The Wrath of Mulgarath
Author: Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
Publication Date: September 7th, 2004
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/YA/Middle-Grade
Synopsis:
Three ordinary kids, Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace, have entered another world -- without leaving this one! Two remarkable talents, New York Times best-sellers Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, have risked everything to bring this remarkable account to light. Five books -- one thrilling adventure -- the Spiderwick Chronicles! Their world is closer than you think.My Thoughts: So here we are at the final installment of the Spiderwick Chronicles, at least as far as the Grace Children are concerned. The final book does tie up all loose ends, and I like that in a series! Now that I'm done, I'm glad that I read it and I think it's a series I would like to share with me kids someday :).
In this final book, we get to see the return of Byron, the Griffin. He's been kind of out of the loop since the siblings brought him home to nurse him a few books ago. He's back full force and he kicks some major butt! The Grace Siblings are after Mulgarath, he has the guide...and their mom! How will 3 kids take on an entire evil faerie army?! They decide to risk returning to the elves and asking for their help, but they aid they do offer is pretty limited, they will have to pretty much figure this one out on their own. The elves ask that the guide be given over to them in return for the small favor they do provide. The siblings devise a plan to go in and get the Guide back and save their mom. They encounter quite a few unexpected events and discoveries along the way. We got to meet Dragons! I love dragons :). In this book they were slightly less menacing than I usually see them. They were a lot more lizard like, they were compared to a salamander, although they were poisonous! How will the kids get past a brood of poisonous dragons?! Thimbletack, feeling guilty for having taken the book in the first place decides to come and aid in their journey. So it's 3 kids, a griffin, and a brownie, up against all the evil, that we know of. Will they be able to take back the guide? They do get to receive some useful information from a very unexpected informant, who could that be? All the answers, and the suspenseful outcome can be found in the 5th and final book.
I had a lot of fun reading about the adventures of the Grace siblings. I liked all 3 of them, for different reasons. I like Jared for his determination, his protectiveness he has for his family, and his desire to do good even when he ends up looking like the bad guy. I like Simon because of his gentleness, his smart thinking, and his giant love for all living creatures. And finally, I liked Mallory for her stubbornness, her strength, and her honesty. She has a tough outward demeanor, but you can tell she cares a lot about her little brothers and her parents. The three of them together make quite a team! I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a middle grade book. It packs some really lovely fantasy, lots of different fantastical creatures, and tons of adventure.
