Book Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Book Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black | Series no. 02

The Seeing Stone Front Cover

Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone
Author: Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black
Book Series No. 02
ISBN: 0439597412
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Publication Date: May 01, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Horror
Suitable Age: 7 and up

Characters:
- Jared Grace
- Simon Grace
- Mallory Grace
- Thimbletack (brownie)
- Goblin(s)
- Hogsqueal
- Troll
- Byron

This is the second series of the Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone. If you miss my book review for the first series, The Field Guide, you can visit the link to my review here.

(click "Read more" to view full review / scroll down for the full review)

The Spiderwick Chronicles 02 - The Seeing Stone, back cover

The Spiderwick Chronicles 02 - The Seeing Stone, book spine

The Spiderwick Chronicles 02 - The Seeing Stone, sample page

The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone Summary

* summary contains spoiler, you may skip the following to opinionated review

The adventure of the Grace siblings continues with The Seeing Stone, book 2 of Spiderwick Chronicles. Despite the riddled threat of Thimbletack about the Field Guide, Jared still decided to keep the book in his safe keeping. While Simon is looking for his cat, he was attacked by an invisible foe and latterly snatched away. Thimbletack guided Jared on how they can see the invisible entities who snatched Simon away. He discovered a stone with a hole at its center - the Seeing Stone.

The Spiderwick Chronicles 02 - The Seeing Stone, Jared discovered a spectacle for the Seeing Stone

The two siblings Jared and Mallory used the Seeing Stone with its corresponding mechanical spectacle to track where Simon is. Tracking the Goblins' trail, creatures who kidnapped Simon, the two encountered some faeries with the Seeing Stone, a sprite and a Troll along the way.

Upon reaching the Goblins lair, they've found out what happened to Simon's cat. The cat became the feast of Goblins. While the Goblins are busy feasting the cat, Jared found a Goblin-like creature named Hogsqueal. It is imprisoned inside a cage, hanged at the top of the tree. Along with Hogsqueal, several creatures of different kinds are also caged and hanged in the tree, this includes a Griffin. Jared made a deal with Hogsqueal to find his twin brother Simon in exchange of freeing him out of the cage. Hogsqueal pointed out the cage where Simon is in. As Jared located Simon, Simon decided to take the injured Griffin along with their escape.

To open a way for the Grace siblings' escape, Hogsqueal helped them again by getting the attention of the Goblins. As they escaped, they encountered the Troll again at the swampy route. The said Troll is a hostile and wants to eat them, but the siblings wittiness outsmart the Troll by setting up a deal. The Goblins who are now on the move to hunt them again became a bait and trapped in the swampy domain of the Troll.

As they arrived home, they mend the Griffin and kept the injured creature in their house carriage. They made a white lie to their mom about where they've been to. And worst, they get another strange and crazy disarrangement to their property again, care of, the grouchy brownie - Thimbletack.

* end of spoiler / summary

* * * * *

I had to put another genre to this Children's book and it is Horror. It's horrifying to learn the fate of Simon's cat being feasted by Goblins and even telling how Hogsqueal licks the bones (of the cooked cat). I find it ugly and at the same time, amusing. Perhaps, this is a starter book for you (adults/parents) to introduce the genre of Horror to your children.

And I think, for parents who want to read this as a bedtime story with your kids, you may be able to pull some moral lessons from this book. Like saying please and would also make your kids sensitive to other's emotions. There is part in the book where Jared forced Thimbletack to give the Seeing Stone.

Like in the series 1 of Spiderwick Chronicles, you'll find extra illustrations of characters for the next book.