Spiderwick Chronicles: The Completely Fantastical Edition

Having recently purchased '1001 children's books you must read before you grow up', I realised that there is a lot of fantastic children's literature out there that I never got round to reading when I was a child, even though I was an avid reader then, as I am now. So, having loved the lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events ( so good I read them twice, and I'm not joking!)I thought the Spiderwick Chronicles would reflect the same type of attention grabbing storylines and characters, and I wasn't disappointed! I couldn't put it down! For three days straight I read this book, and the stories are brilliant, not too short, and the fantastic creatures that Simon, Jared and their older sister Mallory encounter will enthrall both children and adults. It's excellent value for money, but it doesn't include beyond the Spiderwick chronicles. That said, however, this has been one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while, and I'm a Jo Nesbo fan! Also, the illustrations are beautiful, and this edition includes lost chapters and a whole host of bonus material. Utterly brilliant, and every bit deserving of its five stars!

This is a lovely hardback edition, containing the five original Spiderwick Chronicles novels: The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda's Secret, The Ironwood Tree and The Wrath of Mulgarath. Both my children (aged eight and six) like this series of books about three children, Mallory, Jared and Simon Grace, who go to live in their aged Aunt Lucinda's house, after their parents divorce. The author uses the house, and the woods outside, to great effect. When Jared finds a book, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You", full of fantastical creatures, he unearths a world he could not possibly have imagined and the children find themselves discovering boggarts, goblins, sinister trolls and other mythical creatures.As well as the five books in the series, this volume also has some extras, including lost chapters and a Spiderwick Gallery. It is a lovely volume, which would make any child a lovely present and is also great value for money.

My 7-year-old daughter saw the movie at a friend's house, so I suggested we read the book. You can buy these books individually at huge expense, so this volume is perfect - all the chronicles in one place, for a reasonable price.Anyway, the story is perfect for reading aloud. It is exciting without being too scary, the characters are compelling, and the drawings help with imagining all the mythical creatures in the world of faerie. We both really enjoyed the book, and still refer to it regularly. I definitely recommend it as a bedtime story for older children who might already be reading on their own - studies show you should keep reading to them anyway, and this is a terrific place to start as there is so much to talk about. Boys and girls would be equally interested.

Purchased this as a birthday present for my cousin after listening to her going on and on about this series for weeks. It arrived promptly and is a lovely edition. She loved it, and got stuck into reading it right away!

Great story, great characters. My one caveat is that you'll want to read it yourself to kids under the age of 10/12 as there's some swearing and you may want to re-word some of the references to the main characters' parents' divorce - depending how idyllic a world your kids live in.

Bought for the illustrations.

Such a good book. Such a beautiful edition and I really enjoyed the stories. A must read!!

Absolutely brilliant.