Johnny Dixon #4: The Revenge of the Wizard Ghost by John Bellairs

My name is Fergie, and Professor Childermass shared a strange story about Johnny's grandfather. He apparently angered a man named Warren Windrow when he wouldn't allow his baseball team to use Windrow's pitching robot. The weird thing was the robot looked human, but nobody could figure out how Windrow did it. Now, fifty years later, a pro baseball player is offering $10,000 to anyone who can strike him out, and the professor has an idea the old robot might be able to do it. However, things are getting spookier as we gather more clues about the robot, and it seems the eyes have something to do with the its animation. Then, we discovered a mysterious, 50-year old pawn ticket for a walking cane with a sword hidden inside. What could this clue have to do with the robot? And Johnny feels like someone's been watching him, but why would anyone do that?

As with the other books in the series, this one should be read independently from the previous three. The characters don't recall any of their past experiences in dealing with demons and spirits, although in this book they quickly accept the possibility of magic. Johnny has always been the victim in the books, and that problem continues. The root of the conflict this time stems from revenge, not the deep dark evil found in previous plots. While I've mostly enjoyed the series so far, I must admit the predictable events and format have became a little monotonous. A book begins with a strange story, Johnny gets into trouble, the professor comes to the rescue. You can easily enjoy the books individually, but at some point you'll probably become a bit bored. Consequently, if you haven't read any of the other Johnny Dixon books, go ahead and try this one. You'll like it.