The author of 18 books including "St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies" (1966); "The Pedant and the Shuffly" (1968); the Tolkien-inspired fantasy "The Face in the Frost" (1969); and fifteen young-adult gothic supernatural thrillers staring such characters as Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. In 1955, after graduating from Marshall High School, he attended Notre Dame, and later made history when he and four other Notre Dame students appeared on the G.E. College Bowl program in March 1959. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Bellairs graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in English (1959). The following year he moved to Chicago and earned a Masters in English from The University of Chicago. He later taught at following colleges: 1963-65 - College of St. Teresa (Winona, MN) 1966-67 - Shimer College (Mount Carroll, IL) 1968-69 - Emmanuel College (Boston, MA) 1969-71 - Merrimack College (North Andover, MA) In 1973, his first young-adult novel, "The House with a Clock in its Walls," was published. In 1978, "The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn" followed with new characters. Both HOUSE and TREASURE were made into televised dramatizations in 1979. "The Curse of the Blue Figurine" (1983) introduced another series of characters living and battling supernatural events near Duston Heights, MA. In 1991, Bellairs died of cardiovascular disease. Two books and two drafts of his work were completed by author Brad Strickland, who in turn has released six of his own books using the Bellairs characters. Strickland's most recent release is 2001's "The Tower at the End of the World." In 1992, the Marshall (Michigan) Historical Society erected a marker for the Cronin House, the real life setting "The House with a Clock in its Walls," and another marker for Bellairs. In 2000 he was inducted into Haverhill (Massachusetts) Hall of Fame.
Common to all of Bellairs's mysteries is an unspoken stress on the need for friendship. Most of the dangers faced by Bellairs's young investigators come about due to their misuse of magical properties or objects. The protagonists then learn how to face their dilemmas with the help of a wise and loving older friend or relative.
Inducted into the Haverhill (Massachusetts) Citizens Hall of Fame.
Gothic novels with a supernatural element that feature a young protagonist and his much-older, bubbie-like best friend.