The Nixie's Song, Tony Diterlizzi & Holly Black
The First Book in the New Series, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles
Sep 19, 2008
Last September, the award-winning authors released the first book in their new series Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles titled The Nixie’s Song. While the first series follows the curious Grace twins and their sister Mallory, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles introduces Nick Vargas.
Summary
Leaving very little time to grieve after his wife’s death, Nick’s dad remarried. But Nick wouldn’t be so opposed if his stepmom and her wacky daughter weren’t a package deal.
When he’s forced to give up his room to his new stepsister, Laurie, he thinks things couldn’t possibly get worse. But then he learns that Laurie is a free-spirited, faerie-chasing kind of girl, much to Nick’s dismay. It’s her fanciful imagination, along with her copy of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, that lead Nick into trouble. He finds a four-leaf clover, giving him the Sight. Now he sees all kinds of magical creatures, like pesky will-o’-the-wisps and a fire-breathing giant. But worst of all, he finds a water-faerie called a nixie that needs Nick and Laurie’s help.
Review
This series opener did not live up to the original Spiderwick Chronicles. The story was sound and mildly entertaining, but the authors made poor choices in setting and characterization.
The Spiderwick Chronicles takes place at the spooky Spiderwick estate, a setting that complements the mystery and adventure lurking in every chapter. However, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles is set in a developing neighborhood during Florida’s hottest summer. The construction site doesn’t evoke colorful imagery for the young readers. Instead, it paints a dry, lifeless picture, which is not an effective way to set the mood for young-adult readers. With so much description of the “crunchy and brown” grass, “cracked dirt” and a “burnt area [where] leaves hung like shriveled rags from charcoal limbs,” it’s no surprise that the story is rather dry.
But dryness isn’t the book’s only fault. It has a negative tone brought on by the main character’s pessimistic attitude. Nick is a chubby, non-athletic eleven-year-old who lives in the shadow of his surfer brother Jules. He lacks the likeable qualities that would make young adults relate or sympathize with him. Hopefully, over the course of the series, the authors will transform his moody, insecure character into an open-minded and positive young man.
Despite the ineffective setting and poor characterization, fans of the first series will enjoy how Jared and Simon Grace transcend the boundaries between the books. Only this time, the twin protagonists from The Spiderwick Chronicles are a little older and a little more stylish, as shown in DiTerlizzi’s once again marvelous illustrations. His pictures are visually pleasing and helpful to the reader in areas where the content is lacking.
This book may have been disappointing, but there is still hope for the sequel. The second book, titled A Giant Problem, is now available in stores.
The Authors
Holly Black has written a series of three teen novels: Tithe, Valiant and Ironside. Tony DiTerlizzi has written many children’s picture books, as well as another young-adult novel titled Kenny & the Dragon.
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