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Spiderwick Chronicles

There are times in life that just don't seem real.

For Jared Grace (Freddie Highmore) that time began when his mother (Mary-Louise Parker) relocated what was left of their divorce-torn family to their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick's house.

Jared is angry about his parent's divorce and isn't shy about showing it. He didn't want to leave New York or his life there. His sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and twin brother Simon (also played by Highmore) blame him for things disappearing and don't believe him when he pleads innocent. When he finds Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and reads it, ignoring the blatant warning note on the front cover not to, nothing is ever the same...

Our favorite character by far is Thimbletack. He is the first magical creature that Jared meets. He is a brownie to whom Arthur Spiderwick entrusted the safe keeping of the book of secrets. His job is defending the book at all costs and keeping it out of Mulgarath's hands. Jared learns in the book how to become Thimbletack's friend. My children loved how everything he said rhymed. An interesting thing about Thimbletack is that he physically changes when he becomes angry and the only thing that calms him down is honey. I thought it was a good way to portray a feeling to children so they might understand that a feeling as intense as anger changes how you appear to others when you let it control you.

Some things to take into consideration if you have little ones: before Jared knows about the goblins in the first few minutes of the movie, there is a nighttime scene where Jared is spooked by movement in the surrounding woods. Also, when the goblins are invisible and they attack, it is scary for the little guys that might be watching. The scenes, that only last a few minutes, are visible scratches and bites that are seemingly coming from nowhere. Once the storyline unfolds a little more, and things begin to tie into each other, the goblins aren't so frightening. The metamorphosis that Mulgarath, played in the beginning of the movie by Nick Nolte, undergoes is unnerving too. His character is supposed to be scary, and he is!

Based on the best-selling series of books, written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, comes "The Spiderwick Chronicles," a fantasy adventure. Jared learns to be part of the Grace team, recognizes that things are not always, if ever, what they seem, and that brownies apparently love honey. What seemed like the beginning of a horrible new life turns out to be the start of something absolutely wonderful.

Elsewhere on the Web:

Spiderwick Chronicles

New York Times Review Spiderwick Chronicles

About the Author
Katrina Cramer-Diaz is one of Chiff.com's Toy Reviewers. She is a working mom with four kids and lots of additional experience in kids' movies and entertainment!