The Secret of the Enduringly Popular Author

Bellairs fan Daniel McInerny wonders what made Bellairs's books so fun to read:

What is the secret of this enduringly popular author? Macabre settings, plucky heroes, and whimsical humor–all rolled into a rollicking good adventure tale (most of which feature the superbly macabre illustrations of Edward Gorey–best known for the animated figures in the title sequence of PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery). The only thing my son didn’t like about the Bellairs books he read was that “you couldn’t read them before bedtime.”

Why?

“Just too scary!”