The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie: A Johnny Dixon Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Grade 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 naivete, 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
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Gr. 5-7. Flopping and thrashing about on the desk was a weird form, repulsive, slimy, drooling. The sounds it made were horrible, like the bawling of a baby animal in terrible pain. Descriptions in R. L. Stine's horror oeuvre can't match this stuff, which has the added benefit of being part of a story that has a tight plot and characters who actually have some personality. Readers may recognize Johnny Dixon, Fergie Ferguson, Father Higgins, and Professor Childermass from such books as The Secret of the Underground Room (1990). This time the group is battling zombies and exorcizing voodoo demons invoked by vicious Madame Sinestra, who has come to America in search of a drum that has special significance for her evil cult. There's suspense and action aplenty as Johnny, Childermass, and Fergie investigate the weird goings-on, with the spookiness nicely balanced by comedy that comes direct from the pompous but good-hearted professor. This ably devised bit of supernatural fun, completed by Strickland after Bellairs' death, is perfect for the preStephen King set. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Johnny Dixon and curmudgeonly--extra-curmudgeonly in this outing--Professor Childermass battle a voodoo priestess and her grandson for control of a powerful drum, in this, the third posthumous Bellairs adventure seamlessly ``completed'' by Strickland. A small ceremonial drum falls into the possession of Dr. Charles Coote, Childermass's friend. Shortly after hiding it, Coote lands in the hospital, delirious--the work, it turns out, of the fearsome Mama Sinestra, a Priest of the Midnight Blood from the (fictional) Caribbean island of St. Ives. Tracking down Mama Sinestra (who is of French descent, not African) involves the zombie attacks, midnight graveyard visits, ambushes, reversals of fortune, nick-of-time rescues, and weird magic that are Bellairs's staples, as well as the discovery and destruction of a pair of particularly hideous soul-suckers Mama has tucked into people's pillows--``It glistened a sick, wet, silvery-gray color, like the slimy belly of a slug. The head showed no eyes or nose, just a pouchy, drooling mouth...'' Sweet dreams, readers. But all's well that ends well as Mama Sinestra and her cohorts are vanquished, the drum is destroyed (spectacularly), a revolution on St. Ives topples the ruling cult, and Johnny's long-absent father takes military leave to put in an appearance. Formulaic but effective. (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.