Books by
Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black


Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles Series

THE NIXIE'S SONG

A GIANT PROBLEM

THE WYRM KING


The Spiderwick Chronicles

Books by Tony DiTerlizzi

KENNY & THE DRAGON

A GIANT PROBLEM: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 2
by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9780689871320
Ages 7-up
176 pages

Nick Vargas has never exactly excelled at athletics, unless you count video games. He is pretty sure that his stepsister, Laurie, is equally poor at sports. All of this gives him a sinking feeling, since it looks like they have no choice but to learn to kill giants, at least according to Noseeum Jack. When Nick protests that they're kids and they should be having fun on their summer vacation, Jack informs him that giant slaying just happens to be their fate.

Laurie's idea is to talk other people into helping them destroy the giants. Nick is skeptical about her ability to actually accomplish this goal, but in the meantime he distracts himself by playing multiple video games in the nice, safe, air-conditioned house while the rain splatters against the windows. As long as he is racking up points on the screen, he can forget about the nixie expecting him to find her sisters. He also can ignore the fact that giants may be waking nearby. Maybe even more important, if he uses headphones, he can actually pretend that his father and his stepmother are not arguing.

When Jack appears on their doorstep, he persuades Nick and Laurie to accompany him into the rainy night. Nick is creeped out as they follow Jack through the swamp, lit by lightning and shaken with thunder. When Nick comments on the storm, Jack laughs. As Nick can soon see, what he's taken for thunder is actually two giants wrestling in the mud, fighting over territory. It's an awesome sight, to say the least.

When one giant triumphs over the other, Jack insists they must kill the victor. However, Nick and Laurie are too tender-hearted to hurt the injured creature. Jack decides to show the youngsters how it's done, but that just leads to the elderly man getting hurt. When Nick and Laurie take him home, Nick is intrigued by a photo he notices of a young, smiling Jack holding a pretty woman.

The next morning doesn't start well for Nick. He steps in the bowl of milk that Laurie left out for the faeries, falling and cutting his hands. Then he meets a hissing, gibbering, trash-eating faerie creature that Laurie is determined to befriend in spite of Nick's better judgment. Next, he gets a message from Taloa reminding him that unless he finds her sisters, he's going to be extremely sorry. Before he knows what's happening, two giants begin knocking down the houses in the development Nick's dad is building, catching everything in their path on fire with their blazing breath. And then things really start to get exciting, complicated by moral quandaries, family relationships and a mentor who must go missing. The big question remains: Can Nick and Laurie save Florida from giants?

A GIANT PROBLEM is yet another enjoyable episode for the many Spiderwick fans to glory in, complete with an ingenious conclusion and an intriguing cliffhanger ending. The illustrations include line drawings and newspaper articles; each is worthy of a long, thoughtful ponder. The characters --- stepsister, stepmom, dad, memories of his mother --- are layered and three-dimensional. Since Nick and his life are not air-brushed to perfection, readers will find much to identify within the midst of a fantastical adventure.

      --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

Back to top.