Reviews:

From Barnes & Noble

Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's three adventurous Grace children are back -- and learning more about Arthur Spiderwick's field guide from Aunt Lucinda and a band of elves -- in the third installment of the popular Spiderwick Chronicles.

With mystery and supernatural suspense in every page turn, this entry has Mallory, Simon, and Jared learning more than expected about their book. When they visit Aunt Lucy in the nursing home, she tells them that in her youth, she was wrongly accused of having the field guide and warns them to leave the house and get rid of the book, lest they become harassed and charmed like she has been. The Grace kids suddenly realize that their treasured book has been stolen, and after they find a map in Uncle Arthur's library, they come face to face with elves who almost capture Jared and hint that Uncle Arthur may still be alive.

Another fast-paced episode that kids won't want to put down, Lucinda's Secret will keep you thirsty for more. The ending is a cliff-hanger that will leave you wondering what Mallory has up her sleeve, while the book includes numerous intriguing hints about what's to come. Keep yourselves braced! Matt Warner

From the Publisher

............Let the story of my niece and nephews be a warning. The more you ............know, the more danger you're in. And trust me, you don't want to ............meddle with the Little People.— S.S.

One thrilling adventure — The Spiderwick Chronicles!
Their world is closer than you think.

Publishers Weekly

In The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 3: Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, siblings Jared, Mallory and Simon, having escaped goblins and trolls, are now being harassed by a house boggart. Mallory thinks the only way to stop the madness is to get rid of the Guide. And the only person who can help them is their strange old Aunt Lucinda. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Time

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

New York Times Book Review

"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."

Publishers Weekly

"Appealing characters, well-measured suspense and an inviting package will lure readers...Youngsters may well find themselves glancing over their shoulders."

Marya Jansen-Gruber - Children's Literature

One would have thought that having the Field Guide to the world of Faerie would mean that one would have the advantage over that world, the answers to its puzzles and mysteries. Unfortunately for Simon, Jared, and Mallory this is not the case. So far they have tangled with a truly pestiferous house boggart, have barely escaped from an encounter with a troll and some extremely nasty goblins, and have a very large and hungry griffin in their carriage house. Not only do they not have any answers, but they don't know what to do with the guide now that they have it. Thimbletack the boggart seems to think that it should be destroyed. Mallory agrees with him on this particular point. Jared, the self appointed keeper of the Guide, cannot bear to think of destroying the book. The children finally decide that their only recourse is to ask the advice of someone who might know something about the Guide and its writer their great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. The only person who might know anything is Arthur's daughter, their Aunt Lucinda. The visit to Aunt Lucinda reveals that the old lady knows all about the Faerie world, indeed she has been touched by it in a terrible way. Jared also discovers that the Guide, which he thought was safe in his backpack, is no longer there. What are the children to do now? They have lost the Guide and have learned that their great uncle Arthur was also lost; the man disappeared seventy years previously. What follows is a bizarre journey and encounters with creatures unlike any that the children have met so far. Once again Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black have created a book that perplexes and carries one into a world where anything can happen. It is also a world where darkand evil creatures live and where children should be careful where they go if they want to survive. Irresistible and enthralling, this is a book that is truly hard to put down. Filled with black ink line drawings and several beautiful full color illustrations, and presented in a journal format, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" will be treasured for years to come. 2003, Simon and Schuster,

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Simon, Mallory, and Jared Grace know that faeries are real-and that they aren't always the charming creatures portrayed in popular fairy tales. Ever since they discovered Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, the Grace family has been surrounded by magical beings with decidedly hostile attitudes. They have a wounded griffin convalescing in the carriage house, a spiteful house boggart playing malicious tricks, and even weirder oddities lurking around practically every corner. Hoping to learn more about the book and its long-vanished author, the kids decide to consult their Great-Aunt Lucy, Arthur's daughter. She has been hospitalized ever since she was attacked by faerie beings who suspected that she knew where her father's book was hidden. She warns that the family will be in grave danger if they remain at Spiderwick Estate. When the siblings find an old map that leads into the elves' secret forest, their aunt's grim prediction seems all too plausible. The story ends with a cliff-hanger, to be continued in book four. There is some background exposition, but familiarity with the plot and character relationships from the earlier volumes is assumed. The black-and-white Arthur Rackhamesque illustrations add a satisfyingly eerie note to this mock-gothic tale, which will be best appreciated by readers who have followed the "Spiderwick Chronicles" from the beginning.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.