Get Lit: The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of five children’s books which are soon to become movies, are an overall good read for children of elementary school age The basic plot is that children of young ages, 9 and 13, discover a book that leads them to believe fairies—here spelled færies—really exist. This label covers trolls, goblins, hobgoblins, griffins and dragons, all hidden away in your backyard.

These books have a similar style to the Lemony Snicket novels, including a dark art motif, a good but understandable vocabulary, and a back story that explains how ‘real’ the story is. It even has the three children who have lost a family member—though in this case it was the result of a divorce. This story is not, however, as dark in storyline as the Series of Unfortunate Events books, nor is it at quite the same reading level. If you don’t like your children exposed to violence, most of the fights are short and don’t go into a great deal of detail, and the deaths in the story are disguised or toned down, so they aren’t overly gory.

While it does feature the rare use of some more adult words, (crappy, hell) its beautiful illustrations and fast pace should render it interesting to even the least reading-inclined child. So, if your child enjoys reading about fantasy and adventure with amazing full-page illustrations, The Spiderwick Chronicles are the perfect choice. – Abby Downing-Beaver

The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 5 book set, $9.95 each book