Review: Lucinda’s Secret by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Lucinda’s Secret by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Published January 1st 2003

“When the three Grace children — Mallory, Jared, and Simon — and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda’s old house, readers know there’s magic afoot. The kids uncover a nest of assembled junk, and on a visit to the secret library via the dumbwaiter, Jared finds a note describing “my secret to all mankind.” After a few mysterious pranks that get blamed on Jared, the boy finally digs up the real prize: Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Fortunately enough, the kids meet one of the critters listed in the guide — a brownie named Thimbletack — who makes it all “real” and helps provide the book’s suspenseful conclusion: “‘Throw the book away, toss it in a fire. If you do not heed, you will draw their ire.'”

I read the Spiderwick Chronicles back when I was quite young, maybe eight or nine. My sister and I read the crap out these books (we must have read them 15 times, no joke) and I’ve been wanting to revist this series and the wonderful fantasy world that Holly and Tony created for awhile now but I’ve finally gotten around to it.

The writing partnership of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi is remarkable and this series is by far some of the most well written literature that I’ve ever read.
The three main characters, Jared, Simon, and Mallory, are so relatable and realistic. I can relate to each of them in a different way and I think most readers will feel the same.

I loved the illustrations and artwork a lot. There’s wasn’t really any descriptions on the creatures so I had to rely on the illustrations a lot.

I loved the new creatures that were introduced in Lucinda’s Secret. My favorite was the phooka. I mean, I really, really love that creature. It’s so insanely awesome and I wish it had a bigger role in this book.

Overall, I loved this book and I highly recommend this series to readers of all ages. It’s such a great fantasy series and it’s amazingly well written. I can’t wait to continue rereading this series.