The Spiderwick Chronicles [5-volume set]

This is completely not working for me. The story is banal. It's your standard something-is-happening-and-no-one-believes kid tale coupled with the standard moving-to-a-new-house material. That's not to say I wouldn't recommend it to a kid. There's a lot here for a kid to love if they've just moved or they're interested in fairies. There isn't anything particularly engaging for an adult mind though.

Also, I was disappointed with Mark Hamill's narration. He was a big part of why I grabbed this particular audiobook, but I don't care for his style. He sounds like a parent reading a book to their child. Which is fine if you are indeed a parent reading to your child. The relationship between you and the child adds a layer to the experience. However, I know for a fact that there are some exquisite performers out there reading kids' books (Jim Dale and Bahni Turpin, I'm looking at you), and Mr. Hamill just isn't up to that level as a vocal actor.

So I'm DNFing this before the end of book one. I'm not starting my new year forcing myself to listen to something that makes me heave a sigh at the thought of hearing. ( )

I’m not going to spend much time talking about the adventures of Simon, Jared and Mallory on the Spiderwick Estate as a million other people have reviewed it before me and it’s been a major film, so most of you will know the story.

In summary then, this is a fantasy aimed at children in which a magical realm we cannot see exists within our reality. You can spot the fairy and goblin creatures only if you peer through a hole in a stone or if a hob-goblin spits in your eye, draping you with not only magical goblin saliva but also the blessed power of seeing things which don’t fit in our reality. The film Epic presented a similar scenario, a magical realm you could only see after a scale and temporal adjustment. The “blessed with elvish sight” thing was Middle Ages code for being mentally handicapped, which is a less pleasant side to what could be a lovely thought.

There’s an old house, broken relationships, a family mystery, a hidden room, something living in the walls and a magical guide book – all the standard stuff of fantasy. A healing ceremony of some kind is needed and that’s what the story is there to provide. There isn’t a David Bowie figure to whisk them off, the King Goblin being an actual goblin this time, but otherwise it is a wade into regular goblin-realm escapism.

The children have recently relocated, so don’t fit in at school and are edging off the rails. This is also classic, just as there has never been a poltergeist report ever that coincidentally didn’t have an adolescent child living under the same roof. Do the maths.

After a series of adventures and escapes, which develop the fairy world, introduce its denizens with their various uses or weaknesses and integrates that with not fitting in at school, well… you’ll have to read the book (a compilation of the series) and see.

This story might feel wonderful and special to a child who hasn’t read widely but when someone outside that age range reads it, the magical glamour has long departed and it seems okay but isn’t legendary. ( )

I read this book to my eldest son (and am also reading it a 2nd time to my youngest son), after having watched the movie. There are 5 books in here, all put together, and this particular version is illustrated so the reader is really able to envisage the characters.

The story in the book deviates a great deal from the film, which I do prefer, and it became much deeper and in some places darker than the film. It is well written, although I felt the division of the books interrupted the flow of the story. And I felt some individual books, if standing alone, wouldn't have been very satisfactory a read, as they didn't each contain a full story.

But overall a very enjoyable read, with some great characters and gripping scenes. ( )

After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of faerie.
The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them. The collection has all five stories: The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's secret; The Ironwood Tree and The Wrath of Mulgarath. ( )

Always a good series to go back to. I read it when I was still young enough that I wasn't allowed to stay home alone. Spiderwick was my choice of book to bring along on errands or to sibling's hockey games. The fantasy, adventure, and mystery that the children face is so enthralling I could re-read it a thousand times and still be immensely entertained. I definitely recommend this series to any one of any age. Magic, Monsters, Creatures, and Secrets. Clearly a recipe for a great reading experience! ( )