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"Dusty Olde Worlde charm."

—Time Magazine

The Spiderwick Chronicles

It all started with a mysterious letter left at a tiny bookstore for authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Its closing lines: “We just want people to know about this. The stuff that has happened to us could happen to anyone.” Little could they imagine the remarkable adventure that awaited them as they followed Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace and a strange old book into a world filled with elves, goblins, dwarves, trolls, and a fantastical menagerie of other creatures. The oddest part is in entering that world, they didn’t leave this one!

Five captivating books!
One thrilling adventure!
The Spiderwick Chronicles

Published: BOOKS I & II: May 1, 2003 • BOOK III: Oct. 1, 2003 • BOOK IV: April 1, 2004 • BOOK V: Sept. 7, 2004
Ages: 9 to 12
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
Author: Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Purchase Info

Books in this series

Extras

Browse Art

Look inside the book with this gallery

Audio Excerpt

Listen to celebrated actor Mark Hamill read from Book 3.

Activity Sheets

Explore downloads related to The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Desktop Wallpaper

Download this wallpaper featuring the Spiderwick Chronicles!

Videos

View all Tony's videos related to The Spiderwick Chronicles.

MUSEUM CATALOG

Explore Spiderwick: From Page To Screen created by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Praise

"Appealing characters, well-measured suspense and an inviting package will lure readers."
—Publishers Weekly

“Cleverly marketed as too dangerous to read, handsomely designed, and extravagantly illustrated this packs quite a punch. Readers who are too young to read Harry Potter independently will find these have just the right amount of menace laced with appealing humor and are blessed with crisp pacing and, of course, DiTerlizzi’s enticingly Gothic illustrations”
—Kirkus

“With a plot full of twists and turns and wonderful illustrations, this is a book that will hook any reader or listener to a bizarre world that exists within our world, a remarkable creation of the authors’ imagination.”
—Children’s Literature

"The books wallow in their dusty Olde Worlde charm: Faeries! Dumbwaiters! Attics! But then, reading has an old-fashioned charm too."
—TIME Magazine

"‘Spiderwick’ wraps the scary in a ‘cozy’ package."
—USA TODAY

"With their evocative gothic-style pencil drawings and color illustrations, rhyming riddles, supernatural lore and well-drawn characters, these books read like old-fashioned ripping yarns."
—The New York Times

Browse Books

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Tony DiTerlizzi: Never abandon imagination.

Imagination is a world of possibility that exists within each of us. It is what makes us uniquely human. It is our creative fingerprint that touches and influences the world around us. Imagination is essential to art and science; to innovation and prosperity. It gives us hope, calls us to action and leads to change.

Whether it’s fairies, dragons, robots or aliens, all of my children’s book characters are siblings born of my imagination – an imagination strengthened through years of encouragement from family, teachers and friends. While so many others abandoned it during their transition from childhood to adulthood, I fiercely held onto mine, hoping for a day when I could share it to inspire the next generation of dreamers. Innovators. World changers.

Imagination empowers us to envision and create a reality of what could be. We must hold it dear, foster it and never abandon it.