A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles) Review

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Author(s): Holly Black

ISBN: 0689871325 EAN: 9780689871320
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 176
Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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Talk about out of the frying pan, into the fire! I was pretty sure that my freaky stepsister and that freaky field guide of hers would ruin my life. But now it looks like they're going to ruin all of Florida, too! Okay, maybe that's not fair. Maybe all these stupid giants would be waking up anyway, but if it wasn't for her and that book, I'd be home playing video games and this would be someone else's giant problem!

User Submitted A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles) Reviews

December 12, 2008
Much better than the first one, no worries for parents (probably!)
In The Nixie's Song I was terribly disppointed with some gutter language used by the authors, which did nothing to advance the story. I was pretty much ready to punt on Spiderwick, but the art by Mr. DiTerlizzi is so good and my sons were so excited to see the new book that I had to relent.

I am very pleased to report that there is no objectionable language in this book! There are no distractions from the beautiful illustrations, or Ms. Black's plotting. I will leave the plot summary to other reviewers but my 9 and 10 year old sons found it to be very exciting and intense during our nightly reading. I think they also like the fact that the illustrations are very different than the usual manga they are absorbed by.

Are there any warnings for parents? Well, maybe. Some of the giants kill each other. One of the big plot events involves outright deception of a character's parents and theft of a prized tropical fish. On the other hand, all of the young protagonists know they are doing a wrong to achieve a greater good and know they will have to face consequences. The family also has to deal with the destruction of their home and livelihood, and face issues of trust in newly married step-parents, but I thought these were more in the backdrop and presented with great care.

There is nothing not to like! Our family eagerly awaits the next volume.

November 19, 2008
Much better than the first book!
This is the second book in the follow-up to the Spiderwick Chronicles; Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles. I liked it better than the first book. I began to emphathize with the characters a bit more. It was much more interesting than the first book. Unlike the first book, this book left the story in a decent place. The main point of the book is wrapped up, yet there is a little catch at the end that leads you to the third book. The book is well-written and the drawings are again excellent. Still it is a very short book. I am not sure why these are split up into such short stories, maybe it's to make them more approacable to children?

In this book Nick and Laurie try to tackle the Giant problem in the area. With the help of Noseeum Jack can they rid the area of the giant problem before the whole area goes up in flames?

A pretty good book. I am looking forward to the last book in the trilogy. The way things are coming together that should be the best of the series.
[...]

November 10, 2008
Very good
My 7 year old daughter loves all the books in this series. Several of her friends are fans of the Chronicles too. It is a great way for them to share interesting ideas and use their imagination. Highly recommended.

November 2, 2008
Brilliant new book in the Spiderwick Series
Love a Giant Problem the next book in the continuing series of Spiderwick Chronicles. This is one book series that both my 9 yo and I can enjoy together. Great plot line complimented by beautiful, detailed illustrations.

October 23, 2008
"I Seek My Sisters Alone. You Will Be Sorry..."
In this, the second book of the sequel/spin-off to the original The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set): The Field Guide; The Seeing Stone; Lucinda's Secret; The Ironwood Tree; The Wrath of Mulgrath we meet up again with our two protagonists: stepsiblings Nick (surly and portly) and Laurie (dreamy and cunning), who are getting along reasonably well in the wake of their discoveries in the previous book The Nixie's Song (Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1).

Having allied themselves with the half-blind and near-senile Noseeum Jack (this book's version of wise-but-dotty Aunt Lucinda) the two are learning all they can about the awakening giants that are threatening their parents' housing development. Jack takes them giant-hunting, in the attempt to show them how to deal with the massive and destructive nature-spirits. It does not go well.

On the whole, "A Giant Problem" is a good book, and a nice addition to the trilogy. As usual, the book is full of maps, newspaper clippings, cameos from previous characters and Tony DiTerlizzi's wonderful illustrations that have made these books so special right from the beginning. But whereas the original five-part story was all about discovery, letting us explore the world of Faerie along with Jared, Simon and Mallory, "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" is more story focused. Which is not necessarily a good thing considering Black's writing can often be a bit choppy or contrived. Often characters will jump from one situation to another without a proper sense of time or place, and later on in the story the children attempt to steal a fish from a fish-tank under the nose of two adults that is so awkwardly staged it made me cringe.

But the characters have improved since the last book, with Nick becoming a more thoughtful and less antagonistic young man, with a rather poignant decision to make at the conclusion of the story, and Laurie undermines her own ditzy-exterior with a tendency to lie - a trait that she defends later on in a thought-provoking way. Also along for the ride is Nick's older brother Jules and his girlfriend Cindy (not to mention a troublesome hobgoblin called Sandspur), both of whom show more maturity and respect for the younger kids than any of the parents present in this book.

Holly Black may be trying a little too hard to connect with her younger readers, specifically by making her adult characters utterly useless and unpleasant. Within the first chapter of the story, Nick's father and stepmother are having an argument, and their behaviour doesn't improve throughout the course of the story. Nick's father doesn't seem to have a single nice word to say to his son, and at one stage Charlene (step-mom) says to Nick: "You can keep hating me. Just let me put a band-aid on your scrape."

We've already dealt with the subject of the broken family in the previous series, and the effect it has on young people - it would have been a nice change from the dysfunctional family to have a more harmonious one, leading to a range of new difficulties in which the children feel guilty about deceiving their parents about the existence of the faerie world.

However, what with the story ending on a surprising cliff-hanger, and a few story-points left behind that will no doubt have to be cleared up, I'm on board for the next (and last) installment.

October 5, 2008
The giants are revolting (yes, they certainly are)
Down in the Florida swamps lies a giant problem. No, make that several giant problems. The fire-breathing giants are beginning to wake up, and only people with "the sight" can see them.

When the giants lay waste to an entire housing development project, it's high time for the giant slaying team to do something about it.

Unfortunately, the giant slaying team is made up of an old blind man, a chubby youth named Nick, his stepsister Laurie, his older brother Jules, and Jules' girlfriend Cindy.

Continuing the adventure from book one, The Nixie's Song, this episode pushes the envelope trying to cram too many things into one little book. You also get the impression that the author was in a bit of a hurry, as there are loose ends, continuity problems and far too many coincidences.

A quick read, and as usual, beautifully illustrated, but certainly not in the league of the original Spiderwick Chronicles. On the bright side, the ending of the book indicates that there's lots of excitement to come. Get this if you've already read The Nixie's Song, and hope that the next one will be better.

Amanda Richards, October 4, 2008

September 19, 2008
A Giant Leap Ahead
I loved the original SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES. I devoured the whole set of five books within the same day. At the end of THE WRATH OF MULGARATH, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi had hinted that there might be more to the Spiderwick story, and that definitely made me excited. A GIANT PROBLEM is now book two in the new BEYOND THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES series, and I must say that it's taken until this book to really make me enjoy these further adventures.

The story picks up immediately from book number one, and I had to go glance back through THE NIXIE'S SONG to remember different plot details. Pretty much, Nick and Laurie are off on further adventures to stop the coming onslaught of giants destroying by fire the whole of the state of Florida. A daunting task for two kids and a blind old man named Noseeum Jack. I had been hoping all along through the first book and in beginning this second one that the story would grow beyond stopping giants from randomly destroying things. Yes, the problem seemed large, but just not enough for me -- especially after the original five books. That's why I was pleasantly surprised and chilled to come to the twist ending of A GIANT PROBLEM. It took the whole series to a new height, and I am extremely excited to get my hands on book number three, which I won't even tell the title of since it holds a bit of the secret.

The writing is as usual superb, and the illustrations dazzling in that throwback style that DiTerlizzi is so brilliant at. Just looking at his drawings sucks the reader into another world. My only complaint is that I had to wait so long for book number two. I really hope that we don't have to wait another year before the final installment.

September 18, 2008
Grandson's Books
The continuing saga and just as good as the original Spiderwick series. We always sign up as soon as these series are available for our grandson, who loves them. Since we originally were stationed in Florida, we miss it and this book also captures the essence of the way Florida used to be. This is another excellent book for young people, so much better than other currently available series for this age. My wife and I enjoy it too.

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