Common Sense Media Review
Spiderwick author's graphic novel for teen fans only.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
High-school student Rue Silver's world gets even weirder after her mother goes missing and she starts seeing strange creatures instead of people populating her hometown. When her father is arrested for the murder of a student and possibly her mother, Rue isn't sure whom to trust. Can Rue see this alternate world because she is one of "the good neighbors," or fair folk? These aren't Disney-style Tinker Bells but a group of supernatural beings who plan to make people fear them once again. It looks like Rue's grandfather is the leader -- and only she can stop him.
Is It Any Good?
The edgy, expressive black-and-white illustrations will attract teen readers, even if the plot doesn't always make a whole lot of sense. There are a few visual missteps, like when Rue's legs go from fishnet stockings in one frame to bare on the next page. Rue's apathetic "What, me worry?" gets a little tiresome, especially when she faces life-changing events.
Still, scenes like a coffee shop populated by demons and shots of humor (Rue's friend says he believes her because "This is the part in the movie where that guy says, 'Zombies? What zombies?' just before they eat his brains. I don't want to be that guy.'") will engage teens exploring their identities. "A lot of kids have this fantasy that secretly they're really the princess of a foreign country," Rue notes when she discovers her mother's heritage. "Turns out that pretty much sucks."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Rue's "no worries" approach to life. Do teens identify with this strategy? Families can also talk about the depiction of female faeries: Do teens agree that being so thin is attractive? Is this a realistic expectation for even supernatural girls and women to look?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Ted Naifeh
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Graphix
- Publication date : October 1, 2008
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 120
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate