Customer Reviews

The Nixie's Song (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Over the course of a few months, the Grace family - twins Simon and Jared, and their older sister, Mallory - spent much of their time discovering creatures of a netherworld, after they moved into a dilapidated old house that had been in their family for years. Given the sight when they were lucky enough to meet a goblin who spit in their eyes, the three children worked side-by-side day and night, researching mythical creatures in their relative - Arthur Spiderwick's - notes and field guides. It was by doing this that the children were able to locate their missing father, and bring their family back together. Since then, their adventures have been limited. However, they did appear in a series of books known as THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, which have quickly gained popularity among the masses, looking to believe in something out-of-this-world. Which is how, with the assistance of Arthur Spiderwick's Field, a new generation of believers have entered the picture.

Nicholas "Nick" Vargas is devastated when his father marries Charlene, quickly moving her and her completely off-the-wall daughter, Laurie into their sunny Florida home in Mangrove Hollow. Suddenly, Nick feels more displaced than he ever thought imaginable. Quickly relegated to give up the privacy of his own bedroom, and share the same living space with his older brother Julian "Jules" who does nothing but listen to his iPod, read surfing magazines, and talk about surfing on the phone with his girlfriend, Cindy. Nick is shocked by how quickly his life has been flipped upside down. Each and every box Laurie moves into her new "room," is labeled unicorns, fairies, or books about unicorns and/or fairies. And, to make matters worse, she carries around something titled Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide everywhere she goes. Nick knows that there's no such thing as mermaids, or other mythical creatures. To him, they're all part of a fairytale world that exists only in books. But everything changes for him when he discovers a four-leaf clover. Suddenly, he's able to see things that aren't there for others, even Laurie; and he's convinced that maybe, just maybe, Laurie isn't as whacked out as he originally thought. When Laurie has the chance to develop the Sight, as well; and the two meet a nixie who needs their help, they know that they have to assist her, or risk being tortured forever. But with a giant on the loose, helping one little nixie is proving to be quite a bit harder than they originally thought, and they begin to wonder if they'll be able to muster up the same courage as the Grace children, and accept their newfound duty.

I fell in love with Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES back when they were first released, and was disheartened when the series came to an end. So you can imagine the surprise and joy I was overcome with when I learned of the release of THE NIXIE'S SONG. Laurie and Nick are wonderful new characters who, while not the Grace children, are just as interesting and fun-loving. Laurie's free-spirit like nature makes her come off like a modern-day fairy herself - what with her lithe limbs, long, flowing skirts, and hippie-esque hair. Her ability to lie her way out of just about anything is unexpected, yet humorous; while her determination to discover something out-of-this-world is admirable. Nick is also quite appealing. His reluctance to accept both Charlene and Laurie is understandable; however, he maintains a fairly diplomatic nature. While he primarily enjoys spending hours at a time working on model boats and playing video games, the fact that he is willing to humor Laurie by accompanying her on various misadventures shows displays a kind side to his nature. The bickering stepbrother/stepsister relationship they share with one another is humorous, and never overshadows the story; and an unexpected appearance by both Jared and Simon presents a tiny bit of nostalgia for the old stars of the show. However, probably the most enjoyable thing about THE NIXIE'S SONG would have to be how Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi introduced themselves as characters in the book, and actually came off as a fraudulent author and illustrator, just out to make a quick buck. This revelation was quite humorous, and added a strange dimension to the storyline, which will certainly give readers a chuckle. An outstanding return to the world of Spiderwick!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I agree with the Matthew Carpenter review regarding the language but I am even more disappointed regarding it. I personally have over 15,000 - yes 15 THOUSAND pieces of children's literature with an age range from pre-K to high school. Therefore I understand and appreciate the differences in story line and language used. I have been in education at the elementary and college level (for children's literature)for 37 years so I am considered a resource of information among those who know me. The first five books of the Spiderwick Chronicles were suggested to me by students and we all enjoyed them together and couldn't wait to get our hands on the next book.
After reading Nixie's Song, I realized caution was the keyword - due to the language. I wondered if my reaction was due to age - talked to different age groups of adults and the opinion was overwhelmingly a negative for the use of the words. Those with young children - BEWARE. By the way... I didn't feel this book was up to par with the original stories.

I read every night to my sons, age 8 and 9. We have been following most of the major fantasy series, like Hiccup Haddock, Araminta Spooky and Spiderwick. Some of these have scatalogical humor and mild epithets that I have to be careful about (Dragon Slayers Academy does not have any offensive language and scant comic book violence, while Moongobble, for younger readers only has 1 or 2 words that bear watching out for). The first Spiderwick series had some complex psychology of anger over a divorce, some capricious behaviour by the faeries, some rather scary death scenes and a very unnecessary mild 4 letter word that appeared with regularity in all the books. I was annoyed and edited it out as I read them aloud; at the time my boys were younger.

The Nixie's Song shares the strengths of the preceding series. It is a beautiful hard cover, perfectly sized for younger readers. Production values are flawless. It is packed with with the marvelous drawings of Tony DiTerlizzi. It is just about the right length, not too long, which I consider a good thing in the age of door stop weight science fiction. The plot is interesting and well handled, as discussed by other reviewers, although I find that the device of the authors inserting themselves into the story to be misguided; as a result a bit of the magic of the first series is missing.

My biggest problem was with a very specific epithet. The main characters encounter Simon Grace about half way through the book and here he is represented as an altogether unpleasant child. He almost gets in a a fight with the chunky protagonist, and then calls him a vulgar name, lard-****** (I am not allowed to print it on the family friendly Amazon site; does that give you a clue?). The curse word even appears as a caption in a picture, redoubling its resonance. And it was so needless! Anything else might have conveyed the same venemous intent to hurt. What was Ms. Black thinking? The recommended age range for these books is 9-12, and they are heavily marketed to even younger readers, what with the upcoming movie and all. I know you can hear worse on the playground, but is this the sort of word you want your 9, 10 or 12 year old repeating? I tried to edit it out, so my 8 year old, who is really reading now, later went back and flipped through the book, and then went to his mother and asked, "Mommy, what's a lard-####?" Thanks a lot Spiderwick.

Caveat emptor. Parents do a read ahead.

I am extremely disappointed with this new book. The crude language is so unnecessary to the story line. I bought several copies of the first series for my elementary school library. These are the target readers, in elementary school. Good writing of any kind does not need to be littered with poor language. There are so many other good choices out there, so my advice to to choose another book.

We enjoyed the original series immensely. We were very disappointed, however, with this book. The characters were not particularly engaging. The bad language was unnecessary. We were disappointed with the changes in Jared's character (quite snotty, now). It almost seems that the book was written in a hurry while the authors were somewhat depressed.

I'm 9 yrs old and I think this is a good book. I think that other people will like it also.

After the five-part The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath ended with a promise that there would be more to follow in the `Spiderwick' world, it was only a matter of time before there was another installment in the series. Now we pick up in the first book of a proposed trilogy that features a new set of children (two step-siblings) and a different location (the mangrove swamps of Florida as opposed to the old world charm of New England), but with plenty of new faerie lore incorporated into the story. As always, writer and illustrator manage to capture the essence of old faerie-lore, in which the creatures are both beautiful and dangerous, with a set of obscure rules surrounding them that need to be followed if one wishes to keep safe.

Nick Vargas is a plump eleven-year old who is not at all happy with the inclusion of a new stepmother and stepsister into his family home - especially when his new sister Laurie is such a weirdo. Interested in mystical creatures, and carrying around a copy of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (Spiderwick Chronicles), Laurie is convinced that faerie creatures might inhabit the construction zone of Mangrove Hollow. She's right, and soon the two are attempting to help a nixie named Taloa who has lost her sisters and is suffering with the development of the surrounding swamplands. The two feel themselves in over their heads, and go for help...from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black themselves (appearing in the chapter: "In Which We Nearly Break the Forth Wall"), who are currently on their book tour, having published the story of the Grace children. You have to admire the nerve of those that put themselves into their own story, particularly when they appear as frauds!

As well as this, we have a substantial role from Jared Grace and a new threat in the faerie world - giants! DiTerlizzi refrains from showing them as large humanoids, and instead they appear more like giant nature spirits that rise from the earth. Black's story wonderfully captures the surly temperament of any teenage boy forced to spend time with an unwelcome new addition to the family, and Laurie is a dreamy free-spirit not quite in touch with the real world (although I couldn't help but feel that she is based a little too heavily on Luna Lovegood of the Harry Potter series). It's nice to have a protagonist who is a little on the chubby side, who gradually comes to respect and admire the new people in his life.

As usual, the parents are entirely unsympathetic, and Nick's father in particular comes across as a real jerk, grounding his son for a week over (what seemed to me) a minor misdemeanor, and sometimes Black's writing can be a little awkward, such as when the siblings find Taloa's siblings and immediately afterwards are attacked by a giant - it's a little unclear what happens and how. Furthermore, Black would like to portray Laurie as an innocent, but with a manipulative streak - however, the times in which she tricks people into doing what she wants ring a little false. But as always, Tony DiTerlizzi's illustrations are beautiful, capturing every nuance of the protagonists' faces and the weird and wonderful world of the faeries, who are portrayed as dangerous and wild, without a trace of the sentimentality that obscures their true nature in other children's books.

Complete with a map and flier of Black and DiTerlizzi's book tour (to legitimize their story), the tale ends with a rhyme that hints toward the events of the next book - and though I'm looking forward to it, it suggests that Nick's older brother Julian is going to be held hostage by the faeries, a kidnapping plot-twist that was prevalent throughout the first five books of the series (with nearly every member of the Grace family getting captured by the faeries at one stage or another). Hopefully Black can put a new spin on this oft-tread plot scenario...

The stories in this series of books are amazing. I usually have to bribe and beg my 10 year old son to read, but not these books. He loved them and read them eagerly. My one BIG complaint about this book is the language. Cr*p, a*s and lard a*s are included in this book. The first two words are in some of the other books of the series as well. Why would the author put these words in a children's book? They add nothing to the story. Black and DiTerlizzi could have easily substituted other less provocative words. I'm sure when parents are made aware of this, many will choose not to purchase the books. I hope they don't and Black and Diterlizzi get the message loud and clear. As good as the stories are, I would have passed them over had I known.

My son was very excited to get this book. OK, I'll admit it, I like this book and the previous series, too. We're looking forward to the movie coming out in 2008.

If you're a fan of Spiderwick
You'll love "The Nixie's Song"
For boys and girls of eight & up
(It isn't very long)

A Nixie needs a little help
She's high and dry on land
Nick and Laurie do their best
But get more than they planned

The faerie down in Florida
Are turning up the heat
A giant's woken in a rage
And now he's on his feet

There's just one thing to calm him down
Or slow him up at least
And that's the thing that's always used
To sooth a savage beast

The children have to find a way
To save the State from burning
Their only hope's a character
From Spiderwick returning

The ending is a bit abrupt
There's more to come, I know
This one may get your boys to read
And leave the Nintendo



Amanda Richards, September 28 2007