The Field Guide (#1)

By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

This is the first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles. My review of the second book in the series, The Seeing Stone, is coming out tomorrow, be sure to check it out!

THE SHORT

The Field Guide is a wonderful introduction to the world of Spiderwick and faeries, but it lacks the necessary components required to truly satisfy one. For one thing, the writers tried to make it a sort of mystery, which, sure, The Field Guide is, but it doesn't have a climax, which makes the book more of a expository book, capturing your attention along the way just long enough to reach the end, where Thimbletack warns them of the dangers of the Guide. Perhaps this is what ruins this otherwise magical book.

THE REVIEW

Jared Grace is the protagonist in this story, and one wishes we could have seen more of his character and his motivations. The reason why he's so temperamental is never revealed, and his father's leaving is also never explained. While this may give him a mysterious aura around which the readers want to know more about him, it also limits our understanding of him as a character. If only we could know more, then maybe we would be able to relate to him better. Jared doesn't undergo development of any kind during this book, and this makes him seem like a flat character.

His siblings, Simon and Mallory, are at least described minimally, when we know Simon's craze about pets, and Mallory's passion for fencing. They too, don't undergo development, but the tension caused between Mallory and Jared is exciting to read, as you wonder how the conflict will turn out. As this is resolved, there's really nothing else to look forward to in this book until Thimbletack comes.

Which brings me around to Thimbletack. He is the house brownie, and he speaks in rhymes all the time (See what I did there?). For most part of the book, he is the antagonist, the boggart who plays mischievous pranks on the three siblings. His transformation from when he was a brownie in Arthur Spiderwick's time to the boggart he is in this book is never fully explained, although Jared deduces he might have been left alone there for a long time. Thimbletack is the first type of faerie that we actually see, and one can't help but feel a little let down that his only skills are his ability to clean up.

Of course, The Field Guide isn't complete without its drawings, and from the hand of Tony DiTerlizzi, the world of Spiderwick comes to life. The drawings have a kind of sketchy quality to them, which makes them seem even more real. Their gothic style drawings kind of draws out a feeling in you, one that calls you to the world of Spiderwick. All in all, I applaud DiTerlizzi for his amazing imagination and skill, without which, Spiderwick would never have become the success it is.

Finally, we come to the plot. As discussed in 'THE SHORT' above, The Field Guide has no visible climax. There is some kind of rising action in the form of Mallory threatening to tear apart the book, but other than that, nothing! However, the writers may have decided to focus more on the mystery part of the book, keeping it simple, wanting Jared to solve the mystery of how to stop the boggart. Then again, just the creativity of a world full of faeries and the dedication to it, makes this book an excellent fairy tale, but not the normal one, more like an adventure crossed with faeries.

In short, The Field Guide seems like an expository novel, like if The Spiderwick Chronicles was one huge book, The Field Guide would be the lead-in. While the lack of the action and climax is disappointing, it does its job of entrancing you with the magic of Spiderwick, and also serves as a brilliant stand-alone story.

Rating: 8.1/10

Advice: An excellent starting point for those who want to discover (or re-discover) The Spiderwick Chronicles.

The Field Guide was a fun adventure for me, go check out my other review of The Seeing Stone, the second book in The Spiderwick Chronicles, being published tomorrow!

Next week: As the war rages on in England, four children are sent to a country house, where they find a wardrobe that will lead them to a magical world called Narnia, which has been cursed with eternal snow. Will they find the majestic lion Aslan and defeat the evil queen? I review The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia series, and ask if it really is one of the best fantasy novels.