The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

DiTerlizzi, Tony and Holly Black. 2003. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Something is not quite right about the once imposing Spiderwick estate. Uninhabited for many years, the Victorian mansion has fallen into disrepair. Despite their unease over the sniggering and scrabbling sounds that seem to be coming from inside the walls, it is now the new home, along with their mother, of the Grace children Jared, Simon, and Mallory. Abandoned by their father and with no where else to go, Mrs. Grace's great-aunt Lucinda, institutionalized for decades due to a belief that Spiderwick is inhabited by "creatures", has reluctantly agreed to allow the Grace's to live at Spiderwick. On their first night in the house the children discover a strange sort of nest in one of the kitchen walls next to an ancient and creaking dumbwaiter. Further investigation of the dumbwaiter leads them to a secret room at the top of the house where Jared finds an old field guide written by great-aunt Lucinda's father, Arthur Spiderwick. However, this field guide is not your everday kind of field guide. Instead of drawings and annotations about insects, flora, and fauna, Arthur Spiderwick's field guide contains information on how to spot brownies, faeries, boggarts, and other mythical creatures. The first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles is filled with, not only the danger of not knowing, but also the dangers of knowing. Are we safer living in blissful ignorance of the unseen dangers that surround us, or are we better able to defend ourselves if we are aware? The Field Guide explores the importance of respecting not only the world we live in, but also the beliefs and culture of those who are different from us. And, long before reaching the end of Jared, Simon, and Mallory's adventures, readers will think twice about who or what is responsible for their creaking walls, squeaking floorboards, and missing household items.