Fantasy Book Reviews

The Field Guide

DiTerlizzi, Tony and Holly Black. 2003. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide. Scholastic, Inc.: New York, N.Y.

This first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles, is a lively, fantastical adventure featuring the Grace children - twin brothers Simon, the creature collector, and Jacob, the troublemaker, and their older sister Mallory, the fencer. After their father leaves, and Jacob gets into trouble at school, the three siblings and their mother move to the mysterious and dilapidated house owned by their great-aunt Lucinda. At first, Jacob is blamed for the strange occurrences that plague the family, such as a mysteriously messy kitchen, and the sabotage of Mallory’s hair, and Simon’s pet tadpoles. Determined to find the real culprit, Jacob uses clues from a letter he found in a secret room to discover Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, a book about faeries. Disbelief turns to realization when the siblings come face to face with a pint-sized creature named Thimbletack, and are introduced into a world that they never could have imagined. This brief novel packs a punch. The black and white illustrations add a vintage feel to the book. The character development is brief and shallow, but the fast-paced plot will reel the reader into this fantastical world, and will leave them wanting more. Mandy Hooker (Written as an assignment for TWU SLIS)

The Seeing Stone

DiTerlizzi, Tony and Holly Black. 2003. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone. Scholastic, Inc.: New York, N.Y.

The first book, The Field Guide sets the stage for this series, so this second installment is a continuation of the story of Jacob, Simon, and Mallory Grace, and the fantastical world they discover. Jacob and Mallory set out with the seeing stone, which reveals things that would otherwise be invisible, to rescue Simon from a band of goblins. Again, the imaginative, fast-paced story will fulfill the expectations of Spiderwick fans. Mandy Hooker (Written as an assignment for TWU SLIS)

Bone: Out From Boneville

Smith, Jeff. 2005. Bone: Out From Boneville. Graphix: New York: N.Y.

After the greedy swindler Phoney Bone is run out of town, he and his cousins Fone and Smiley Bone, embark on a misadventure to find their way back to Boneville. When following a misleading map, the three are overtaken by a swarm of locusts and get separated. Fone Bone, now lost in a strange forest befriends a dragon, a lovely country girl, and her cow-racing gran’ma, who one different occasions rescue him from the clutches of rat creatures. Phoney Bone is the actual target of the rat creatures and their leader, a cryptic hooded creature, wants his soul. In the end, the three cousins are reunited in this strange place, and Phoney Bone is spared for the moment from his pursuers. This imaginative graphic novel has distinct characters and story lines, and although the pacing is a bit slow at times, the plot is engaging enough to hold readers’ attention. The text is witty and hilarious with colored illustrations that follow suit. By the conclusion, readers will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. Mandy Hooker (Written as an assignment for TWU SLIS)


The Lightning Thief

Riordan, Rick. 2005. The Lightning Thief. Hyperion Books for Children: New York, N.Y.

Mythical characters in modern times – Twelve-year old New Yorker Perseus (Percy) Jackson seems to have big problems - he has a horrible step dad, attends a school for troubled youth, and has ADHD and dyslexia, but he’s really a demigod, the son of Poseidon and his mortal mother. Mythical monsters are trying to kill him, but with the help of his mother, and satyr sidekick Grover, Percy arrives safely at Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for demigods, where discovers that is father has been accused of stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt. To prevent a war among the gods, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) embark on a quest to Hades to recover the missing lightning bolt. Greek gods and monsters get a new spin in this fresh, fast-paced story. Percy’s a reluctant hero, whose witty humor and inclination toward danger propel the plot forward at a break-neck pace. By giving original myths a fresh look, Riordan incorporates themes of friendship, family, perseverance, and trust in a modern setting. This cleverly written book will have wide appeal. Mandy Hooker (Written as an assignment for TWU SLIS)