Book Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles #1: The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi is the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles series. With a movie coming out in February 2008 and a video game in development, it’s safe to say that the series of fantasy adventure books is going to be with kids for a while. So if you haven’t discovered this little treasure trove of goodness, now is the time to jump on board.

School started back this week. I always read to my elementary-grade school kid. And I’ll probably read to him until he’s big enough to make me stop. He’s in fourth grade now, and laid up with a possibly broken foot, so he’s a captive audience.

I’ve saved the Spiderwick Chronicles till now because they’re short and punchy. We’ve been reading Alex Rider and Charlie Bone, which are much longer books, but I wanted to ease him back into the concept of reading.

The Field Guide clocks in at only 107 pages, and is chock full of beautiful and intriguing illustrations that capture a young reader’s mind all on their own. We read the book in two sittings, and Chandler grumbled both times because we quit at cliffhanger spots.

Even the ending is a cliffhanger. There are five books in this initial series (more are on the way), and they’re not so much individual books as they are a longer novel that’s been serialized into five bite-sized chunks. They also come in a nifty box set.

The story is awesome and jumps right in with both feet. After Dad leaves the family (it isn’t explained why), twins Jared and Simon and their older sister Mallory Grace move into a creepy old house on the Spiderwick Estate. The house is part of their mom’s family holdings and hasn’t been used in some time.

Almost immediately weird things start happening, and it begins with something scratching inside the walls and scurrying all over the house. Simon wants to find out what it is because he thinks it’s a squirrel, and he’s the pet lover in the group. Jared tends to be the one who fights because he hasn’t quite adjusted to the idea of Dad leaving. Mallory is interested in fencing (with swords, not wooden barriers around yards!).

Article Author: Mel Odom

Mel Odom is the author of over 100 novels. Winner of the American Library Association's Alex Award for 2002 and runner-up for the Christy in 2005, he's written in several genres, including tie-in novels for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and novelizations of Blade, XXX, and Tomb Raider. …

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