Tina Massey (Carousel 25, Autumn 2003)
Lively, cheerful romps involving modern children, illustrated in a 'Just William-ish' style, and with a clear sense that all will end comfortably. Jared, Simon and Mallory Grace have moved from New York to a Victorian house uneasily reminiscent of Norman Bates' hotel in the classic horror film 'Psycho'. Noises in the walls, a riddle and an ancient chest lead them to discover other, hidden residents of the house, with uncomfortable results before they learn how to live together in peace. Category: Going Solo. Simon and Schuster, D5.99.

Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature)
When you are young you very often expect, and may even want, things to be uncomplicated, easygoing, unchanging. For the three Grace children: Jared, his twin brother Simon, and his older sister Mallory, life has been positively full of changes of late. Their father is no longer living with them, they have moved to a house that looks as if it might collapse at any moment, and Jared has been getting into all sorts of trouble. Time for a fresh start you might think. The problem is that something, or is it someone, seems to be trying to make life very difficult for the new residents of the Spiderwick estate. A pair of peculiar letters at the beginning of the book gently, but firmly, pulls the reader into this story about very three very ordinary children. We are invited to share in their problems, ones that we can easily relate to; until Jared decides to explore the old house they are living in that is. Then Jared's problems cease to be familiar and become stranger and stranger. Unfortunately he is blamed for everything that goes wrong and the authors have brought him to life so well that the reader swells with indignation at the injustice of it all. Jared discovers a hidden room, a yellowed parchment that we too get to look at, and a field guide to "the Fantastical World Around You." Do you know what a Bogart is? No? Neither did Jared until he had done some reading in the field guide. Nor does Jared see that he and Bogarts have something in common--they are unpredictable and sometimes thoughtless when they are angry and unhappy. Jared, then Simon, and finally Mallory all come to realize that there is more to this world than meets the eye. There are all sorts of strange and possibly dangerous creatures all around us. This is both exciting and yet it also is slightly worrying. What are the children to do with this bizarre field guide and with the knowledge that lies within it? Presented to look a little like a personal diary or journal, the reader will find this little book beautifully illustrated throughout with drawings in the style of the great illustrator Arthur Rackham. This is one volume that cannot, once it has been picked up, be put down. 2003, Simon and Schuster, $9.95. Ages 6 to 10.

Suzanne Lieurance (Children's Literature)
The Field Guide is Book 1 in a new series of books about twins, Jared and Simon Grace, who along with their sister, Mallory, and their mom move into the rundown Spiderwick Estate of their great-aunt Lucinda after their father leaves them. Upon seeing the shabby old Victorian, Mom says it is just like she remembers it. "Only crappier," adds Mallory. That night, strange things happen which lead Jared, Simon, and Mallory to believe they are being tormented by fairies and brownies. The children find a secret room, an odd book (which turns out to be a field guide to fairies), and eventually a little house brownie named Thimbletack who is about the size of a pencil and talks in rhyme. Readers who like the Unfortunate Events series will probably enjoy this series--"The Spiderwick Chronicles." Detailed illustrations help bring the strange world of Spiderwick alive. Short paragraphs and "cliffhanger" chapters make the book especially unintimidating and intriguing for young readers. 2003, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $9.95. Ages 6 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 8))
Unexplained things are happening in the eerie Victorian heap that is new home to the Grace family. Rustlings in the decrepit walls lead the three children, to discover and destroy the nest of a Brownie and to locate, in Arthur Spiderwick's secret library, his Field Guide to the Fantastical World, which details the habits of faeries. The infuriated Brownie exacts retribution in hateful ways: knotting Mallory's long hair to her headboard and freezing animal-loving Simon's tadpoles into ice cubes. The children mollify the Brownie by building him another home, but against his warnings that harm will result, keep the Field Guide. Book 2 (The Seeing Stone, 0-689-95937-6) steps up the peril: the unheeded warnings lead to Simon's kidnapping by a roving gang of goblins. His siblings gain The Sight by means of a small stone lens (and efficacious goblin spit rubbed into the eyes) and succeed in rescuing him. Cleverly marketed as too dangerous to read, handsomely designed, and extravagantly illustrated this packs quite a punch. Readers who are too young to read Harry Potter independently will find these have just the right amount of menace laced with appealing humor and are blessed with crisp pacing and, of course, DiTerlizzi's enticingly Gothic illustrations. 2003, Simon & Schuster, $9.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 7 to 11. Starred Review. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Vicki Arkoff (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, August 2003)
If the "Harry Potter" books are the menu entrees, these tasty morsels are kiddie menu hors d'oeuvres, whetting younger market appetites for more and more and more. Created by the gothically-inclined Holly Black ("Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale") and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi ("The Spider and the Fly"), this new fantasy series for elementary students, The Spiderwick Chronicles, fills a void for independent readers not quite ready for the literary challenges of "Harry Potter." But consumers will need to have their wallets ready, because each short chapter book can be consumed in a blink of an eye, and will create addicts out of its readers. The first two books in the series are just a warm up. Book one introduces readers to the three Grace kids -- twins Jared and Simon and their older sister, Mallory -- who move into the decaying old mansion of their great-aunt Lucinda Spiderwick after she's sent off to an asylum. Strange goings-on immediately lead them into a fantasy adventure involving a mischievous creature living in the walls, and a secret room holding an even bigger mystery in the pages of a mysterious book written long ago by the children's great-uncle: "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You." As they try to unravel the truth, the Grace kids find threatening messages, discover that valuable objects have been stolen, and wrestle with their own consciences -- all while trying to adapt socially to their new home, new school, and the absence of their father. Void of a riveting storyline, "The Field Guide" really just sets the stage for books to follow, so is a disappointment on its own -- a true cliff hanger that leaves readers dangling and feeling manipulated. The second book, "The Seeing Stone," attempts to set things right by flinging the kids headfirst into a significantly more exciting adventure. This time, the life of brother Simon is in jeopardy when he is mysteriously kidnapped in the woods. Armed with their great-uncle's field guide to fantastic creatures -- and the insider-help of the Dobby-like Thimbletack, the Grace's house Brownie -- Jared believes trolls are the culprits and takes chase. Goblins, a giant troll, a Phoenix and other unearthly creatures pepper the fast-paced story, complete with scattered diagram sketches detailing their peculiar attributes. The too-few illustrations are another tease -- give us more, I say! More action! More detail! More pages from the Field Guide! Something tells me the creators will do just that -- in another manipulated tease, I predict, when they publish "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You" as a separate book. Ka-ching! 2003, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 128 pages, $9.95.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 11))
When nine-year-old twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace and their thirteen-year-old sister Mallory move into their great-aunt Lucinda’s decrepit Victorian mansion, they are not necessarily looking for adventure: their father has moved out, their mother is broke, and they have no place else to go. In The Field Guide, the first volume of this projected five-volume series, Jared discovers a secret room in the old house that points him toward the life’s work of a family ancestor: Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World, a book about the habits and peculiarities of fairies, brownies, etc. The siblings subsequently discover they have a house-boggart cum brownie, Thimbletack, who advises them to get rid of the book. Despite Thimbletack’s warning, Jared holds onto the Guide, and in the second book, The Seeing Stone, readers see the indirect result: Simon is kidnapped by goblins, and Jared and Mallory go after him. This new series has two things Lemony Snicket’s series doesn’t: magic and pictures. DiTerlizzi (author/illustrator of Ted, BCCB 2/01 and illustrator of The Spider and the Fly, 11/02) and Black (author of Tithe, BCCB 1/03) have created an old-fashioned fantasy romp festooned with eye-catching visuals. At about one hundred pages, each volume ends just when the going gets good, a ploy that will certainly bring readers back for more. The authors have a smooth, quick storytelling style, and the dialogue among the sibs (and their interactions with their nearly overwhelmed mother) have the resonance of true sibling sniping. With its reader-friendly concept and sophisticated packaging, the Spiderwick Chronicles will be a hit, which may well be considered an Unfortunate Event for competing series. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Simon, 107p, $9.95. Grades 3-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2003)
In Guide, siblings Jared, Simon, and Mallory discover a mysterious book about magical creatures and an enigmatic brownie. In Stone, Jared and Mallory rescue Simon from a band of goblins, meeting a dangerous troll, a hobgoblin, and an injured griffin along the way. The individual books don't stand alone and the first mostly sets the stage, but the writing is fast paced and action-packed. Retro black-and-white spot art adds atmosphere. [Review covers these Spiderwick Chronicles titles: The Field Guide and The Seeing Stone.] (Spiderwick Chronicles series). Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2003, Simon, 114pp, $9.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Monica Irwin (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 2))
This first book, in what is assumed to be a long series of books, introduces the reader to three children in the same family. They are twin boys, Jared and Simon Grace, and their older sister, Mallory. Their parents have separated, and now the three children and their mother have moved into the house that once belonged to a great-aunt. The house is old, and as the children begin to explore, they find more and more evidence of some otherworldly creatures living in it. Once they discover an old book, they know the truth. There are fairies and boggarts living in the house. All kinds of horrible things occur all within a few days, and a few pages, all of which are blamed on poor Jared. The conclusion of this book is sure to make readers want to pick up the next installment. This book will delight readers who are fans of all things with fairies and magic. The children are imaginative, and the events will lead the reader to want more. The illustrations are done by award-winning Tony DiTerlizzi and are definitely a quality addition to the story. (Spiderwick Chronicles). Fiction. Grades 3-6. 2003, Simon & Schuster, 107p., $9.95. Ages 8 to 12.

Diane Emge (VOYA, August 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 3))
Nine-year-old Jared Grace would have been kicked out of school for breaking that kid's nose, but his family was already moving away. Since their father left them, Jared, his twin brother, Simon, and their thirteen-year-old sister, Mallory, have no choice but to move with their mother to Spiderwick Estate, her elderly Aunt Lucinda's wretchedly decayed mansion. Jared is the one who first discovers the supernatural elements lingering in the old place, but who will believe him after all the trouble he has been causing? Gradually, all three children are pulled into the adventures, which involve boggarts, goblins, griffins, and other assorted mystical beings. Field Guide is the first volume of "The Spiderwick Chronicles". It establishes the family dynamics and introduces the reader to the possibilities of otherworldly beings. It is not necessary to read the first volume before the second, because everything is quickly recapped at the start of the second book. Seeing Stone is less subtle in tone, as the children begin an active battle against goblins, develop an affiliation with a griffin, and outwit a troll. The real magic of this series, however, is in the illustrations. Nearly every second page is embellished with the ink drawings of DiTerlizzi, evoking a delicious classical sense in this modern fantasy. Black, author of Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (Simon & Schuster, 2002/VOYA October 2002), keeps the dialogue snappy and the children's personalities distinct. The series' intended audience seems to be the Lemony Snicket crowd, a little younger than the general young adult market. Nevertheless, the series will surely develop a devoted following, particularly with avid fantasy readers. Illus. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2003, Simon & Schuster, 107p. PLB, $9.95. Ages 11 to 14.