The Seeing Stone: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Scarier and more action-packed than the first book.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this exciting book has a rough edge that might trouble kids prone to nightmares. The first book in the series is tamer. Though this installment might be scary for younger children (among other things a cat is roasted and eaten, and a goblin's arm is bitten off by the griffin, though none of this is described), older elementary-aged children, especially reluctant readers, are going to be big fans.

  • May be an especially good choice for reluctant readers who will appreciate the high adventure and quick pace.
  • Fast-paced adventure story in which siblings work together in dark, magical world.
  • When Simon is kidnapped by invisible goblins, his twin brother Jared and older sister Mallory set out to rescue him.
  • A goblin's arm is bitten off, and a cat is roasted and eaten, neither described. Simon's life is in danger, the children are threatened by a troll and the goblins.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

"You kept the book despite my advice. Sooner or later there'll be a price." The price comes quickly in the second book in The Spiderwick Chronicles. Simon is kidnapped by invisible goblins. His twin brother Jared and older sister Mallory set out to rescue him, armed with rapiers from Mallory's fencing class and a stone monocle that lets the wearer see the invisible. With the monocle, the faerie world, which so far they have mostly only read about in Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, comes to life, and it's no fairyland. Into the darkening woods Jared and Mallory go, encountering sprites and a troll along the way. But rescuing Simon is only the beginning of their adventures, as they discover the goblins holding many creatures prisoner, including a dying griffin and a hobgoblin with a fondness for cats ("and not just 'cause they're tasty, which they are, no mistake.").


Is it any good?

 

If the first book in the series (The Field Guide) was mostly introduction, this one jumps right into the action. And there's an edge to it that the first book only hinted at.

Here Simon is in danger of being eaten by goblins, and the only way to rescue him is to kill his abductors, though the children don't do this themselves. Though the story is more exciting than the first book, it offers some of the same pleasures: a short, easy-to-read fantasy adventure in an old-fashioned edition filled with illustrations and printed on soft, unevenly cut paper.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how this book compares to the first one. Books often get darker and more violent with each installment in the series -- why do you think that is?

  • Some pretty gross stuff happens in this book, like the cat that gets eaten. Is reading about violence different than seeing it in a movie or experiencing it in a video game?


This review was written by Matt Berman
Parent of 11 and 11 year old
April 9, 2008
 
Only after book one
You can't jump into this book without having read the first of the series. you won't understand it clearly. Great imagry, stunning drawings. A favorite in our house.

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Super series!
My son is now 9 and began reading the Spiderwick Chronicles when they were first published. He has now read all five. They are good independent reading for him - exciting, fantastic, about boys his own age - but much shorter than Harry Potter (which he also loves but can't read independently yet). Jared is a good character with realistic flaws. He is very angry about his parents' divorce, and he acts out at school, but he finds ways to be successful and discovers himself in the process. These books are also on tape - at least one is read by Mark Hamill, which thrilled my Star Wars fan. We listened after we read them.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 20, 2009
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
It's all right I guess. The storytelling is decent, and the plot isn't bad, but it really doesn't break any new ground in the fantasy area. It's a good solid read, but only if there's nothing better lying around.

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Really not all that good. Kind of boring, actually.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Matt Berman
Authors:Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi
Illustrators:Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fantasy
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Publication date:July 13, 2003
Number of pages:108
Hardcover price:$9.95
Publisher's recommended age(s):6 - 10
Read aloud:7
Read alone:8

This review was written by Matt Berman
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

vote now

Will you read The Seeing Stone: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it