John Bellairs is 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 were THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE; THE MUMMY, THE WILL, AND THE CRYPT; THE SPELL OF THE SORCERER'S SKULL and others. His solo 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. He was a prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely death in 1991.