this is one of the best products I have purchased. It is amazing and exciting and a keep you on the edge of your seat with a little comedy
thrown in for good measure. I would recommend it for everyone

The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath This is more than a "children's fantasy" books. These little books with their fun story and interesting art work are for people of all ages who thoroughly enjoy fantasy and want a really fun read. It is a great and quick escape from our hectic world with feel good results.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a great fantasy series. It is a mix of our world and that of a mystical and dangerous world. They are a well-done combination, masterfully executed. Two worlds coexisting in the same time and place yet separated by our own ignorance. This makes for an interesting and dangerous opportunity for marvelous surprises. It is a great read and wonderful entertainment for all.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)

This is a wonderful gift and book collection. I am reading it with my 6 year old granddaughter and am enjoying it as much as she is.

Did you like Lord of the Rings? Did you like the Chronicles of Narnia? Then you WILL like the Spiderwick Chronicles as well. This set takes you into another world, where you get lost in your imagination. Not only are these books good for children, but for people of all ages, especially the adults out there who still have some child in them. These are quick reads and the types of books that you look down into and look up 2 hours later, not realizing where the time has gone.

Definitely a great set to own and a must read even if you just borrow them from your local library.

Two thumbs up!

I bought the books for my granddaughter's 8th birthday and she was so surprised and has already started reading them. She was so happy and asked her Mom if she could take them on her summer vacation coming up. I was real happy about the speed in which the books came and will probably buy again from you. Thanks for having exactly what she wanted and I could find easily. Thank you, Pat Simpson

Received the books fast. Bought as a gift and my son enjoy's them very much. I will order again

These books are written for kids, true, but being an adult didn't stop me. I read them all and thought the stories were great.

The characters are what keep you reading, I highly recommend these books to parents for their kids.

I can't wait to see the movie!

The next series, "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" is just as good. So far only one book as been written (The Nixie's Song) and its great.

Enjoy!

These are the kind of books that make themselves absolutley enchanting despite simplicity. Or perhaps that is why I liked them so much. Either way, in the present fantasy days of 400+ page books, it's nice to have something struggling readers or anyone can read in a matter of a few hours--the entire series.

Also, like all the truly good children's fantasies, there is a more real emotional undertone that makes you care deeply for all of these characters. A family post-divorce struggling to connect. Can we say "awww"? In fact,this problem leads to one of the most powerful scenes in the series.

Other than that, it's just good fantasy. Rather than chasing the very boundaries of imagination, it takes a simple and traditional idea that people happen to like. Hey, who does not like to read a book about cute fairy critters?

The books are fast-paced with never a dull moment, but it still clear that thought was put into the storyline.

Hopefully the movie will inspire reading.

I bought the Spiderwick Chronicles for my grand-daughter and she loves them. It is hard to find books that keep her interest, but these books do.

The cover says "for young readers" but ... so what? Who's to say a grown up shouldn't be intrigued by a plot with children exploring an old house, finding old books that lead them to mysteries and faeries? Well, I did like it and I do recommend the series for people with like taste.

This is a great series. They are a fast and easy read. You get sucked into the world of the Grace's.

If you enjoy the magic of the Harry Potter series you will enjoy The Spiderwick Chronicles. I purchased it for my children and I had little thought I would enjoy them as well, but oh did I. I found myself continuing to read the books before the children and I had finished reading together the first book! What a great way to get the whole family involved in reading!

The Spiderwick collection was a gift for my niece. She's 7 so she doesn't mind, but the book was not cut to correctly. Every other pages was at a different length and she cannot flip the pages smoothly. She said " Look, they didn't take their time cutting" Anyways, you get what you pay for!

My daughter and I really enjoyed this series! We were excited to see the movie, so we decided to read the series first. We would take turns reading and truly enjoyed each book! My daughter read the first book to me in less than two hours while we were on a road trip! We looked forward to reading every night. The books were interesting and kept us on our toes! We couldn't wait to read the next book! I enjoyed the time I spent with my daughter!

The Spiderwick Chronicles are a wonderful series but I would recommend them for older children. My seven year old grandson loved the stories but they have given him "bad dreams" since we read them aloud. Some of the story discusses the goblins killing and eating other small animals and this was quite disturbing to me as well as the children.

The details are a little too much for the younger child.

My 10 and 12 year old boys love these books. I'm going to buy another set of these books for my 9 yr old niece. These books are very nice with larger font. Great set of books for younger and older children. You won't be dissatisfied.

Bought these books for my children. Books are hard cover and are very durable. Graphics on cover and inside book are nice. Great purchase!

We received the Spiderwick books and they were in excellent condition.
We also received them in appropriate time.
This seller was excellent.

LOVE this set of books. It is so much better than having the individual books laying around.

These story books are fantastic! My daughter has read them at least three times already. If you liked the movie, you're going to love these story books!

Bought these for my boyfriend's 8-year-old son. The kid adores them. They seemed rather short, especially for the price, but the kid has read them all once and is already talking about reading them again. He's very excited about the entire series.

I purchased the Spiderwick Chronicles, Books 1-5, unabridged on 5 compact discs. We had seen the movie and I wanted to read the books. My husband and I listened to the CDs in the car on a weekend road trip and they were delightful. We thoroughly enjoyed Mark Hamill's narration.

Dawn Street

Received the product in a timely manner. Product was exactly what I expected it to be.

A very nice packaging for a good children's fantasy series. These are the books that the recent movie was based off of, and it is a pretty quick read. Definitely more for children and young teenagers, without the mass appeal of the Harry Potter series. Still a very good read.

First of all... while the concept/ideas/story in this series is good it's not something worthy of being a set of books. It should just be one larger book, other than for the advantages of making more money for those selling it and perhaps appealing to those younger readers who may be intimidated by larger books. Perhaps these would be a good intro into the world of fantasy. They weren't badly written and I liked the artwork/layout. The set looks nice too. It's just that I sat and read all five of the books in one sitting of less than 3 hours, and that was "savoring" all the meat that they had. This is really just one story stretched out into 5 episodes, so know what you're getting.

Overall: If you've gotta have every children's fantasy book out there, go for it. Good for a starter fantasy, for those able to handle some... minor violence/gruesomeness, but if your kid can handle it... I'd go for Harry Potter first, because it's got a lot more substance. Looks nice on a shelf, and not badly written, just not a standout work.

A nice little series, (basically one story broken up in five books for no apparent reason except to sell more books and have the books appear to be a more child like size.)

But I bought them to encourage my 14 year old son to read and he enjoyed them, which was important to me. His two older sisters and I also read them and we enjoyed them also.

It also bears to mention that there are some images that portray fathers in a poor light, which is somewhat a common theme in America today. So if you allow smaller children (less than 13 years old) to read this book, it would be a good idea for parents to read the book and discuss it with them. However, all parents should monitor what their children read.

I love the story.It is well thought out,humorous,and great for any reader whatever the age she or he may be.

This set was purchased for my 13 year old grandson. I was not aware that it was written for much younger readers. Despite that fact, he actually enjoyed the series. His 9 year old brother also read it and liked it as well.

Confession Time: I had never heard of Spiderwick until we saw commercials for the movie. I decided it would be a good pull to increase my daughters reading - she is on the Autism spectrum, and her reading interests are usually higher than her reading ability, she becomes discouraged and the book collects dust. I purchased the set with the agreement that only after we finished the books we'd go to see the movie.

We just got our set and I was so pleased to see that each book is hardcover and so beautiful in appearance. In the past we've ordered sets marked as hardcover and in fact they were talking about the box they are stored in :P. Last night we began reading, forgot about the TV and found ourselves halfway through the first book in no time at all. Even her 3yr old sister came in to listen. This morning while her baby sister watched TV - my older daughter was exploring the books, reading and looking through the pictures. They are a hit.

Now for the Great Value part. I called our local big chain book store (so I didn't have to wait for them in the mail) it was 67+ for this set . I couldn't believe it. I ordered it from Amazon expecting to wait a week or so to get it. With free shipping it was here in just a few days. I love a great price with great value!

This is a great book series for kids - especially boys. This is the second set I have bought, and I bought it to give to my son's school library!

I bought the series for my 5 year after receiving a free one in a cereal box. He loves listening to the story and I love how it is broken down into different smaller books. The characters really spark his imagination.

I was apprehensive about reading these books to my 5 year old kindergartner, thinking he was too young, but he LOVED the books. Like other parents, I glossed over the divorce issues and substituted other words for the questionable language, but it was no big deal. He had a slight comprehension issue in some areas, but I either paraphrased or provided supporting explanations. We finished all five books, saw the movie (which really confused him since it omits so much from the story), and now he keeps asking for "new spiderwick" books. I think I will try the moongobble series based on another parent's review that I read. After reading Spiderwick, my son insists on reading himself to sleep everynight, and his teachers noted how much more attentive he is at story time. Sometimes it just takes one book to turn the light on, and Spiderwick did the trick for my son.

These are very good childrens books with such great artwork. The stories are nicely scary and gross for kids who are into that sort of thing, without going overboard. As a parent you may want to read these first to see if your children can handle them. They are geared a bit towards younger children (not young adult) but deal with 'heavy' topics like divorce and feature quite a lot of violence. This is my little girl's favorite series so far and each book is well worn and ragged already. It helps that she has identical twin cousins who look just like the illustrations in the book.

I read this series to my nearly seven year old son. He couldn't wait to get to bed and hear the next installment! We read through this quickly, since we were both quite taken in with the magic of this series. I didn't think he was quite ready for books such as Harry Potter and this was a perfect choice for the slightly younger child you enjoys this type of fantasy read.

Not bad for kid's books, but a little lacking... each book is more like a chapter (I read the entire series in two hours). Great for kids who aren't into reading, but the layout and set-up of the book was a little strange. I felt like I was reading a picture book, and while the illustrations were well-done, they were a little distracting. It certianly wouldn't have interested me at twelve (and maybe not even at nine), but for younger kids it's a fun fantasy adventure.

My daughter enjoyed reading these books. They arrived in a timely manner as well as excellent condition.

The little books were very easily written and amazing to read. Each chapter took me more into the mystery world that is around the children. I will tell all my friends to read it!

This was the second series set that I read with my 7 year old son. We both enjoyed the books very much and the story line. It is what I considered to be "appropriate" language for a 7 year old (aside from some minor name calling among the kids---which I suppose is an element of reality in many families), and the writing is descriptive enough to keep an adult interested while reading to the youngster. The fact that the movie is out has given us the fun opportunity to read the books with the anticipation of going to the movie after we finish the series.

The Spiderwick Chronicles blew through our house inside a few weeks.Our daughter read the lovely, beautifully illustrated little chapter books and sent them straight back to the library. She didn't want to keep other kids from the fun, and she knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of a waiting list.

To be sure, the books about the three Grace children and their mother as they settle into life in the fairy infested ancestral home are a quick read. They are eminently believable and delightful. Following her divorce, the children's mother moves them to the country--specifically to a Brownie-infested home of Great Aunt....

The children encounter every type of fairy being--good, bad, selfish, mood, you name it--and the selfishness engendered by their possession of The Field Guide.

My daughter, who is nine and loves the books because they validate a reality everyone else denies, says the fairies like keeping to themselves--dwarves with dwarves, brownies with brownies, sprites with sprites, and so on--and the circulation of the field guide means others will have information they don't want to share. Privacy and integrity are at stake. How will the Grace children handle this? Will they respect the fairies? Can they understand? This is the point of the story, as far as my daughter is concerned.

Her words: "They show a world most people think is fantasy, but it's not."

A house brownie visited us for a while and then he moved along. While he was here, he left us with gummy bears and rhyming notes and missing books. My daughter and her friends made him forts and a house and asked him to come out.

Have a look at these books. See how real they are.

They promised not to hurt him, theytold him in a note.

A promise not to hurt. That little note struck me as the heart of Spiderwick. The Grace children are hurt by life; their uncle's strange legacy leads them through the strange maze of the adult world, even if it looks an awful lot like the fairy world.

Ultimately, the kids go home with their mom. They learn that some people are blatantly selfish. Others are foolish. Still other are mean. But then there's the Brownie who means well despite himself. And there's mom, who really does understand.

Perhaps the greatest value of Spiderwick is its brevity, what it doesn't say, where it doesn't go, what it leaves open so young readers can fill in the blanks.

We're going to see the movie tomorrow. I hope it lives up to my daughter's imagination.

In the Spiderwick Chronicles, which is soon to be a movie, which I am dying to see, the three Grace children have stumbled upon Author Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. They have uncovered a magical world and the children have defeat the evil Mulgrath and save the world.

On Feb. 14th it's going to be on the big screen as a movie. Being a fan, of course, I want to see it. Now, I'm not one of those people who says to read the book before you seethe movie. You can do whatever you want but reading and watching the movie gives you something to compare.

It's a great series for those young fantasy lovers who love books about fairies,hobgoblins, goblins, and ogres. This book uses might be good for some adults as well. The books have all of the mystical creatures that kids have heard and the illustrations are very detailed.

-- Clint Graves

I gave him the 1st book in the series. He read it quickly. He checked the rest out of the library and read them. Now he wants to own the entire set so he can read them again.

I enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles and can't wait to see the movie. I recommend it for all ages.

This series was recommended by my son's friend who is 8 years old. He really liked the story and could easily read the book. My son is now enjoying the books and reads every night. This is a great story that can be challenging for early readers (like my son) and great for strong readers (like his friend). I even enjoyed reading them. It is a cute story which isn't too violent like other stories out there.

The Spiderwick Chronicles are interesting page turners, and import the fantastic into kids' real worlds. My 8 year old could not read them fast enough, and I enjoyed them, too. Buy them as a set, though! They run about $10 individually for short books that good readers can read in little over half an hour, and most kids will finish one of them in under an hour. If your kids are on the young side, however, the 'small bite' size of the book is a plus--fun reading, but not intimidating.

A very interesting series for young and young at heart who enjoy a
little magic.

Belinda

I am so pleased that a set of books can make a young boy so happy!

My 7 year old loves the Spiderwick books. She will sit and read the entire book from cover to cover. They are fun and fairly easy to read; not as difficult as Harry Potter, but the story line (fantasy with mythical creatures) is similar.

I am a first grade teacher who was given the set of Spiderwick books as a Christmas gift from a student who's father writes movie reviews. As grateful as I was,I didn't really understand the gift. After reading all five books with my eight year old son(A Harry Potter officianato) over Holiday break, I realized that although not as detailed as the Potter series...it definately draws the same crowd. My son loved it and I had a hard time not picking up the books and reading ahead. With the upcoming movie release, we are eager to see if the producers do it justice. After the Potter series, we know it is at least possible. As a reading specialist who has worked with kids in middle schoool down to 1st grade, I have to say BRAVO to the writers and daring producers who take on these books as movies. Writers like J.K. Rowling, Sharon Draper, Walter Dean Myers and Holly Black are making reading fun again!

The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set

I measure almost everything out there against the Narnia series - fair or not.

My sister's kids are crazy fans of the series. I can see why - the book are fast-paced, detailed but not drawn out, and don't leave you hanging and hanging and hanging.

I polished off the 5-book set over three days - finding myself picking the next book up the moment I finished the first. Except that the format keeps each book small and manageable - the fact that Spiderwick is broken into 5 individual books doesn't seem to make too much sense - just allows for pretty packaging.

The inside drawings and titles struck a good chord - they remind me of the drawings from the older OZ books.

The exploration of the faerie world - the rules and lessons - all very well done.

I do agree with a few of the other reviews - just be aware - these books do have darker moments; my kids would read these easily - but some folks just seem to think their kids brains will be damaged by the notion of a hobgoblin nibbling on a roasted cat. Be aware.