What do You think about Lucinda's Secret (2003)?
The third novel in the Spiderwick Chronicles. The three Grace kids think it’s time to see Aunt Lucinda to see if she can shed any light on their situation at her house. She tells them it isn’t safe there, and that they mustn’t stay there. She also mentions her father, Arthur Spiderwick, and how one day he just left his family. This gets the children thinking, and once the field guide goes missing they begin their mission for the guide, and for their great-uncle. The novel was full of adventure, mysteries, and the mystical land of faeries, goblins, elves and bogarts. The more the reader reads, the more interesting it gets. In this third novel, the reader gets a sense of how each novel is set up, and they are set up well. Black does a great job of making sure the reader doesn’t see what’s coming, and that all plotlines come as a bit of a surprise. The creatures that are used in this story give it some fear, and the illustrations really help to pull the story along. Overall, it’s a great addition to the chronicle; this novel really leads suspense for the next novel.
—Meghan
1. I really want to know where that book is and why it matters so much that the kids found out about it. 2. Where is Arthur? What happened to him?3. I feel like the griffin is going to help them in some way when it gets better.4. The Phooka's language reminded me of Lewis Carroll's language in his books. Nonsensical. 5. I really liked Aunt Lucinda. I wonder what more she knows and needs to tell.6. More fun things the kids find: maps. They just keep finding awesome things in every book and I love it.7. And I know the elves said the book mattered so much because it had more information than they knew about and that's why they wanted it, but is that really the reason?8. Jared fights as a result of the divorce, but the other kids are handling it in their own way, too. Simon playing with animals could be seen as detachment and I think Mallory is hiding something. She may be fencing, but I think she has something else that is going on. 9. I am 27 years old and love these books. I think they are perfect for anyone but reluctant readers may be a perfect audience for them. They are short, to the point, have illustrations, and they have an err of mystery that keeps a reader interested.
—Katy Jane
This story is about Mallory and her twin little brothers Jared and Simon who move to their aunt's country estate with their mother when their parents divorce. They discover a field guide in the house which unlocks a magical world around them and send them through a series of enchanted events.I loved this series! The pace was perfect, the tone appropriate, the characters absolutely believable and realistic (a trait which I feel is critical in enabling a younger reader to relate to the story), and the language was lively and age-appropriate. The interactions between the mother and the children were as realistic as if they were sitting in the room next to you. The story, while not as creative as Fablehaven, included well known mythical characters (goblins, fairies, unicorns, trolls, etc) and didn't become heavy with overcomplicated mythical/magical elements. While I enjoyed Fablehaven, my biggest beef with it were the characters that did not act real enough (the main female character, for instance, dies, and no one bothers to inform the parents). And the magic was so intertwined and complex it was difficult to keep them and their magical abilities straight. Another thing about this series that must be mentioned. I love the size, texture and illustrations/artistic additions to the book! There were just enough illustrations to paint the right picture at the right time for effect. And the book size is 4x6 inches, just enough for an adult to cradle the book in their hands and a child to caress and hide in their favorite backpack. I love books like that. Simon & Schuster thought of everything. There is an eye-catching colored glossy picture at the beginning, a treasure-looking map of the story area, and roughly 3-4 half/whole page black/white illustrations per chapter. The length of the book is also age-appropriate. As an adult reader, I read all five books in one setting. A child does not have to invest too much time and attention to get a satisfying reading reward. I'm not surprised at all that these books were made into a movie. I have not seen the movie yet. I read this series just immediately after reading the Lemony Snicket series. I liked these books much better. At the very least I wasn't inclined to smack all the adults in The Spiderwick Chronicles. The Spiderwick adult/children relationship is far superior to Lemony Snickets as I felt the Snicket's adult reductions to stupid/disrespectful/mean caricatures is not a good message to be sending children.
—Chris Webber
