John Bellairs (Brad Strickland) Books in Order

Brad Strickland's John Bellairs books continue the worlds Bellairs created after his death in 1991. Some began as unfinished manuscripts or outlines Bellairs left behind. Others are fully new adventures written by Strickland with Bellairs's characters, settings, and supernatural rules in mind.

The continuation era includes stories in both the Lewis Barnavelt and Johnny Dixon lines. Lewis still lives in New Zebedee with his uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann, where old homes and everyday objects keep proving more dangerous than they look. Johnny remains in Duston Heights with Professor Childermass and Fergie, facing occult puzzles that often grow from local history, old graves, and cursed relics.

The mood stays firmly middle-grade gothic. There are secret rooms, odd books, suspicious strangers, ancient magic, and kids who have to act even when they would rather run. Strickland also keeps the companionship that makes these books work. The adults may be eccentric, but they listen. The young heroes may be scared, but they are not left to face the supernatural alone.

It is a continuation, not a reset.

Readers can begin with the original Bellairs novels for the fullest introduction to the characters. But the Strickland books offer a natural next step once you have finished the earlier stories. The books completed from Bellairs material sit closest to the original run, while later entries take the familiar casts into new cases.

Expect cozy settings, real danger, and mysteries that begin with one troubling detail before opening onto something much larger. The continued series is especially good for readers who want more time with the people and places that made Bellairs's books memorable.