The Spiderwick Secrets
The Spiderwick Mysteries is an eight-part fantasy book series for children ages eight and up written by American author Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi . The main characters in the story are the three teenage siblings Jared, Simon and Mallory, who move to an old house in New England after their parents divorce . Strange things happen there that no one can explain until Jared finds a book about fantastic beings in his great-great-uncle's library. This is how the siblings' adventures begin. From the 6th book the story of the boy Nick, his stepsister Laurie, his brother Jules and their girlfriend Cindy is told.
The adventure series is supplemented by the "non-fiction books" Arthur Spiderwick's manual for the fantastic world around you , About the keeping and care of elves and The great journey of discovery through the enchanted world documented by Thimbletack with information on various mythical creatures occurring in the series, the notebook for fantastic observations for budding explorers of the same as well as The Secret of the Spiderwicks - The Book of the Film .
action
Volume 1 - An Incredible Find
The parents of twins Jared and Simon and their older sister Mallory have just been divorced. Now the three move with their mother into their great-aunt's house, an old, eerie building. Strange things happen over and over again in everyday life, but each time the family suspects a joke or prank by Jared. Because nobody believes that he is innocent, Jared looks for the real cause himself. He has the feeling that they don't live alone in the old house and wants to get to the bottom of the mystery.
After some searching, Jared finds the secret library of Arthur Spiderwick, a relative of her great-aunt, and in it a book, wrapped in a shirt, entitled Arthur Spiderwick's Guide to the Fantastic World Around You , which explains various mythical creatures in more detail. After reading the book, Jared is sure that there is a bogus in the house, and he convinces his siblings Simon and Mallory of it. The three of them contact the boggart Thimbletack, who is actually quite a nice pixie. However, the latter warns that it is dangerous to have the manual.
Volume 2 - Dangerous Search
Jared still does not want to give away Arthur Spiderwick's Guide to the Fantastic World around You, despite the pixy warning.
Simon is looking for his cat, Tibbs, when he suddenly disappears in the garden without a trace. Jared receives a "seeing stone" from the elf, with the help of which one can see the mythical creatures. Unfortunately, Jared was rude to Thimbletack and the pixie doesn't talk to him very well. So Jared has to go out alone with Mallory.
Immediately they are attacked by goblins, but Mallory can avert the danger with a foil. The further path leads them into a forest, where they meet a troll, the goblins and a seedy helper ...
Volume 3 - Under the spell of the elves
Thimbletack is still angry and plays pranks on the children. They don't know what else to do and visit their great-aunt Lucinda, who is very familiar with the world of mythical creatures, in the hospital.
However, the valuable manual disappeared afterwards. With a map that Thimbletack probably left them with, the siblings have to travel again. Despite the urgent warning of a Phooka, the children fall into the trap of the elves and are captured by them ...
Volume 4 - The iron tree
Mallory wins a medal at a fencing tournament, but two children tamper with her gym bag during the competition, as the twin brothers observe. When Jared tries to confront one of the two, he runs away ...
Mallory has disappeared without a trace since that incident. On the school grounds, the twins find a stone that says trade . Therefore, they first look for clues in the nearby quarry. After the two have solved a riddle there, they are captured by dwarves. They want to exchange Mallory for the manual, but are locked in a chamber. They can escape, but are seen by a dwarf calling for the guards. The guards let the dogs loose on them. They come to a pond with white fish, where the knocker shows them the way to the iron tree. Simon points to the quarry below, from which a horde of goblins comes with a huge monster with hair made from withered branches. The goblins come into the cave on the other side and are instructed by the monster to kill everyone. The dwarfs hesitate and in their panic and confusion attack the goblins. So the three children make their way home.
Volume 5 - Revenge of the Kobolds
After the three children returned from the dwarfs, their mother disappeared. She was kidnapped by the goblins because they too want to get the manual into their possession.
They go in search of the manual stolen by the goblin chief Mulgarath, an ogre . This is how they come to the goblin fortress, but there are not only goblins there, but also dragons.
Volume 6 - The Song of the Mermaid
Two new main characters are introduced here: Nick and his stepsister Laurie, who is a firm believer in elves. With the help of a copy of Arthur Spiderwick's manual for the fantastic world around you, the two find a mermaid named Taloa and save her from drying up. Then the mermaid gives Nick and Laurie the second face.
On one of their voyages of discovery, the two wake up a giant who follows them home and is only calmed down by the mermaid's song. Nick and Laurie drive to a book lecture by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi and meet Jared and Simon Grace.
With Jared's help, the two manage to immobilize the giant by pulling a noose around his neck and leg. The three realize with horror that the giant is in the process of strangling himself. But when they consider letting him go, an old man named “Black Jack” appears and gives the giant the coup de grace. He warns Jared, Nick and Laurie that more giants will soon be awakening from their sleep, and wants to train Nick and Laurie to be giant hunters like himself.
Volume 7 - The Return of the Giants
The story begins with Nick and Laurie being taught blackjack. Meanwhile, the two of them think about how to “recruit” more children. One evening, Black Jack comes to Nick and Laurie's home and takes them into the woods. There they watch two giants fight each other. Black Jack does not manage to kill the giant that went down, as he has only ever killed sleeping giants, and is injured by the latter. A little later, Nick and Laurie see the giant they let live destroy the surrounding houses and then their own. When they want to tell Black Jack about it, they have to watch him pack his things to move to his son. Nick has now worked out a plan. With the recorded singing of the sea mermaids (Taloa disappeared because Nick and Laurie failed to keep a promise), they lure all the giants who are near the city far into the sea. They want to be sure of victory back to the hotel, where Jared, Simon and Mallory Grace are waiting for them. With the help of the documents from Black Jack's grandfather, they have now found out why the giants wake up every 500 years, namely to kill an old, much more vicious being. The book ends with Nick saying, "Instead of saving the world, we condemned it."
Volume 8 - Revenge of the Wyrm
The book begins a few weeks after the events of the last volume. While Nick and Laurie's parents quarrel more and more and do not rule out a separation, both try together with the Grace siblings to find out what evil is about to awaken. The numerous sinkholes that pop up all over the area seem to be only the harbinger of the being. And after finding out that these are small dragons that grow together and form a kind of hydra, they try to bring the giants back. But the sea mermaids don't want to help them. But in Black Jack's garden they find Taloa and her sisters in a small paddling pool. And after Nick swears on his life to find them a pond, they help them bring the giants back to land. These pounce on the holes and eat the little dragons. Finally, Jack's son, who came to their rescue, Laurie, Nick, and the Grace siblings, realize that the tunnels are all connected. You follow the tunnels to the old shopping center. The giants were there before them, fighting the giant hydra that had laid all the eggs. But the giants could not eat the dragons because they were too big and too many. Only after Nick has broken the bodies apart with a machete can the giants eat the hydra. Nick and Laurie want to meet the Grace siblings more often. And her parents have made up again and want to live together again.
Supplementary volume: Arthur Spiderwick's Handbook
General
The book is presented like a non-fiction book that reports on Arthur Spiderwick's research into mythical creatures. All pages are lavishly illustrated.
structure
The book is divided into six sections. Each section introduces three to seven mythical creatures that are found in a specific habitat.
In the first part, in the house and yard , elves, bogeys, changeling, pixies, salamanders and grasses are presented. Part two, In Feld und Wald , deals with basilisks, elves, gnomes, manticors, forest spirits, tree spirits and unicorns. Part three, In Lakes, Rivers, and Seas , contains descriptions of kelpies, sea spirits, mermaids, sea snakes, and trolls. Part four, In mountains and hills , reveals everything about dwarves, giants, goblins, forest rascals, knockers and monsters. Part five, In the Sky , is about dragons, griffins and phoenixes. In the final part six, outdoors at night , Arthur Spiderwick's research on dead fairies, gargoyles, pookas and will-o'-the-wisps can be read.
Others
The manual also includes a foreword by Tony DiTerlizzi, some fictitious background information, an addendum by Jared Grace, and a list of recommended books such as Grimm's Fairy Tales , which feature mythical creatures.
Character characters
Jared
Jared is the main character in the series. His experiences are described in the third person. It's not easy for him and he almost got kicked out of school. Jared is very interested, but is often a little unlucky and often gets into undeserved trouble. Jared has a twin brother: Simon.
Simon
Jared's brother Simon loves animals and in his spare time he captures many, which he then brings into his garden. In difficult situations, he always stands by his twin brother.
Mallory
The older sister of the twins is 13 years old and a good fencer. She also takes great care of her hair. But she also stands by her brother in critical cases.
Nick
Likes video games and model building of ships. Comes in contact with the magical world when he finds a four-leaf clover. Gets the "second face" from a mermaid after saving her life with his stepsister, whom he doesn't particularly like. Main character of the last three volumes with his stepsister Laurie.
Laurie
Loves all kinds of magical beings and to read about them. Moves in with Nick Vargas after her mother and Nick's father marry. Like Nick, she gets the "second face" from a mermaid who saved her, with whom she can see the magical world around her.
Illustrations and presentation
The books are always presented very lovingly and conscientiously. The cover pictures are beautifully designed, as are the numerous illustrations by DiTerlizzi. There are around 150 words on each page and the font is relatively large.
Press reviews
"The design of the book, the entertaining, large text and especially the beautiful drawings contribute to the sheer joy of reading."
"As exciting as Harry Potter, just a lot funnier and cooler."
"Wonderfully exciting youth fantasy literature that will also conquer the hearts of adults, with gripping characters and daring adventures."
"Lemony Snicket for Younger Readers"
"Just the right mix of danger and humor for children who are too young to read Harry Potter on their own"
"Appealing characters, balanced tension and an inviting decor!"
"Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi have created an exciting family adventure with modern and exciting characters and created a world in which the line between fantasy and reality is fluid."
literature
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets Vol. 1: An Incredible Find . cbj, 2004, ISBN 978-3-570-12863-3
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 2: Dangerous Search . cbj, 2004, ISBN 978-3-570-12864-0
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 3: Under the Spell of the Elves . cbj, 2005, ISBN 978-3-570-12920-3
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 4: The Iron Tree . cbj, 2005, ISBN 978-3-570-12921-0
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 5: Revenge of the Goblins . cbj, 2005, ISBN 978-3-570-12922-7
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 6: The Mermaid's Song . cbj, 2007, ISBN 978-3-570-13211-1
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol 7: The Return of the Giants . cbj, 2008, ISBN 978-3-570-13212-8
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets, Vol. 8: The Wyrm's Revenge . cbj, 2009, ISBN 978-3-570-13213-5
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: Arthur Spiderwick's Guide to the Fantastic Environment Around You . cbj, 2006, ISBN 978-3-570-12923-4
- Holly Black; Tony DiTerlizzi: The Spiderwick Secrets - Notebook for Fantastic Observations . cbj, 2007, ISBN 978-3-570-13297-5
filming
In 2008, the series was filmed by Mark Waters as The Spiderwick Mysteries with a budget of $ 100 million . Freddie Highmore took on the roles of the twins Simon and Jared, Sarah Bolger took on the role of Mallory and Nick Nolte voiced Mulgarath. The German theatrical release was March 14, 2008.