Product Description

We are very proud (and a bit wary) to announce the publication of The Spiderwick Chronicles. But beware, the faeries will use all their power to stop you from reading these books. Book 1 of The Spiderwick Chronicles in which Mallory, Simon and Jared get acquainted with their new home but find many unexpected things. It all starts when Jared Grace find their great uncle's book, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastic World Around You." and realises that are not alone in their new house. Now the Grace kids want to tell their story but the faeries will do everything to stop them...Its up to you to spread the word about their discovery. But heed their warnings, wear some red, turn your clothes inside out - all anti-faerie devices - and get ready to enter a world that you never knew existed...Its closer than you think!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19366 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

About the Author
Holly Black spent her early years in a decaying Victorian mansion where her mother fed her a steady diet of ghost stories and faerie tales. An avid collector of rare folklore volumes, spooky dolls, and crazy hats, she lives in West Long Branch, New Jersey, with her husband, Theo. For more information, visit www.blackholly.com.

Customer Reviews

For growing imaginations
This first book of The Spiderwick Chronicles introduces young readers to the world of fantasy in a fun and easy to read format. It is written in simple language, and is short enough and exciting enough to hold the attention of even the most restless reader.

The three main characters are the children of the Grace family, Jared, Simon and Mallory, who move into a dilapidated mansion, and stumble upon a world of magical folk.

With the aid of the Field Guide of the title, which Jared discovers after solving a riddle he finds in a secret room, they begin their adventures in the faerie world, realizing that they have just glimpsed the tip of the fantasy iceberg.

Though not a challenging read for older folk, this book provides good groundwork for future forays into the world of Narnia, Lemony Snicket and Artemis Fowl, though not necessarily in that order.

Magically lure your 6 to 10 year olds into the world of fantasy - get them The Spiderwick Chronicles today.

Amanda Richards

Wonderful - Like a book from a Bygone Era
The Spiderwick Chronicles are the most charming little books imaginable. There is something almost Victorian about the quality of their presentation. Beautifully designed covers, outstanding illustrations and a watercolour frontispiece piece all help conjure an aura of days gone by, when faeries were the standard reading matter for the young.

The writing has a clarity that will suit young readers whilst not being overly simple for slightly older readers. The vocabulary is good, but not off-putting for those still feeling their way through books alone. Pages are small - less than half the amount of words per page found in a standard children's book, enabling younger readers to really feel that they're progressing.

Each book is divided into 7 chapters - making it ideal for a week of bedtime stories. Furthermore, what really makes these little books special is the stunning quality of the line illustrations. The artist dedicates his work to Arthur Rackham - and it is clear that Rackham has been his inspiration. There is hardly a double-page-spread without some little picture and there are plenty of highly detailed full page illustrations too - yet again making it perfect for bedtime reading.

Although the style of the books is intentionally retro, the story is anything but. The plot of the first book: 'The Field Guide' revolves around the three Grace children; nine-year-old twins Jared and Simon, and their older sister Mallory. They move into their Great Aunt Lucinda's derelict house - and soon discover that it is not quite as empty as they thought. While trying to trace the source of the mysterious noises within the walls, Jared discovers a strange hidden room in which he finds an old hand-written book belonging to his long-lost Uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, which contains the terrible truth about the faerie world. Once he opens it, his life will never be the same again.

This book is the first in a series of five. Although the stories revolve around the magical inhabitants of the faerie world - don't assume that these books are just for girls. Jared, the main character, is very much a boy - into fighting, getting expelled from school and generally being difficult! Even the faeries are not the twee Enid Blyton variety - neither are they the like the feisty gun-toting elves of the Artemis Fowl books. No, they seem much more realistic: Strange, magical, slightly dangerous and determined to stop at nothing to protect their world and reclaim Arthur Spiderwick's powerful book. Subsequent stories include a whole menagerie of mystical beasts, including: goblins, griffins, unicorns, boggarts, ogres, dwarves and elves. The Spiderwick story continues with: Book 2 - 'The Seeing Stone'

The 1st book
This is the first book of the series. It is a really good book. I thought the book would be a bit like A Series of Unfortunate Events but it was completely different. It is about three childen who have just moved to a new house only to find it is filled with Fairies and other Mythical creatures. It is an excellent book.