The Spiderwick Chronicles

Did finishing the Harry Potter series knock you off of your horse a bit? If so, it's best if you climb back on in a hurry. Reading is an addiction, but it's one that's easily broken by most people. When you stop, it can take a long time to get started again. J.K Rowling would be devastated if you fell into that category.

'The Spiderwick Chronicles,' a series of five books authored by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, tell the tale of two twins and their sister, and the mythical adventure they inadvertently fall into upon finding a book in their great-great uncles hidden home library. I've never been one to spoil stories for people, and I have no intentions of starting now, so that's all you're going to get in terms of a plot line.

Were the books any good? I think so, especially for the younger children that they were authored for. Harry Potter may have been labeled a children's novel, but 800+ page books are incredibly daunting challenges for a young reader, no matter how eager they may be. 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' are considerably shorter; I read the entire series this afternoon. Only one book was larger than 108 pages, but even that number is misleading; the book is partially illustrated, cutting the reading material on those pages by maybe a quarter or more.

Potter may have been a bit scary for younger kids as well; something that I think you're unlikely to find as much of in this series. Things were not 'boring,' but they were a bit more tame. You never got the sense, until maybe the last bit of the 5th book, that characters were in mortal danger.

In terms of vocabulary, the book is also much more accessible to a younger audience. At times Ms. Rowling had me running to my dictionary, and I read at a collegiate level. For kids there will still be a few words that will trip them up a bit, but that's not a bad thing, that's how they learn. It's just learning with less frustration, and finishing the novels will be big confidence boosters for youngsters.

Adults? These will hold your attention if you're fantasy fans; though they certainly have a fairy tale like quality to them. The world isn't as vivid as Rowling's, the characters are not as deep, and the bad guys aren't quite as bad; but there wasn't enough room in between the front and rear covers to accomplish that. The writing is good, and I did enjoy them. For most, I think they'd make nice lunch hour companions for a week or two, depending on the speed that you read.

A movie is due in 2008, release date to be determined. This is one of the few books I think will translate better to film than to paper if done right. Go ahead and read them so you can whine and moan with me about what the director changed or left out. It's so much FUN!


Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs


Thanks to The Bookworm Carnival for linking this article.



the spiderwick chronicles, books, movies, childrens books