A Giant Problem

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles #2

by Tony DiTerlizzi (Author & Illustrator), Holly Black

Nick and Laurie have a giant problem and it's a lot bigger than they originally thought. When Taloa sent them off to find her sisters, they discovered a single fire breathing giant, but as it turns out, that one giant is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Fairies

154 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi, has been creating children’s books for twenty years. From fanciful picture books like The Broken Ornament and The Spider & The Fly (a Caldecott Honor book), to chapter books like Kenny and The Dragon and The Search for WondLa, DiTerlizzi imbues his stories with rich imagination. With Holly Black, he created the middle-grade series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, which has sold over 20 million copies, been adapted into a feature film, and translated in over thirty countries. He teamed up with Lucasfilm to retell the original Star Wars trilogy as a picture book and his collaboration with celebrated author Mo Willems created the bestseller The Story of Diva & Flea. The Norman Rockwell museum’s retrospective, “Never Abandon Imagination”, featured artwork from the beginning of DiTerlizzi’s career as a contributing artist for Dungeons & Dragons and broke attendance records. He has been featured in Time magazine, USA Today, CNN, PBS, NPR the BBC and The Today Show.

Reviews

[Faseeh Ilahi a.k.a Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! Another 5 star read. Loved this book even more. It had a nice plots and mermaids. I freaking adored it. It was everything I needed.

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

Not quite as good as the first book but still a lot of fun!

[✡Weed Dragon✡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt kinda jealous reading this ngl

I wish I had these problems

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irgendwie spukig ist das verwinkelte viktorianische Haus, in das die Zwillinge Jared und Simon mit ihrer Schwester Mallory einziehen. Merkwürdige Dinge geschehen, kleine Bosheiten, die allesamt Jared in die Schuhe geschoben werden. Doch ausnahmsweise ist es nicht Jared, der seiner Schwester im Schlaf die Haare am Bett festknotet und Simons Kaulquappen im Eisfach schockgefriert. Das Haus birgt ein Geheimnis! Versteckte Aufzüge gibt es dort, eine geheime Bibliothek – und ein altes, abgegriffenes Buch, das von magischen Wesen und ihrem Treiben berichtet. Die Geschwister ahnen: In diesem Haus sind sie nicht allein …

Mein Leseeindruck:

In diesem zweiten Band der Kinderbuchreihe wird Simon von Kobolden entführt, so dass Jared und Mallory sich auf die Suche nach ihm machen. Unerwartet bekommen sie dabei Hilfe von einem Troll. Mir hat dieser zweite Band wieder sehr gut gefallen. Die Reihe richtet sich an Kinder ab 8 Jahre, und ich denke, vorher sollte das Buch wirklich nicht gelesen oder vorgelesen werden. Für ein Kinderbuch ist es, glaube ich, schon recht gruselig teilweise. Ich hatte auf jeden Fall viel Spaß mit der Geschichte und finde sie unglaublich fantasievoll und auch spannend! Ich freue mich auf die Fortsetzung!

[Valeria Ambriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book it is the second book I have read of Spider Wick and I would like to read the third one it was really interesting how they had to make the Giants listen to the mermaids sing. They had to give the mermaids a fish so that they could sing for the giants. The Giants crashing up Nick's house so that they had to stay in a hotel. Jack leaving with his son to another place because he got hurt by a Giant so his son decided to take him where he lives. They had to go and steal the fish from nicks girlfriends house so they had to do it without the girlfriends dad knowing because he could of killed his daughter because he loved his fishes really much. They had to escape from the Giants so that the Giants would not eat them.

[Michiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book this is. This was the first book I’ve read in the Spiderwick Chronicles and I quickly found myself immersed in the story of Nicholas Vargas and his sister, Laurie. Add to this Noseeum Jack, a humorous character with a huge walking stick, a sharp machete and lots of advice on tracking giants.

I fell in love with the mischievous and voracious hobgoblin Sandspur and allowed myself to drift away on the magical songs sung by the wise, but tricky, Merpeople. Although Nick seemingly outwits the giants and saves the world at last, as I turn the final page, I wonder whether Nick’s triumph will see us well into Book Three. I hope so. I hope to read more of the Spiderwick Chronicles in the coming months.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m curious to see how this ends. I like the addition of characters that have the sight, and the new creatures, but there is just something missing from this second round of stories to make it as chaotic, mischievous, and whimsical as the first ones.

[Asami · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read of a book I didn't get around to reading when I was younger.

[brii | brii · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I really like these books.

The relationship between all of the kids is great. The way they banter and argue and fight, its so reminiscent of my relationship with my siblings. I appreciate that this series seems to be a step up from the prior, and my daughter does too.

There's so much suspense in this one that we had a hard time putting it down at bedtime and finished it in two days. We'll be jumping into the next one as soon as possible.

This world is always so much fun.

[ripley ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75
These are so GOOD oh my GOD

[Iwi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are much better in this one, it helps to have the extra cast for sure.

The fish scene had me seeing red though! The surprise twist at the end of oh uhhh maybe we shouldn't have done that is so funny.

I'm still like meh about it overall. Spiderwick was mysterious and it had the family drama tangled in it. And this is just kids live in this area where there's monsters. Which can be fun, but nothing more than that really.

[Drew Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this middle book in the three-part "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" series ostensibly tries really hard to improve on the first one, and to broaden and expand the scope of the characters and plot, but in the end it just falls flat. Story-wise, basically there are giants wreaking havoc all over Florida, and it's up to a group of step-siblings (plus or minus a girlfriend or a trio of recalls from other series) to figure out how to get rid of them.

The authors thankfully managed to keep themselves out of the book this time, but at the last second couldn't resist blurring the lines between this series and the original Spiderwick series as the Grace kids make another appearance, which just comes across as unnecessary throwback. It seems like they're really trying to develop these characters, but it's just not working for several reason(s): They are inconsistent; their progression is unnatural and abrupt; they all still feel really bland and shallow; Nick is still just really unpleasant! In fact, all of the kids are deceptive and disrespectful to their (obviously) clueless and negligent parents. Some characters make appearances for no apparent reason--Noseeum Jack had a lot of potential, but disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared at the end of the previous book. The parents in the picture are utterly ineffective, presumably because they have to be in order for the kids to run around fighting giants and whatever, but there has to be a better way to write these relationships. The writing is probably even weaker than in The Nixie's Song (speaking of, the nixies are pretty much absent throughout). The poor kids seem just as flat in character as the singular-minded giants. There were some arbitrarily-inserted new creatures, but even when they're supposed to be threatening and tricky, they more often than not they don't follow through with their eerie warnings, or they disappear entirely. The mysteries and clues presented throughout aren't very well-developed or -placed, or even referred to very often, which makes their reappearance as the missing piece of the puzzle seem random and confusing (I had to go back and re-read parts to even remember if certain elements were even mentioned earlier). And then the whole plan to actually defeat the giants seems so bewilderingly simplistic it's kind of insulting. The deal with the mermaids doesn't even make sense, but could have been a really awesome plot element, especially regarding Julian. It's like a five-year-old concocted out a plan (which is sort of the idea, but it has to at least make sense and be a little believable), and the teenagers involved just went right along with it. And then, just like the nixies and their disappearing/reappearing act, the last page indicates that basically the entire conflict and plot of this book was filler, totally unnecessary. They spent the entire book figuring out how to get rid of the giants, and going through with this murky and implausible plan, only to discover they have to bring them back.

The attempts to address heavy themes are still here, though sort of in the background, but the language is a little more age-appropriate. Unfortunately, not even the design seemed as polished or impressive this time around. I'm starting to lose interest in this DiTerlizzi a little bit. It's just not as attractive as the first time around for some reason. This world has potential, but it's being squandered by opportunistic spin-offs. Why should kids' books be poorly-written and weakly-structured?

Also, that's one sturdy microcassette player to be completely submerged in seawater, then resurface in perfect working order...

[Elena Toncheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Лошо ли е,че харесвам детски книжки? Тони и Холи все повече ми харесват като комбинация. Тази книжка ме зарежда с положителни емоции всеки път щом я отворя,на фона на ужасните неща,които героите преживяват :D Радвам се,че в тази книга освен Ник и Лори се включиха и още няколко - Джулс и Синди например. Бодливко,това малко ядящо тапицерия същество незнайно защо ми напомня на Гроувър от Пърси Джаксън. Доста ми допадна в книжката,че действието се развива супер бързо с типичните за детските книжки неуточнения в разни неща. Хареса ми и края. Веднага почвам третата книжка,за да разбера какво по дяволите ще стане с Ник,Лори,Джулс и Синди,към които се присъединиха трима познати герои - да,точно те - Джерард,Саймън и Мелъри.

[Lupe Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly ending!!! Florida is doomed!! Or is it???

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

[Megan (inkand.imagination) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite of the Beyond Spiderwick books. I really enjoyed all the faeries and the gorgeous illustrations. I also loved the interactions between Nick and Laurie, and enjoyed the fact that they were able to overcome some of their differences.

This book felt a lot like the original Spiderwick Chronicles, which I really liked. Getting to have the Grace kids in the plot again was so fun!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sympa mais dispensable.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equally an adventure story about fighting giants and a family story about the aftermath of losing your home to a natural disaster, and it manages to cover both topics SO well.

[Dana-Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nice addition to the Spiderwick Chronicles, was a decent read.

[Lady J · Rating 4 out of 5]

And then they were fighting GIANTS! What a ride!

[Art Hyrst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Character - 4
Atmosphere - 5
Writing - 5
Plot - 5
Intrigue - 5
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 5

Rating: 4.86 / 3 stars

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GIANT PROBLEM
Tony DiTerlizzi

OMG, this is just adorable. If you like giants and mermaids, this is a great find. I loved the story, it is just so cute.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really gripping story, and far more extreme than the original series.
They have to save Florida this time, not just a field guide and the Grace family and their house.
All of Florida!

More destructive and risky, larger creatures and more dangerous ones.

This one has more of an oceanic theme to it, merpeople and water creatures, not as much the forest fey of the first series which is set in Maine.

This should be a movie too!

[Nilgün · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have one book more to finished this series. Yayyyy!

[Hannah Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good!! Love spiderwick and I think this is a good continuation of the series!!

[Bhindman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep looking for signs of Giants in my backyard and can only find mounds of tall grass and weeds.

[Nilsson]

Stealing a man's fish is a very brave thing to do! I don't know if I'd have the nerve.

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second installment in the spin-off series to the Spiderwick Chronicles!

The book still lacks the original charm and magic from the original series. The writing style is much different, keeping short and brief with only enough details to keep the story flowing. It also doesn’t reflect the amount of time passed making most of the events seem fast-paced and consecutive. The breaks in the story are also ill-timed, occurring randomly and in sometimes unnecessary places ruining the flow and suspense.

The plot for this book continues right from the first book and ends in a cliffhanger for the third. Unlike the first book, “A Giant Problem” focuses more on the giants and how to possibly defeat them before they ruin all of Florida with their awakening. The premise of saving Taloa and her sisters is lost and put on the back burner while Nick and Laurie take up learning about giants from Noseeum Jack. Later on, Nick and Laurie are joined by Cindy and Julian.

I didn’t prefer the characters in this book – humans and fairies alike. Nick and Laurie are pretty much the same personalities as in the first book, with Laurie continually lying to get out of things without regret. I’m still uncomfortable with Laurie’s excuse or reasoning on why and how she lies so easily. It’s not something I would encourage. Noseeum Jack, Julian and Cindy just seemed like forced characters without any personality. They were just there as part of the story but left no mark that one would remember them or anticipate their next decision. The fairies are really not likable in this installment. From the original series we know fairies to be cunning and mischievous to deal with however, this spin-off series makes them too simple-minded and dumb to a sense.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy anything. I enjoyed the concepts of the mermaids as they were probably the only fairies who stayed cunning. I liked how their singing mesmerized the giants similar to the nixie’s song in book one. The artwork is also interestingly intriguing. It’s detailed and the style is slightly different from the original series, keeping it creepy yet suitable for middle grade readers.

Overall, this was a good book and I did like the plot but not so much the execution. I wish it was a little more descriptive and the events held value instead of just being an event that occurred. The ending of this book ends with a cliffhanger and the occurrence of a trio we all know well in this series, so I’m looking forward to the third and last book.

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