FICTION, FANTASY, & YA Review – The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Bibliography
Black, Holly and Tony DiTerlizzi. 2003. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES: THE FIELD GUIDE. New York: Simon & Schuster Books. ISBN 0689859368

Plot Summary
As Jared, Simon and Mallory Grace move into a mysterious old family house, they quickly realize that this is more than just a rickety estate. Several strange occurrences ensue, leading the siblings to investigate their origins. As a weird and wonderful field guide is discovered, the children are exposed to a word of fantastical creatures. Working together, the three children come across some great findings, and are introduced to their first fantasy creature. This first book of the Spiderwick Chronicles is merely the start of incredible adventures to come.

Critical Analysis
DiTerlizzi and Black deliver younger readers a whimsical short read that is surely to capture their interest. Secret passages, intriguing riddles, and mentions of faeries and trolls are prevalent throughout the book, allowing the reader to take part in the adventures of the young Grace children. DeTerlizzi and Black offer characters that have a great ability to relate to young children. Divorce is an unfortunate fact that several children must face in their lives. By including that aspect in this story, the authors are letting children understand that they are not alone in their family struggles, and even they can find salvation in something. This world of fantasy allows the characters and the readers to escape the occasional unpleasantries of life.


With humor and wittiness, DiTerlizzi and Black describe an incredible world that exists from the field guide, “As Jared read, each page took him deeper into the strange world of forest and stream, alive with creatures that seemed so close that he could almost stroke the slick, scaly flanks of the mermaids. He could almost feel the heat of the troll’s breath and hear the rumble of the dwarven forges.” The reader holds their breath as the strange and unknown creature, known only as a boggart, is reveled to the young siblings, “There was a loud sound of a throat being cleared, and the three turned toward the desk. Standing on it, in worn overalls and a wide-brimmed hat, was a little man about the size of a pencil. His eyes were as black as beetles, his nose was large and red, and he looked very like the illustration from the Guide.”


The book holds great aesthetic appeal. Black and white ink drawings provide the reader with a visual image of the Grace children, the creepy house, and the interesting characters that will follow them throughout the series. Additional features like pages torn from the field guide, described as “Handwritten note uncovered by Jared Grace in Arthur Spiderwick’s upstairs library”, allow the reader to feel even more involved in the plot.


At the close of the book, the boggart warns the siblings to toss the book into the fire in order escape a horrible fate. It appears that the Grace children have only just embarked on their journey. The last sentence is a cliff-hanger that definitely encourages the reader to continue with the series, “And worst of all, they were only at the beginning.” This fast-paced story will leave the reader fleeing to Book 2!


Review Excerpts
Bookhive
“Adventure, mysteries, secret rooms, strange messages, and a hint of danger— this book has them all!”
Kirkus
“Readers who are too young to read Harry Potter independently will find these have just the right amount of menace laced with appealing humor and are blessed with crisp pacing and, of course, DiTerlizzi's enticingly Gothic illustrations.”

Connections
If students feel comfortable, they can discuss or write about a time that they struggled with divorce or other issues, and what or who they found salvation in.
Students can also create personal field guides, with creatures of their own. They can imagine what could be in the walls of their own homes, whether it be a simple squirrel or a true boggart!
Additional recommended books:
*The Seeing Stone (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
ISBN 0689859376
*Lucinda's Secret (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
ISBN 0689859384
*Queste by Angie Sage ISBN 0060882077
*Physik by Angie Sage ISBN 0060577371