Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Chronicles of Spiderwick: A grand Tour of the Enchanted World
Illustrator: Tony DiTerlizzi
Novelty Book Series
For ages 7 to 12
Simon and Schuster, 2007 ISBN: 978-1416950387
Meet Thimbletack, the resident brownie who lives in Spiderwick mansion and who knows everything there is to know about the place. Like all brownies Thimbletack likes to collect things and he has put together an extraordinary collection of artifacts about the Spiderwick family, the mansion, the creatures of Faerie, the Grace children, and more. You are very privileged because Thimbletack is going to let you look at his collection which he has sorted and arranged in a scrapbook. So prepare yourself for a fascinating journey into the world of Spiderwick.
Thimbletack begins by showing you what he has gathered with regard to brownies and boggarts. Naturally some of what he has collected pertains to himself including a letter which the Grace children wrote to him asking him to stop pinching them “and other things.” There are pages from Arthur Spiderwick’s Guide and even samples of brownie clothes which are quite interesting to look at.
Further along Thimbletack looks at the Grace family. We discover that Simon has always loved animals and has been good with them. We learn too that Jared was suspended from his last school. As for Mallory, well this girl who seems to be only interested in fencing is not oblivious to a certain boy on the fencing team.
A few pages ahead in the scrapbook Thimbletack examines “The Goblin Breed.” Needless to say Thimbletack is not too complimentary when is comes to goblins. Spiderwick experts will know that he cannot stand Hogsqueal and Hogsqueal is a very mild sort of goblin - as far as goblins go. They get a lot worse than him.
Concluding with a description of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide, this “Grand Tour” is sure to delight Spiderwick fans. Beautifully presented to look just like a scrapbook with envelopes to open and pages that fold out, this is a unique multimedia book which will entertain readers for hours. Not only is this title fascinating to look at and to read but Spiderwick aficionados will learn even more about the Spiderwick story and the fantastical creatures that populate the magical world that they love.
