Book Review: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles
I had a very jam-packed week, and the next one won't be much different. However, it's not that much longer before I will be released from craziness, so I can make it. In the mean time, there isn't much better than books to keep me sane. And because of that, we have some book reviews.
In my younger years, I really liked the Spiderwick Chronicles. I thought they were fun and fast, and I also liked how the fantasy had more than just "perfect life" kids on an adventure. The family situation added a whole level to it, and the personalities of the three children's response to their father leaving them was masterful. However, when I learned that there was a spin-off series being written, I must say I was not super enthused. I felt like The Spiderwick Chronicles ended it in a good place, and I wasn't too interested in another series. And yet, I read the second series. These are easy-reader chapter books, so it wasn't much of a time investment, and I kind of have a theme of children's series when you think about it.
They were better than I was expecting them to be. And really, they were good. But, they lacked the spark of the first series, and just seemed like the authors were trying to do the same thing twice, and failing. I think that they knew that a lot of people praised their taking on families issues in a fantasy setting, and so they tried it again, but with a slightly different situation (with death of a parent and then remarriage of the other parent and blending families). I think the problem was that the children didn't have the defined personalities that Mallory, Simon and Jared did. With Mallory, Jared and Simon, their actions, dialogue and responses seemed natural from their personalities and they were believable and consistent. This didn't happen with the new three. Their personalities were kind of contrived, and it wasn't clear their motivations. And even the personality and motivations they did have, not every action of Nick, Julian and Laurie followed. For fans of the previous series, though, Mallory, Jared and Simon do make a return appearance, despite not being the main characters and they're every bit as loveable, though a few years older.
With that being said, it was still enjoyable, and it's still a good early-reader series for younger kids who like fantasy. However, where I recommend the Spiderwick Chronicles to adults who enjoy fantasy as well, I can't say that about Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Three stars for the whole series.
In my younger years, I really liked the Spiderwick Chronicles. I thought they were fun and fast, and I also liked how the fantasy had more than just "perfect life" kids on an adventure. The family situation added a whole level to it, and the personalities of the three children's response to their father leaving them was masterful. However, when I learned that there was a spin-off series being written, I must say I was not super enthused. I felt like The Spiderwick Chronicles ended it in a good place, and I wasn't too interested in another series. And yet, I read the second series. These are easy-reader chapter books, so it wasn't much of a time investment, and I kind of have a theme of children's series when you think about it.
They were better than I was expecting them to be. And really, they were good. But, they lacked the spark of the first series, and just seemed like the authors were trying to do the same thing twice, and failing. I think that they knew that a lot of people praised their taking on families issues in a fantasy setting, and so they tried it again, but with a slightly different situation (with death of a parent and then remarriage of the other parent and blending families). I think the problem was that the children didn't have the defined personalities that Mallory, Simon and Jared did. With Mallory, Jared and Simon, their actions, dialogue and responses seemed natural from their personalities and they were believable and consistent. This didn't happen with the new three. Their personalities were kind of contrived, and it wasn't clear their motivations. And even the personality and motivations they did have, not every action of Nick, Julian and Laurie followed. For fans of the previous series, though, Mallory, Jared and Simon do make a return appearance, despite not being the main characters and they're every bit as loveable, though a few years older.
With that being said, it was still enjoyable, and it's still a good early-reader series for younger kids who like fantasy. However, where I recommend the Spiderwick Chronicles to adults who enjoy fantasy as well, I can't say that about Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Three stars for the whole series.
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