77th out of 992 books
—
3,131 voters
The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1)
by
Holly Black (Goodreads Author),
Tony DiTerlizzi (Goodreads Author)
When the three Grace children -- Mallory, Jared, and Simon -- and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda's old house, readers know there's magic afoot. The kids uncover a nest of assembled junk, and on a visit to the secret library via the dumbwaiter, Jared finds a note describing "my secret to all mankind." After a few mysterious pranks that get blamed on Jared, the boy finally...more
Hardcover, 114 pages
Published
May 1st 2003
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
(first published 2003)
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In this first installment in the famous Spiderwick Chronicles, we meet the Grace children - nine year old twins Simon and Jared and their older teen sister Malory - as they are moving into Spiderwick Estate. Each kid is dealing with the separation of their parents in their own unique way. Malory releases her agression through fencing. Simon retreats by quietly tending to his little animal friends. Jared, however, hasn't found a good outlet for his fear and anger. It's clear that he's long since...more
Everything about the packaging and promotion of this book is delightful...the title, the mysterious notes obscuring the back cover synopses, the inclusion of a letter from the three children protagonists to the author. All of that is very nice, but after reading the first installment, I can't help but feel a little robbed.
First of all, and forgive me for this, I can't help comparing the books to a more cleverly written and altogether smarter series, Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Eve...more
First of all, and forgive me for this, I can't help comparing the books to a more cleverly written and altogether smarter series, Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Eve...more
I love this book. It is a childrens book and I read it in one day, but it was a great escape. I have a feeling the other ones in this series will be good as well.
Something to look for in the book: between some of the paragraphs there are little black figures of different fairies and they create an optical illusion - as you read and concentrate on one line, when you switch to another line, or look around the room or whatnot, it looks like there are little farie outlines. This had to have been in...more
Something to look for in the book: between some of the paragraphs there are little black figures of different fairies and they create an optical illusion - as you read and concentrate on one line, when you switch to another line, or look around the room or whatnot, it looks like there are little farie outlines. This had to have been in...more
The First book in a series of Five.
The story is about the Grace Children: Mallory who is 13 and the 9 year-old twins Jared and Simon. When their father leaves the family, mom and the kids move into the Spiderwick estate - a large crumbling mansion that they inherited from their “crazy” Aunt. The house is big enough for Mallory to practice her fencing, Simon to keep his stray animals he loves and for Jared to ....well... mostly just be pissed off. He isn’t handling the whole abandonment thing re...more
The story is about the Grace Children: Mallory who is 13 and the 9 year-old twins Jared and Simon. When their father leaves the family, mom and the kids move into the Spiderwick estate - a large crumbling mansion that they inherited from their “crazy” Aunt. The house is big enough for Mallory to practice her fencing, Simon to keep his stray animals he loves and for Jared to ....well... mostly just be pissed off. He isn’t handling the whole abandonment thing re...more
I wasn't too sure what I was getting into when I started this book and I must say that I was much more than pleasantly surprised. The story centers on a mother and her three children, a set of twins and their older sister, who have just moved into the old dilapidated house that has been in the family for years. Very soon after moving in, strange occurrences begin to happen and the children dedicate themselves to solving the mystery.
This is a well written introduction to the series and the style...more
This is a well written introduction to the series and the style...more
Mar 10, 2008
Karen Syed
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone who loves fantasy
Recommended to Karen by:
Amazon.com
Shelves:
kids
Since the book is very short I truly expected to find the typical kid's fantasy, I was disappointed. I mean it is a kid's fantasy, but it is so much more. Take a few words, sprinkle in some charm, and add numerous awesome illustrations and you have an excellent book. Getting to know the Grace kids in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is going to be so much more than an adventure.
If I had to pick one element of "The Field Guide" I don't think I could. The kids are kids, with problems and personalities...more
If I had to pick one element of "The Field Guide" I don't think I could. The kids are kids, with problems and personalities...more
Jun 24, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fantasy readers 8-12
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Saw the movie
Shelves:
fairies,
urban-fantasy
The original reason I didn't read this book is because of all how it looked like simply a ripoff of the popularity of Series of Unfortunate Events. However, when the movie came out, I went and saw it and thought the story line was really cool so I decided to finally pick it up (plus I found out one of the coauthors was Holly Black, and I really loved her other books).
While this book does have some, almost painful in their obviousness, similarities to Unfortunate Events, by the end of this short...more
While this book does have some, almost painful in their obviousness, similarities to Unfortunate Events, by the end of this short...more
This is the first chapter book I have started to read with my six year old son. He truly enjoys the story and with the help of the descriptions the authors give, he is learning to "imagine" the story in his head. The beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book help to keep him interested as well. My eight year old nephew also loves reading this series on his own.
I feel it is a wonderful story. The first book sets the stage and gives lots of background information. The length of the boo...more
I feel it is a wonderful story. The first book sets the stage and gives lots of background information. The length of the boo...more
Aug 31, 2008
Jess
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Kids looking for a fun set of chapter books
Recommended to Jess by:
fantasy class reading
Along with their recently divorced and broke mom, twins Jared (9) and Simon and sister Mallory (13) move into a decrepit Victorian house that holds all sorts of mysteries and creatures.
Fun, good characters, and excellent illustrations.
I glanced at some of the comments here and plenty of people seem to be finding fault with the fact that the book is short. Well, it's a chapter book; it ought to be short. I'm not a fan of books whose endings are little more than a set up for the next book (it's ch...more
Fun, good characters, and excellent illustrations.
I glanced at some of the comments here and plenty of people seem to be finding fault with the fact that the book is short. Well, it's a chapter book; it ought to be short. I'm not a fan of books whose endings are little more than a set up for the next book (it's ch...more
The three stars is tentative. I was intrigued about this series after watching the trailer for the upcoming movie. Well, it's obvious the movie combines more than one book, because the first book looks like it covers about 10-15 minutes of the movie. Maybe. It was...ok. Very imaginative. One advantage with the format (which reminds me of Stephen King's The Green Mile) is that more reluctant readers won't be overwhelmed with these chronicles. This book was just over 100 pages, with a lot of illus...more
These books are pretty popular at the library and I have always found the cover intersting, so last night I decided to check out the first three and read them.
Well, they were a fast read-I had it done in 30 minutes. It was a really cute story and just really fun to read. The author did a good job a starting with an intriguing story and leaves off in a way that you just have to start reading the next one.
What I really like about this book is that despite how busy you might be, if you need a qui...more
Well, they were a fast read-I had it done in 30 minutes. It was a really cute story and just really fun to read. The author did a good job a starting with an intriguing story and leaves off in a way that you just have to start reading the next one.
What I really like about this book is that despite how busy you might be, if you need a qui...more
I read the first couple of these when they were originally published, and decided to read the whole batch at the urging of my daughter. They're fun and well done, but just not as dense and canon-filled as similar series for this age (which, depending on your POV, can be a good thing or a bad thing).
We saw the movie recently (before I started the books again), and I was surprised it covered the entire series, leaving no room for a sequel. And though I get that publishing the books in bite-sized c...more
We saw the movie recently (before I started the books again), and I was surprised it covered the entire series, leaving no room for a sequel. And though I get that publishing the books in bite-sized c...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Gorgeous illustrations help carry the shortcomings in the storytelling. There are other wittier, more engaging series out there about 3 children left to problem-solve on their own in a spooky old house, but Spiderwick is perfect for the pre-Lemony Snickett crowd.
This particular installment is touted as a "field guide" but it's really not much more than an introduction to the Grace children, the Spiderwick world, and the mysteries they'll be unraveling next. It felt like the authors broke a long...more
This particular installment is touted as a "field guide" but it's really not much more than an introduction to the Grace children, the Spiderwick world, and the mysteries they'll be unraveling next. It felt like the authors broke a long...more
“The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1: The Field Guide” by Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black is a fantasy book. The main characters are Jared Grace, Simon Grace, and Mallory Grace. In the beginning the Grace family has to move into their aunts house because their parents got divorced. But the Aunt is in a hospital because she is old and they think she is crazy. The kids hear noises in the wall while their mom is at the grocery store, so they discover a dumbwaiter and Mallory sends Jared up to the atti...more
As a start to a beginner's fantasy series, it does what it should do, hook the reader. There was only a hint of the magic that was to come here. Mostly, this book provided the background necessary to take this adventure wherever it was going to go. I find Jared, Simon, and Mallory fairly likable. Mallory definitely exhibits that in-charge older sister persona that a lot of children with a bossy older siblings will understand, but she is also tolerable and willing to take chances. The fencing is...more
This is a great little book. It took me no longer than half an hour to read but it was still intriguing, adventurous and bold. Black implies this story is true, with a lot of evidence to back her up but as true as something is you can add faeries and suddenly it changes everything.
The Field Guide is the first of the Chronicles and tells of three siblings moving into a big new house and discovering what secrets it holds. Hidden family secrets and torments begin to cause chaos as the supernatural...more
The Field Guide is the first of the Chronicles and tells of three siblings moving into a big new house and discovering what secrets it holds. Hidden family secrets and torments begin to cause chaos as the supernatural...more
I was pleasantly surprised by The Field Guide written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. I was initially hesitant when the librarian handed me the book because even though everyone says not to judge a book by its cover, it was hard not to. The cover had an illustration of a faerie and used a lot of earthy and dark colors. Also, the text used on the cover gave it a mythical vibe, which again made me a little nervous as I am not usually the first to jump at a mythical story. As I worked my way th...more
The Field Guide: The Spiderwick Chronicles was not what I expected it to be. First off, judging by the cover I expected a dark story that involved a bunch of mythical creatures. I was surprised by how believable the story was when it came to things like family. The book touched on subjects such as divorce and sibling rivalry. I just didn’t expect these topics to be discussed in this book based on the title and cover. These authors did a good job with the little illustrations that are drawn throu...more
I am a big fan of both Black and DiTerlizzi, but I had not gotten around to going back and reading these books. I must admit after reading this first one, I will be devouring the rest of this series and the three books in the Beyond Spiderwick series. I have seen and enjoyed the movie but so long ago it did not affect my reading of the book. I had big expectations for this book and it did not disappoint.
The five books in this series can really be taken as one continuous story. Yet they were orig...more
The five books in this series can really be taken as one continuous story. Yet they were orig...more
When the three Grace children -- Mallory, Jared, and Simon -- and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda's old house, readers know there's magic afoot. The kids uncover a nest of assembled junk, and on a visit to the secret library via the dumbwaiter, Jared finds a note describing "my secret to all mankind." After a few mysterious pranks that get blamed on Jared, the boy finally...more When the three Grace children -- Mallory, Jared, and Simon -- and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda's old house, reade...more
The first entry to the Spiderwick Chronicles is a short book with very little story at all. To be blunt, there is very little in the way of character development and a whole lot in the way of excessive descriptive padding. Each of the character's has quirks that make them unique and identifiable, except for Jared, the protagonist, who has very little that makes him special. Both his mother and sister are needlessly rude and easily dislikable characters who should probably be hauled off by child...more
So the story is about three siblings. Twins named Jared & Simon and their older sister Mallory. Their parents had a recent divorce and the kids and their mom take refuge in their crazy old Aunt's house. Said Aunt is now living in an insane asylum for talking about little people that took care of her. Very quickly after moving in, the kids discover that maybe their Aunt wasn't so crazy. They keep hearing scurrying in the walls, and inside they find what looks like a little nest. Complete with...more
Perfect for the reluctant reader! This short chapter book is chock full of interesting characters, detailed and clever illustrations (mostly pen and ink, but some in full color), maps, clues, and fantasy suspense. The size of the book alone will be comforting to a tween who may be afraid of larger volumes, and the fact that it has been made into a major motion picture will give it some familiarity.
I was surprised at how enthralling this book was from the very start. Book one of five, the cliffha...more
I was surprised at how enthralling this book was from the very start. Book one of five, the cliffha...more
Dec 30, 2011
Karin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
faeries,
juvenile-fiction,
fantasy,
families,
siblings,
brothers,
sisters,
mothers,
borrowed-from-the-library,
series
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Another young adult book from the library I read recently; this one was much more obviously written as a part of a series than most others, as practically nothing happens in the book. In screenwriting terms, this book contains the setup and possibly plot point one, though I contend that the inciting incident occurs before the book begins. For those who don't write screenplays, this means that the book establishes the main protagonist characters - antisocial and distant Jared, his twin brother Si...more
Teil 1 der Reihe der Spiderwick-Geheimnisse ist angenehm zu lesen und interessant. Das Buch ist gespickt mit verschiedensten, schönen Zeichnungen der Protagonisten, Gestalten und Situationen.
Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem Umzug er Familie Grace. Das sind die Zwillinge Jared und Simon, deren große Schwester Mallory und deren Mutter Helen. Der Mann und Vater hat die Familie verlassen, sodass sie also in das Haus ihrer Tante Lucinda einziehen. Ein altes, vermodertes, kaputtes Haus. Das aber ein...more
Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem Umzug er Familie Grace. Das sind die Zwillinge Jared und Simon, deren große Schwester Mallory und deren Mutter Helen. Der Mann und Vater hat die Familie verlassen, sodass sie also in das Haus ihrer Tante Lucinda einziehen. Ein altes, vermodertes, kaputtes Haus. Das aber ein...more
Die eineigigen Zwillinge Jared und Simon ziehen zusammen mit ihrer älteren Schwester und deren Mutter in ein altes Haus, was ihrer Tante gehört, um von allem Abstand zu gewinnen. Zuvor haben sie in einer Wohnung in New York gelebt, doch seit der Scheidung der Eltern ist alles anders.
Doch den Geschwistern ist das Haus von Anfang an unheimlich, denn es ist stark renovierungsbedürftig und sie hören mehrfach Schritte und ein Kratzen in den Wänden.
Da sie glauben, dass es sich hierbei um Eichhörnchen...more
Doch den Geschwistern ist das Haus von Anfang an unheimlich, denn es ist stark renovierungsbedürftig und sie hören mehrfach Schritte und ein Kratzen in den Wänden.
Da sie glauben, dass es sich hierbei um Eichhörnchen...more
An excellent little book. The audiobook is particularly good (Mark Hamill is a surprisingly capable reader, and his voice has matured enough that I was only occasionally reminded of Star Wars), Given the eerie nature of the story, I couldn't help wishing Neil Gaiman had provided the narration, but that's hardly an indictment of Hamill; I wish Gaiman narrated everything, including my life.
Black has created a wonderful world of fantasy creatures, and I look forward to reading more of her works. Al...more
Black has created a wonderful world of fantasy creatures, and I look forward to reading more of her works. Al...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Book Choice | 2 | 6 | Apr 24, 2012 08:42pm | |
| discussion | 1 | 4 | Nov 28, 2011 07:39pm | |
| general | 1 | 3 | Nov 28, 2011 07:37pm | |
| Spiderwick Fieldguide by Tony DiTerlizzi | 1 | 9 | Nov 28, 2011 07:27pm | |
| Words or images you liked? | 1 | 16 | Nov 30, 2009 06:22am | |
| The Movie | 2 | 25 | Apr 06, 2008 01:43pm |
Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Gl...more
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May 27, 2011 10:23am
May 27, 2011 11:25am