Book Review: The Field Guide: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1
Rated by 7 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there is little of concern here,
though the mom is mostly irritable and sometimes unfair, and
the children's father recently left them. As the series
progresses, the themes are a little darker. Parents may want to
preview the books going forward for their younger readers.
Families can talk about how the siblings handle their feelings about their father's absence.
Common Sense Media Review
The three siblings, and their mom, have some issues: the
father has recently left them, and they are all angry and hurt,
especially Jared. They express in different ways: Jared gets
into fights at school, Simon shuts them all out by immersing
himself in the animal world, and Mallory furiously practices
her fencing. These problems create an interesting interplay
with the fantasy elements, as they see aspects of themselves
expressed in the faerie world: Jared "knew what it was like to
be mad, and he knew how easy it was to get into a fight, even
if you were really mad at someone else. And he thought that
just maybe that was how the boggart felt."
In addition to the quick and fascinating story, these books are pleasurable physical objects as well: small and lightweight, with irregularly cut pages, and illustrations on nearly every spread, including a map of the area and a couple of color plates, they have a delightfully old-fashioned feel that fairly cries out to be read. Add to that the short length (107 pgs.) and fluid readability that will appeal even to reluctant readers without seeming babyish, and you may have the perfect summer read for the middle elementary crowd. And maybe even a few adults too.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
