum set in motion a tale of terror that includes zombies, evil spells, and death threats. Set in the mid-1950s, the horror is subtle, yet detailed enough to appeal to fans of the television show Tales from the Crypt and readers too young for Stephen King. The ``gee whiz'' tone lends a touch of naivet, and some plot turns are a bit obvious, but readers of Dixon's last escapade, The Secret of the Underground Room (Dial, 1990), will not be disappointed.-Jeanette Larson, Texas State Library, Austin

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