Customer Reviews

The Seeing Stone (Thorndike Literacy Bridge Middle Reader)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The second book of the series tries very hard to grab the reader with its kidnapping plot, but it failed to capture my imagination. Better than the first book in some ways, The Seeing Stone doesn't have to introduce everyone as fully as The Field Guide. The children are somewhat more real and substantial, though their mother is still a flat character. However, I find I cannot really care for the children despite their troubles.
This story is no longer appropriate for very young readers; there are disturbing illustrations and depiction of cruelty to animals. This makes the book more exciting then the first, but it falls short of the chart of the Series of Unfortunate Events.
Altogether, the book was an interesting read, but still not very engaging. Even with more suspense added into the mixture, it lacks something.

Jared's life has changed very much since he moved into his crazed Aunt Lucinda's Spiderwick manor. He's found a secret room and in this room he's found a book called Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to Fantastical World Around you, which tells you all about the world of faeries. He's discovered that his new home is inhibited by a Brownie named Thimbletack, who doesn't seem to like to see Jared with the Feild Guide at all, and there are many amazing creatures that live inside the walls of this house. In the Seeing Stone, something horrible happens. His twin brother Simon has been kidnaped by goblins while he was looking for his missing cat. Now Simon and his older sister Mallory must track down these goblins. Unfortunately human eyes cannot see goblins so how will they possibly find him? The answer is the seeing stone. The seeing stone will give Jared the ability to see faeries. Unfortunately that's just the beginning of their newest adventure.

Just like The Field Guide, this book is barely over one hundred pages and filled with many detailed illustrations of our heroes and the magical creatures in action. The first book was a mere introduction to the series but this book actually takes the three into their real adventures. It's not quite as entertaining as the last one, possibly because the story line seems like it should have been expanded a little more, but it's still very entertaining and a fun book. Although it's short and filled with pictures it's not just for kids. Teenage and adult fans who are fans of such books like Artemis Fowl, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Thief Lord will really enjoy this. If you've read The Field Guide and enjoyed it like me, read this book. It's very suspenseful and exciting. I can't wait until the third book in the series, Lucinda's Secret hits stores.

Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace are still adjusting to their new life after their parents' divorce. Not only do they have to adjust to a new school (Jared especially is having a hard time with this) but they are living in a house and area inhabited not only by humans but hobgoblins, trolls, fairies, and griffins. When Simon's cat disappears he goes looking for it and soon he also disappears. Jared and Mallory set off to help Simon, but they'll need some help in order to find him in time.

"The Seeing Stone" is the sequel to The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1) and is the second book in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" series and for the most part it is pretty good fun. Children will love the fantasy elements of the goblins, trolls, fairies, griffins, etc. especially the rhyming Thimbletack. The Seeing Stone (which helps them see the Goblins) is a nice addition to the series and authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black invent a funny if somewhat gross way for the children to see the goblins without the seeing stone. What kept me from entirely enjoying the book is that I felt some of the scarier moments were a bit too scary for young children. I found the goblins especially bothersome with their cages full of kidnap victims. And the hint of what might have happened to Simon's cat may be traumatic for younger children.

"The Seeing Stone" is a good fantasy but parents may want to read it first to make sure their children can handle it.

This is one of my son's favorite series of books (he's 7). Part of the beauty of these books are their brevity--at about 100 pages they're much more reasonable for the 6-8 age group than the Harry Potter series. The illustrations are also wonderful. However, in this book there is some disturbing subject matter which was not encountered in the first book--specifically, there are depictions of cruelty to animals in both the text and illustrations. In the end, though, the Grace kids rescue the animals, and all turns out well. I feel it is still less disturbing than the Unfortunate Events books.

The story and the writing of the book deserve four stars, but the thing is, each volume of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is too short to really immerse you in the story. What I like to do is read a very long book, and then when I'm done, read a new "Spiderwick Chronicles" book. It's refreshing really, because each story so far seems to be very interesting. If DiTerlizzi and Black wanted to make an engrossing and interesting epic, they should have just combined the five volumes of Spiderwick into one book, which would be considerable thick and would probably benefit the story.

Onto the story itself: in "The Seeing Stone," the Grace children finally encounter some strange creatures other then the little brownie Thimbletack; the brownie makes a reappearance, the portrayal of goblins is superb, there is a very believable griffin, and an "okay" troll. The only part about the troll I didn't like is how he spoke: "Yessssss." Sounds too snake like for a troll to me-- but on the bright side, a new character named Hogsqueal is introduced, and he serves as a bit of comic relief.

This book definitely paints clear pictures in one's head and is an entertaining read even though it is short, so I'll rank it at "above average" and give it a...

6 out of 10

The Spiderwick books are the best books I have read in a long time. I love the story of Jared,Simon and Mallory and their adventures. I have been reading them every night before I go to bed & I can't wait for book 5. Even though these books are small I enjoy that they are quick to read, but still have alot of action. I have read all four so far and now my teacher is reading them to our class.

The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 2 The Seeing Stone, written by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, improves upon the first book and leaves you dying to read the next installment. This time out Jared must save his kidnapped twin brother Simon from the clutches of an evil horde of invisible goblins. With the aid of a magic eye piece called the Seeing Stone, and later a little hobgoblin spit in Jared's eye, Jared is able to see the goblins. He is also able to see the many other fairy denizens who inhabit the woods surrounding his home. I like the way each book thus far has dealt with adolescent feelings of anger and confusion. The faeries of The Spiderwick Chronicles are a manifestation of Jared's own feelings. Holy Black weaves this element into the story without over doing the idea. Tony DiTerlizzi's illustrations once again are awe inspiring; helping to create a genuine sense of mystery and suspense. I only wish the story was longer. I Guess I'll just have to wait for the next book.

Preston McClear

The story and illustrations in this book were wonderful!
It tells of the further adventures of the Grace children in their Great Aunt Lucinda's creepy old house.
When his twin Simon's cat disapears, Jared and their house brownie Thimbletack suspect something is very wrong. Then Simon disapears. Using ARTHUR SPIDERWICK'S FIELD GUIDE TO THE FANTASTICAL WORLD AROUND YOU which he found hidden in the house Jared with Thimbletack and his sister Mallory set out to rescue both Simon and his cat. But, the forces of fairy want Uncle Arthurs book and they will stop at nothing to get it! Their adventure soon becomes a matter of life or death.

This book was cool, but I did like the first book better. The Seeing Stone was exciting just like Field Guide, but in the middle, it got kind of boring. Even though it was a little slow in the middle, the ending was even more exciting than the first book. There is a ton of action--fighting off the goblins and other exciting things that I can't tell you right now or I would spoil it for you.

I love this series and you should definitely read it for yourself--I just went to the library today and got the next three books. Check them out, you will have to read to find everything out for yourself. These are great books to read during the summer- super exciting and fun.

Tanner Whited

According to Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, the text of this story was left for them by three mystery kids.

And after spending the first book introducing the world of strange fey creatures, the second book in the Spiderwick Chronicles deals with the first clash with them. "The Seeing Stone" throws our three juvenile heroes into the midst of grotesque and eerie creatures, and despite the book's tiny size, it's a solid little fantasy story.

After a rotten day at school, Jared's day actually manages to get worse -- he sees Simon being captured by an invisible force and dragged into the woods. According to Thimbletack, he was kidnapped by goblins -- and now if Mallory and Jared want to save him, they have to use the "lens of stone" to find him (sort of a multi-lensed viewing monocle that lets you see faerie creatures). And Jared is desperate enough to take it.

But the lens only allows them to SEE the goblins -- fighting them is a much harder problem, and they only have a short time before the monsters try to EAT Simon. With only the lens and a few small weapons, they venture off into the forest... but there are dangers other than the goblins in the woods nearby, and even if they find him, how can they avoid being captured as well?

A wounded griffin, a sludgy lake troll, grotesque toadlike goblins and little leaf-winged grass-haired sprites -- Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi certainly up the amount of supernatural goings-on in "The Seeing Stone." And given a late development that allows the kids to see the stranger side of the world, these aren't going to be the last fey creature they encounter in this series.

And Black and DiTerlizzi's shared writing style brings this seemingly simple tale to exquisite, creepy life ("Hairless cat-like ears stuck up from their heads, and their teeth were pieces of shattered glass and small jagged rocks"). Though the storyline is pretty simple, the writing weaves a web of subtle, eerie strangeness around the seemingly ordinary circumstances, and makes it almost believable that evil goblins might be in the woods near your home.

And Tony DiTerlizzi's artwork is simply perfect for the story that he and Black are telling. Lots of intricate pen-and-ink drawings, depicting the pretty ethereal nature sprites, the weird multilensed "seeing stone," the drippy long-nosed troll, and spiky trees hung with cages. The highlights are an old newspaper clipping about a boy gone missing -- it seems to be important, though not yet clear.

Simon basically serves as a damsel in this book, but Jared's intense attachment to his twin is shown by him almost throttling Thimbletack to get the lens, and Mallory gets to kick goblin butt with her fencing sword. What's more, the kids' involvement in the world of the fey becomes more concrete when they gain a brand-new pet. Wonder how their mom will react.

The second chapter of the Spiderwick Chronicles, "The Seeing Stone," expands the eerie fey world into the more everyday one, and adds in some very nasty little creatures. It's sure to only get worse.