Spiderwick Chronicles

Mom Review:
This is a fantasy movie rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements — like a deadbeat dad and difficult divorce. Many people will have read the beloved best-selling series of books, although we had not. We loved this fantasy adventure for the child in all of us. Basically, strange things start to happen the moment the Grace family (Jared, his twin brother Simon, sister Mallory and their mom) leave New York and move into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick.

Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared, the kid in the family having the hardest time with the absence of his father. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it. The adventure brings the family together, solves a mystery, and leaves plenty of room for a sequel!

Teen Review, by Madison Brown-Moffitt,
high school writer:
I really loved this movie, especially the way that the family came together when they were threatened, their old (crazy) aunt and especially the ending. Although I have never read the books, I am now planning on reading them.

Preteen Review, by Surya,
middle school writer:
This is a mind-stimulating fantasy movie. I loved the diversity of the creatures, some good and some evil, living so near to what we usually see, and the interesting and unique things that the good ones ate and could get rid of the bad ones. The whole magical world thing was great, as was the idea that evil lived so close, but we could not see it.