The Nixie's Song (Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1)
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The Spiderwick Chronicles leave the old-fashioned charm of New England far behind and head south for some fiendish faerie fun in the hot Florida sun. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas only thinks his life has been turned upside down after his developer father remarries and moves his new wife and daughter into the soon-to-be completed Mangrove Hollow.
But an "expedition" to a nearby lake turns up a little nixie with a giant problem - the huge, lumbering, fire-breathing variety - and it's up to Nick; his stepsister, Laurie; and his big brother, Julian (plus a familiar face from the original Spiderwick Chronicles) to figure out the best way to stop a host of rampaging giants before all of Florida goes up in smoke.
DESCRIPTION:
Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780689871313
ISBN: 0689871317
Label: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 2007-09-18
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Release Date: 2007-09-18
Studio: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ACCESSORIES:
• The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5)
• The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4)
• Lucinda's Secret (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3)
SIMILAR ITEMS:
• A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles)
• Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (Spiderwick Chronicles)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath
• Care and Feeding of Sprites (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles)
• The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5)
CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Customer Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed reading this one, but it's not a masterpiece
Comment: Story overview:
Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas had his world turned upside down after the death of his mother. Not long after he is forced to welcome a new stepmother and an overly imaginative stepsister (Laurie) of similar age. If that wasn't bad enough, Laurie takes over his room so that he is forced to share with his older, "surfer" brother.
Nick believes that internalizing everything and not bothering anyone is the way to get through life, but he soon finds that ignoring Laurie and her crazy ideas is impossible. After finding a four-leaf clover, Nick soon discovers that he is able to see fantastical creatures and is forced into helping a Nixie called Taloa, who has lost all her sisters.
In his journey to find Taloa's sisters, both him and Laurie discover a giant that has the ability to breathe fire. They learn that three of Taloa's sisters were killed by the giant. Accidentally leading the beast back to their home, Taloa is forced to sing to the giant to keep it from killing her and destroying everything else in its path. In the meantime, Nick and Laurie go to a book signing to meet the creators of a book called "Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You," in hopes of finding an answer to deal with their giant problem (yes, pun intended).
My thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this one. The illustrations are very well done, and the larger font size makes reading this book easier for younger kids. The attitude of Nick (the main character) seems very realistic for a boy of his age. I enjoyed the tensions between characters, their misunderstandings, and the imagination or lack there of.
Things to consider:
I would guess this is good for age eight and up. As mentioned, the fonts and illustrations would be appealing to children. Also, there's really no questionable content that I can think of beyond a few violent scenes.
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: The start of a fun new series.
Comment: Holly Black, The Nixie's Song (Simon and Schuster, 2007)
Holly Black and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, having made something close to a mint with the Spiderwick Chronicles books, return to the scene of their respective greatest successes with, of course, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, a projected trilogy of which this is the first volume. The action has shifted southward to Florida, where a newly-minted stepfamily finds one son and one daughter at odds with one another until the two of them go off fairy-hunting, not really expecting to find anything. They do, however, and learn, quickly and firsthand, that fairies are not to be trifled with. As with the original Spiderwick books, this is a monstrously quick read given how long it is; you'll be able to toss it back in an afternoon if you read a couple of chapters during your downtime here and there. Witty, fun, and everything you've come to expect from Black and DiTerlizzi; I'm looking forward to the next volumes in the series. *** ½
Customer Rating:
Summary: Creepy and Humorous
Comment: A little creepy at times because the main characters couldn't really trust any of the magical creatures or the people involved. Humorous at other times. I especially liked the breaking of the fourth wall. I am not sure if I liked it better than the orginal Spiderwick Chronicles or about the same. In all, it was a good short story and I will be reading the rest of the new series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Taut With Suspenseful But A Little Less Charming That The Original Series
Comment: There's a lot to like in this little book. My six year old daughter and I just finished reading this together.
I love the size, I especially love the illustrations, the story is exciting and suspenseful, the writing isn't overly descriptive but succinct and to the point, which keeps the pages turning.
I thought the relationships between the children and their parents were realistic as well as their reaction to becoming a blended family.
My daughter and I did enjoy the book and we are currently reading the second in the 'Beyond' series. I'm pretty sure we will read them all. But they aren't as wonderful as the original series.
My two biggest disappointments with this book are the language that was used, quite a lot of "shut-up" and sadly the name calling including "lard a ss". I would have preferred lard butt myself (still unnecessary and presents a teachable moment). But the other disappointment is the inconsistency in character of Jared Grace. He was not a very nice kid in this story and that's not in keeping with his character in the original series.
I hope that Ms. Black and Mr. DiTerlizzi will keep in mind that their audience is broader that the tween or teen-aged reader and in the future keep the character's language in check.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Meets my expectations
Comment: I bought the book for my 6year old for Christmas, so he hasn't received it yet. We have the series of Spiderwick Chronicles so he will be excited to get this one. The book was delivered quickly and in perfect condition.
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