The Nixie's Song
Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles
Book 1Holly Black and
Tony DiTerlizzi
Simon and Schuster
ISBN 9780689871313
I loved the original 5 books in the Spiderwick Chronicles. I also really enjoyed the 3 supplemental books and manuals by Black and DiTerlizzi, so to say I was looking forward to the Beyond Spiderwick trilogy would be to put it very lightly. I loved this first book in the trilogy. I really like the main characters, step- brother and sister, Nick and Laurie Vargas. This story, set in the Florida marshland, is a whole new approach to the fantastical world around us.
Both Nick and Laurie are fairly unhappy with their lot in life. Nick's mother was sick, has passed away and now his dad has remarried. Laurie's dad is half way across the country. And now they are living in a blended home. Nick's dad is the developer building Mangrove Hollow, 'A Community Set In Nature'. But soon life becomes very complicated for them. Nick discovers a four leaf clover and then a creature from one of Laurie's books. They save it, but end up in trouble in the process, and soon their lives and troubles are bigger than they would have ever imagined.
The main characters are the greatest strength of this story. They are ordinary kids, with family problems, who are thrown into a world of supernatural creatures and problems to solve they could never have imagined. I loved the book and cannot wait to read book 2, A Giant Problem, to find out what will happen to them next!
Books by Black and DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Field Guide
The Seeing Stone
Lucinda's Secret
The Ironwood Tree
The Wrath of Mulgarath
Arthur Spiderwick's Notebook of Fantastical ObservationsArthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Care and Feeding of Sprites
Beyond Spiderwick
The Nixie's Song
A Giant Problem
The Wyrm King
Other Books by Holly Black:
The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Doll Bones
The Modern Faerie Tales
Tithe
Valiant
Ironside
The Good Neighbors
Kin
Kith
Kind
The Curse Workers
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart
Anthologies
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
Zombies vs. Unicorns
Welcome to Bordertown
Other Books by Tony Diterlizzi:
Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure
Ted
G is for One Gzonk
Kenny & the Dragon
The Search for WondLa
Books Illustrated by Tony Diterlizzi:
Dinosaur Summer
Ribbiting Tales
Alien & Possum: Friends No Matter What
Alien & Possum: Hanging Around
The Spider & The Fly
Dragonflight
Peter Pan in Scarlet
Books by Tony & Angela DiTerlizzi:
Adventures of Meno:
Wet Fun!
Big Friend!
Yummy Trip!
Uh-Oh Sick!
The Ironwood Tree
The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 4
Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Simon and Schuster
ISBN 9780689859397
The further I get into this series, the more I like it. These are great books, wonderfully written and illustrated. Black and DiTerlizzi have done an amazing job. These books in some ways are like C.S. Lewis's Narnia books, and in other ways like J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but they are not overtly religious the way Lewis's are and they are not as dark as Tolkien's. They will introduce children to the concept of wonder, and believing in things unseen, or at least unseen by most. As the series progresses, the relationship between the three Grace children solidifies. They grow closer together as they struggle against those forces that wish to take Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, and they grow in character through the trials they encounter.
What is great is that as each book progresses, the story moves faster and faster. In this book they encounter goblins again, and dwarves and an ogre. They soon realize that the world of fairy is far more dangerous than they had experienced so far. In this book we have riddles, a kidnapping, capture and an escape. We encounter mechanical animals and a few hidden surprises even the children could not expect. It is a great novel and leaves you wanting the 5th and final book of the first series.
Books by Black and DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Field Guide
The Seeing Stone
Lucinda's Secret
The Ironwood Tree
The Wrath of Mulgarath
Arthur Spiderwick's Notebook of Fantastical ObservationsArthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Care and Feeding of Sprites
Beyond Spiderwick
The Nixie's Song
A Giant Problem
The Wyrm King
Other Books by Holly Black:
The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Doll Bones
The Modern Faerie Tales
Tithe
Valiant
Ironside
The Good Neighbors
Kin
Kith
Kind
The Curse Workers
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart
Anthologies
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
Zombies vs. Unicorns
Welcome to Bordertown
Other Books by Tony Diterlizzi:
Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure
Ted
G is for One Gzonk
Kenny & the Dragon
The Search for WondLa
Books Illustrated by Tony Diterlizzi:
Dinosaur Summer
Ribbiting Tales
Alien & Possum: Friends No Matter What
Alien & Possum: Hanging Around
The Spider & The Fly
Dragonflight
Peter Pan in Scarlet
Books by Tony & Angela DiTerlizzi:
Adventures of Meno:
Wet Fun!
Big Friend!
Yummy Trip!
Uh-Oh Sick!
Lucinda's Secret
The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 3
Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Simon and Schuster
ISBN 9780689837401
I must admit I am addicted to these books, read three of them in 2 days and will more than likely reread the whole series again and again. Some books are like a bottle of Gatorade that you just chug back, some like a nice cup of tea that you sip, and some like a fine wine that you savour slowly. Right now I am drinking these books back because I need to know what happens next. But I know I will go back and drink them in slowly like a big mug of Irish Breakfast tea on my second reading. Black and DiTerlizzi have written a wonderful series that I can highly recommend. Their books are very enjoyable, and much like the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, will be enjoyed by both the young and young at heart!
In this book the Grace children, Malory, and the twins Jared and Simon, visit their Great Aunt Lucinda and discover that even though she is committed she is not really crazy. In this book we also meet more creatures from the other world, and find out that many different beings want Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, and they all seem malevolent to some extent. We also discover that something lost for more than 70 years might really be close at hand. And Thimbletack does not appear, but signs of his mischief abound. In this book we meet a unicorn, fairies, and elves. It is another wonderful book in an awesome series.
Books by Black and DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Field Guide
The Seeing Stone
Lucinda's Secret
The Ironwood Tree
The Wrath of Mulgarath
Arthur Spiderwick's Notebook of Fantastical ObservationsArthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Care and Feeding of Sprites
Beyond Spiderwick
The Nixie's Song
A Giant Problem
The Wyrm King
Other Books by Holly Black:
The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Doll Bones
The Modern Faerie Tales
Tithe
Valiant
Ironside
The Good Neighbors
Kin
Kith
Kind
The Curse Workers
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart
Anthologies
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
Zombies vs. Unicorns
Welcome to Bordertown
Other Books by Tony Diterlizzi:
Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure
Ted
G is for One Gzonk
Kenny & the Dragon
The Search for WondLa
Books Illustrated by Tony Diterlizzi:
Dinosaur Summer
Ribbiting Tales
Alien & Possum: Friends No Matter What
Alien & Possum: Hanging Around
The Spider & The Fly
Dragonflight
Peter Pan in Scarlet
Books by Tony & Angela DiTerlizzi:
Adventures of Meno:
Wet Fun!
Big Friend!
Yummy Trip!
Uh-Oh Sick!
The Wyrm King
At the end of the last book there was a forewarning that the Giants had a purpose. Now, it seems very obvious what that purpose was. Huge sink holes are spreading all over the Florida coastline, and most people are assuming it is a new natural disaster. But both the Vargas and Grace children are racing time to try to save Florida and possibly all of North America from a new threat from the fairy world. This story has great adventure, some mishaps and a few surprising twists. It is a great conclusion to an amazing series of books.
