The Seeing Stone (2003)

I seriously cannot explain how much I love these books! If you haven't read the series, I highly recommend you do. Even if you read it as child - read it again. If you think you're "too old", then you are boring and no fun. These books are timeless, perfectly appropriate for every age.

In the last installment, the Grace family had moved into their great aunt's old mansion and discovered some pretty storage things. Jarod had found a field guide containing mysterious knowledge about the magical beings living all around them. Too bad such knowledge comes with a lot of danger that they were not prepared for. In this installment, Simon disappears... was he taken? If so, by what? Regardless, Mallory and Jarod have to find him. What does this mean for the magical world they have discovered?

My favorite part about this book is that Mallory finally starts to believe her brother. She had witnessed the strange goings-on, and unlike her mother, she knew they were not her brother's fault. However, she has been quite reluctant to admit that something magical was going on. I loved seeing Mallory start to come around to the truth. She may seem like an annoying big sister at times, but she does bring some good points to the table! (Which is why everyone should listen to their older sisters... if only to have good arguments when you later prove her wrong.)

As far as the series goes, this may be my least favorite installment. Don't get me wrong, I love all the books, but I find The Seeing Stone to be the least entertaining of the five. However, it does set up well for the next book (which may be my favorite). ( )

The story has begun to improve. They are finally starting to see what kind of trouble the book will cause them. The characters are starting to improve now. It's still only an okay 'series' to me. Right now, I feel like if you put all of the books into one, it would flow better than being split into five book series. ( )

What a horrible family. Not a single decent role model in the book.
The story line is a bit stale and cliched; I didn't care for these books at all. ( )

In the second book of the Spiderwick Chronicles, we find the Grace children under attack by goblins, with brother Simon and his cat gone missing. His siblings Mallory and Jared find a strange contraption left behind by their great-great uncle which fit on the face creating a sort of lens, and which, once the "seeing stone" (a stone with a hole in it) is inserted, permits the viewer to see what are normally hidden creatures of legend. I'm sure kids must love to be scared by the cruel goblins and an encounter with a troll and a griffon also add to the excitement. This series is geared towards ages 6 to 10, but I find it's good fun and I love the colourful imaginative covers, and interior pen and ink illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi. ( )

As good as the first, can't wait to see what happens in book 3! ( )