Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles
The New York Times Bestselling Serial
Just when it seemed the book had closed on the Spiderwick Chronicles, a new chapter begins far from the old-fashioned charm of New England. Under the hot Florida sun, Nick Vargas and his annoying new stepsister, Laurie, stumble upon the faerie world. A nixie asks for their help to save her sisters and before they know it, Nick and Laurie are outrunning giants, negotiating with mermaids, and battling a monster that’s bigger than they’d ever imagined! Along with Nick’s brother, Jules, and some familiar faces, the kids find themselves in a race to save not only themselves, but all of Florida!
Three breathtaking books!
One incredible journey that takes you…
Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles!
The Trades
by R.J. Carter
Published: August 15, 2007
The Spiderwick Chronicles may have run their course, but with a movie on the near horizon and continued strong interest in Spiderwick supplemental books, it was only a matter of time before authors Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi returned with more adventures, although not necessarily focused on the Grace children.
The Nixie’s Song takes the readers — as the series clearly indicates — Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, and introduces us to Nick Vargas and his family. Nick moves around a lot, as his father develops subdivision neighborhoods. It’s been a calm life for Nick and his older brother, until dad goes and does the unthinkable: he remarries. Suddenly, Nick has to give up his room to his new stepsister, Laurie.
Laurie’s something of an odd duck. She collects books and drawings about faeries. She knows they exist, because she’s read The Spiderwick Chronicles, and she even has her own copy of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. She knows how to see faeries — but as yet she’s never been fortunate enough to actually have it happen.
All that is about to change when Nick finds a four-leaf clover, which, unknown to him, gives him the Sight to see things no one else can see — not even Laurie, who is so jealous that it should happen to him. (Fortunately, they can share the clover and thus the Sight.) What they end up seeing is an injured nixie — a water faerie — who has been cut off from the river she shared with her sisters and must now reside in the neighborhood’s man-made lake. The nixie, Taloa, being of chimerical temperament (like most faeries), binds Nick and Laurie into an agreement to find out what happened to her sisters. What Nick and Laurie find goes beyond tragic and well into the area of downright dangerous:
He walked up a sandy hill to get a better view. The earth seemed soft under his feet, and he wondered if that was another piece of evidence. “Hey,” he said. “Come feel this.” Laurie didn’t answer. He turned to see her watching three ashen shapes like she was waiting for them to move. They looked oddly like bent branches, or maybe bodies. He swallowed hard and then took a deep breath. His voice shook anyway. “I guess we should tell Taloa that we didn’t find her friends.” “Sisters,” said Laurie, a hitch in her voice. Her eyes were wet. “They were her sisters.” “Sisters,” Nick echoed. The word felt strange in his mouth. He jumped off the hill, and as he did, the hill rose. Black eyes blinked slowly in the sandy soil. A massive swell curled into a fist. Roots ripped loose where vast limbs had been half-buried. The ground split and an enormous creature rose from it. Laurie screamed. The sound snapped Nick out of stunned staring and into action.
The giant has more on its side than size — it’s one of many that have been the unseen supernatural reason behind so many of the wildfires plaguing the Florida countryside. Soon, Nick and Laurie find themselves in need of help from somebody who’s had a lot more experience with faeries than they have, which leads to some amusing and surprising encounters with the last two characters you ever expected to meet inside a Spiderwick tale — and one who appears in a brand new way altogether.
For those who have never read a Spiderwick story before, The Nixie’s Song makes a perfect jumping-on point. And for those who have been with the Grace kids from the very beginning, you’ll be happy to know that the adventures do continue, and in a very big way.
Listen to celebrated actor, Andrew Mccarthy, read ‘giant problem’:
Audio Excerpt
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