Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (The Spiderwick Chronicles)

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Mermaids - Stubborn, yet loyal and true to their word, mermaids have amazing voices that can hypnotize giants and humans. They are not easy to strike a deal with, as they frequently want something in return and usually take people as hostages to ensure the deal is kept. They seem to be able to do some magic as well, as they owned a cap able to make humans breathe underwater (similarly to the caps worn by merfolk in fairy tales to walk on the shore).

During this first book, the reader visits many different rooms in this house, serving to really set the atmosphere nicely. I really liked how this whole book was written, to be easy for children to read, but also giving a really nice fantastic and magical atmosphere to the whole story and setting. Abandonment and anger: Lastly, I do want to touch on these two elements; Jared’s father has abandoned him and his family, it is talked about quite a lot, and most of Jared’s anger is linked to this. Jared is angry that his father left, but so are his mother and siblings, they just don’t show it like Jared does. Jared is definitely a misunderstood and angry young boy. These themes have been approached in a sensitive manner thanks to the fantastical and magical elements. MY THOUGHTS AND This guide draws deeply on the lore of many world traditions and feeds young imaginations with a rich alternative to the stories and fables of the PlayStation and Xbox."We are writing you to say that we are sorry we messed up your first house. We hope you like what we made and that even if you don't, that you'll stop pinching us — and other things — and that if you have Jeffrey and Lemondrop to please take care of them because they are good mice.

Play the game ‘after that’. In this game, the children are in pairs. One of them starts by saying something that they have done, e.g.‘I ran down the stairs.’ Their partner then adds on something new, using the words ‘after that’, e.g. ‘After that I had breakfast.’ Each partner then keeps building up what happened next, taking it in turns to use the words ‘after that’. Working with the texts Faeries and magical creatures: As you may already know, this is one of my all-time favourite themes in any time of book of any genre. The mention of faeries, magic or creatures is enough to make me want to read any book! Even though we don’t learn much about the magic system or the magical creatures in this fantasy world, we do get a nice first look at them through the household boggart. I’m really looking forward to learning more about them and hopefully, we get more information than what is offered in the film. When Jared is about to get his things from the car into the kitchen, he hears something moving inside the wall. He thinks it is a squirrel and doesn’t think so much about it. Jared Grace: I suppose you could say that Jared is the main character because he is the sibling on which this story focuses the most. I really like Jared, he seems very misunderstood as a character and he is definitely the trouble maker of the two brothers. I think that when his father left his mother, it hit him really hard, so it feels like he needs this adventure and he needs to believe in these magical creatures and fantastical possibilities to get over the betrayal of his father abandoning him. I do really like him as a character and hopefully, the next books will focus on him even more. Write information about different creatures such as elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls for the Field Guide To Incredible Creatures of the British Isles.Once we had finished the hide, Marengorm promised that he would make sure that it was protected from any trolls or goblins. We are hoping to meet him tomorrow but Mallory thinks we should not trust him. Put the children in pairs to tell each other anecdotes about past events, e.g. funny times, sad things that have happened, a time I was in trouble, my best holiday. He gave me a beautiful, silver ring. Instead of a stone, it has what looks like an eye. Garven told me that when you wear the ring, it will help you see in the dark. It might come in use so I am wearing it all the time. Free resource

When Jared accidentally rips one of the bags on a sharp branch, he discovers that there are things from the Boggart's nest in the bag. He takes the things and carry them inside. They put some more things in the birdhouse, hang it up the in the library and leaves a note with the following text on the floor: Mental illness: Now, although there are not any episodes or descriptions of mental illness in this first book, from what I remember of the film, Aunt Lucinda is portrayed as a severely mentally ill person, because she apparently sees faeries who talk to her and bring her food. The reader obviously knows that this is true and that she is not suffering from a mental illness, but it is hinted at in the first book with words like “mad” and “nut house”, so just keep that in mind if you are sensitive to this theme. I like how the authors have featured this in the book because it is a good way to introduce mental illness to children and it is probably a lot easier for them to comprehend this way. The next day when they wake up, Mallory has scratches on her arms and her hair is tangled to her bed end. The children's' mother suspects that Jared is the guilty one, as he and Mallory had an argument last night.The small dumbwaiter took him up to a secret library, where there are loads of books about strange subjects and a small note left on the working desk. The text on the note reads:

Jared puts some of the things in a birdhouse, large enough for a crow, and convinces Mallory and Simon to help him. Simon is sent up with the dumbwaiter in the kitchen, while Mallory and Jared discover a secret door through a linen closet that leads directly into the secret library. Make a list of time connectives, e.g. first, next, after that, while, when, this morning, later on, early today, that evening, eventually, finally, at last… This illustrated guide is amazing. I know that I will read it again, and plan on reading it to my children many times over the next few years. That evening, Jared shows the content of the book to Simon and discuss whether or not they have a Boggart — a troublesome creature that was once a helpful Brownie — in the house. Late at night, after Jared has read the whole Guide, he goes down to the kitchen and strays flour on the floor in hope of catching some evidence in form of the Boggart's footprints. He also remember reading that Brownies like to drink milk, so he also leaves a bowl with milk at the floor. Right then, his mother discovers him and tells him to go to bed.Helen Grace – The mother of Jared, Simon, and Mallory, who is overprotective of them. She is strict at times, which stems from the pain of her divorce, but she can also be caring. Fantasy readers will love immersing themselves in the lore of the hidden-those things that only they, and people who are like them, can see. Field Guide will be pored over by anyone, of any age, who believes in sprites, phookas, and nixies.” Overall, I enjoyed this first book a lot. It is a children’s book, but it is a sensitive children’s book, interweaving serious family issues with magic and supernatural creatures. It’s a really good book to read to/as children, but also a really good book to read as an adult. I think that this first installment sets the scene nicely for the following books and I’m really looking forward to diving into this world again. I read The Field Guide really fast and I think that it would be a very good choice for children who have good reading instincts and want a bit more out of their reading experience.