Book Review: The Seeing Stone: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that if your child is prone to
nightmares you should preview this one -- it's exciting, but
with a rough edge. The first in the series is tamer. Though it
might be a bit scary for younger children (among other things a
cat is roasted and eaten, and a goblin's arm is bitten off by
the griffin, though none of this is described), older
elementary-aged children, especially reluctant readers, are
going to eat this up.
Families can talk about what was scarier in this book than the first. Do you like the action or the fantasy characters better?
Common Sense Media Review
If the first book in the series (
The Field Guide
) was mostly introduction, this one jumps right into the
action. And there's an edge to it that the first book,
concerned mainly with laying out the premises of the series and
placating an annoyed boggart, only hinted at.
Here Simon is in danger of being eaten by goblins, and the only way to rescue him is to kill his abductors, though the children don't do this themselves. Though the story is faster paced and more exciting than the first book, it offers some of the same pleasures -- a short, easy-to-read fantasy adventure in an old-fashioned edition filled with illustrations and printed on soft, unevenly cut paper.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
