Lucinda's Secret

The three Grace siblings, who discovered their great-great uncle's field guide to faeries in the first volume of The Spiderwick Chronicles, and confronted kidnapping goblins in the second, are faced with less-than benevolent elves in this third installment of the series. When Mallory suggests that they should rid themselves of the field guide because possessing it will involve them in too much danger, Jared is almost beside himself with anger and fear. He convinces Mallory and Simon to join him in asking the advice of the only other person who understands the significance of the field guide: their great-aunt Lucinda, daughter of the guide's creator, Arthur Spiderwick. But their visit to the psychiatric institution where Aunt Lucy now show more lives brings its own questions, and new heartache. Did Arthur Spiderwick really abandon his family, as Aunt Lucy believes? Or did something else, something mysterious and magical, happen to him? The children set out to discover the truth when they find one of his old maps, climbing into the hills near the Spiderwick Estate. Here they encounter three majestic elves, led by the stately Lorengorm, and discover that there are good reasons that the creatures of the woods - including a beautiful unicorn - don't trust humans...

Every bit as engaging a book as its predecessors, Lucinda's Secret continues to build on the story of the Grace children, as already set out in the earlier volumes. Although aimed at younger children who are just getting going with longer chapter-book fiction - we shelve it in the '7-9 Fiction' section in the bookstore where I work - there is an intelligence and complexity to this series that sets it apart from some of the other books available for this age-group, and makes it an engaging selection for readers of all ages. I myself found this third installment of the series the best so far, as it drew in a number of back-stories - Aunt Lucinda's knowledge of and interactions with faery, and how this translated into madness, in the eyes of those around her; Jared's feelings of abandonment, and the parallels he draws between his own absent father and Arthur Spiderwick - and connected them in emotionally resonant ways. It's impressive that Holly Black manages to tell so captivating a story - both as a family drama and as a fantastic journey of discovery - in such a brief text. The artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi - like the other volumes, there is a color frontispiece, and then profuse black and white illustrations throughout - is absolutely gorgeous, capturing the appeal, whether domestic or fey, of all the people and creatures depicted, and adding greatly to the pleasures of reading and perusal.

All in all, a strong third entry in a five-volume work of fantasy that is really meant to be read as one story, rather than as a series with discrete individual entries. Recommended to anyone who has read the first two titles in The Spiderwick Chronicles show less

This is the third in a five part series, and the plot of the series as a whole takes some interesting turns in this segment. Having escaped an actual attack by the fairy world, goblins to be precise, the Grace children decide they need more answers. They visit Aunt Lucinda, residing in a mental institution, since she was Arthur's daughter, and they learn that her insanity consists of believing that little fairies feed her forbidden fruit. After what they've experienced, the Grace children know that she may not be as crazy as other people think.

Although she can only offer them warnings, the meeting does resolve the children to try and take back the field guide, using the map Arthur Spiderwick drew of the fairy dwellings surrounding their show more homes. This attempt leads them to make a shocking discovery about what actually happened to some of their relatives in the past.

The series continues to keep me engrossed. I love the story - imagine discovering a field guide that is all about fairies, instead of birds or trees! I love the illustrations, which are black and white but so finely detailed and exquisite, they fully capture the exotic world of faerie and the mundane world of reality, and bring to life the distinctive characteristics of each sibling. I love the series as a whole, how Black reveals a little more of the whole picture as the novels progress, while still managing to encapsulate one complete adventure in every book. Black continues to blend the fantastical developments with character growth - we not only meet new creatures, we see the children still struggling to accept their parent's divorce, and the issues each child has faced personally in response to that trauma. It is a beautiful blending of reality and fantasy. My only criticism is that I wish there were more books, because I love this series so much. show less

The third book is a nice continuation of the Spiderwick series. In this book, the plot really starts moving and the Grace children uncover some very important clues.

The one thing I didn't like in this book was the chapter dedicated to the children visiting Lucinda in the hospital/asylum. The descriptions of residents in the hospital were a little dehumanizing by only focusing on their 'madness'. It seemed like a cheap attempt at making the whole situation seem scary, when really the residents are just people and should be viewed as such. Even the fact that Jared still views Lucinda as 'not sane' is a little irksome given that he knows everything she believes is actually true. I don't like that there is a character who is considered show more 'crazy' for the purpose of the plot (especially since we know she's right). This is especially problematic given that the terms 'mad' and 'crazy' are thrown about in such a flippant manner that it seems normalized and excusable. Given that this is a children's book written in the 21st century, I think there are more appropriate ways to incorporate mental health into literature. This is still a good work, but I wish the language had been chosen with a little more care.

Besides that, this is a very good installment. I cannot wait to finish the series. show less

These three are short, but they were so woven to be one story, that I'm giving them only one review. They are beyond adorable. I adore them and I want to have them for my kids.

And I love how all the races are done, the words in each of them, and how they connect. And the art! How can I not tell you about the art! Half of the fun of moving on through any of the stories is the art that's everywhere, brightening everything.

I love Mallory, Jared and Simon in their own ways, and I love how completely un-cliche they each are really. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles one day too!

Summary: Jared's kept Arthur Spiderwick's book, even though their house brownie has repeatedly warned him that it's dangerous. After visiting their Great-Aunt Lucinda, who is not quite as crazy as the grown-ups think she is, the Grace children discover that having the book is dangerous - and that they're not the only ones who want it.

Review: Same fun and spooky adventure as the rest, plus we finally start to get some clues to the mystery of the book and of the Graces' great-great-uncle Arthur. Obviously these are targeted at younger kids, but they're clever and well-built enough that they make fun light reading for grown-ups as well. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Can't stop reading here...

These books are just short and sweet and just dang fun. We can finish them in two nights of bedtime reading, and I am enjoying them just as much as my 7 year old. I'm glad that after years of not wanting to read them because of a poorly made movie, I finally just decided to give them a try!
This book might have been my favorite of the series so far. We're hoping to get the next two books from the library tomorrow so we can read them over the break.

There's been nothing but trouble for the Grace children (Jared, Simon, and Mallory) since they found the book "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You". More than one monster wants the Guide and Simon and Mallory are eager to destroy it, but Jared isn't so sure that's a good idea, so they go to their Great Aunt Lucinda to see what she can tell them about the Guide. Lucinda will tell them some of her secrets and they will discover even more as they try to solve the mystery of the Field Guide.

"Lucinda's Secret" is the third book (of five) in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and picks up where the first two The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles) and The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2) left off. show more Authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black have already filled the books with magical creatures such as goblins, griffins, trolls, and boggarts and add even more in this book - fairies, elves, ogres, a unicorn, and more. Not all of these characters are benevolent and there is a delicious underlying sense of danger throughout the book and series. Some of the best creatures in this book include the unicorn, the shape shifting and cryptic speaking Phooka, the fairies, and the elves. The three children continue to grow as characters throughout the series, especially Jared who is maturing as the adventures continue. The addition of Lucinda in the book adds much to the story as she can explain at least some of what is going on, although her character isn't in the book nearly enough.

Since "Lucinda's Secret" is the third book in the series, it sometimes feels a bit like filler with only a little plot development. Still, it is a charming book in a charming series. show less