The Ironwood Tree (Volume 4) (SPIDERWICK CHRONICLE) - Softcover

Black, Holly; DiTerlizzi, Tony

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857072455 ISBN 13: 9780857072450

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK, 2011

Synopsis

Mystery, madness and mayhem are afoot in the penultimate book in the bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles.

First a pack vile, smelly goblins snatch Simon. Then a band of elves try to entrap Jared. Why is the entire faerie world so eager to get their hands on Arthur Spiderwick's Guide? And now that the Guide has mysteriously disappeared, will the Grace kids finally be left alone? Don't count on it!

At school, someone is running around pretending to be Jared, and it's not his twin, Simon. To make matters worse, now Mallory has disappeared and something foul in the water is killing off all the plants and animals for miles around. Clues point to the old abandoned quarry, just outside of town, where there is news that a creature with plans to rule the world has offered them a gift to join with him...

About this title

Review:

After a brief breather in book three, the Spiderwick Chronicles heat up with doppelgangers, then dwarves, then a dastardly double-cross, in the fourth book, The Ironwood Tree. The Grace kids (nine-year-old twins Simon and Jared, and 13-year-old Mallory) might think that things have finally quietened down for them, but the nefarious faerie world has many more surprises in store.

In the second chapter, "IN WHICH the Grace twins are triplets", a mysterious and menacing shape-shifter shows up at Mallory's fencing match, and before Simon and Jared can suss out what's up, their sister disappears, presumably kidnapped. Eager to recover Mallory, the two descend into a strange subterranean world beneath a nearby quarry, only to find themselves prisoners and then privy to a wicked (and almost unbelievable) plan.

Author Holly Black once again skilfully manages to weave in plenty of creepy details (including a bloody final chapter) without whitewashing or leaving young readers feeling too creeped out--and she gets able assistance from Tony DeTerlizzi's ever-evocative pen-and-ink drawings (especially in the looming menace of the Mulgarath). Fans of the series will have a hard time waiting for the final instalment, titled fittingly, ominously, The Wrath of Mulgarath. (Ages 6 to 10) --Paul Hughes, Amazon.com

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."

-- "New York Times Book Review"

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

-- "Publishers Weekly, " starred review

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

-- "Time" magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0857072455
• ISBN 13: 9780857072450
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144