Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Nixie's Song: #1 Beyond Spiderwick Chronicles Series
The Nixie's Song: #1 Beyond Spiderwick Chronicles Series
The Nixie's Song: #1 Beyond Spiderwick Chronicles Series
Audiobook1 hour

The Nixie's Song: #1 Beyond Spiderwick Chronicles Series

Written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Narrated by Andrew McCarthy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles and get ready for the series soon to be streaming on Roku with this sixth installment in the fantastical adventures featuring updated text.

The Nixie’s Song was previously published under the series title Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles.

The Spiderwick Chronicles leaves the old-fashioned charm of New England far behind and heads south for some fiendish faerie fun in the hot Florida sun. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas only thinks his life has been turned upside down after his developer father remarries and moves his new wife and daughter into the soon-to-be completed Mangrove Hollow.

But an expedition to a nearby lake turns up a little nixie with a giant problem—the huge, lumbering, fire-breathing variety—and it’s up to Nick; his stepsister, Laurie; and his big brother, Julian to figure out the best way to stop a host of rampaging giants before all of Florida goes up in smoke.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 18, 2007
ISBN9780743569286
The Nixie's Song: #1 Beyond Spiderwick Chronicles Series
Author

Holly Black

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of speculative and fantasy novels, short stories, and comics. She has been a finalist for an Eisner and a Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic and Nebula Awards and a Newbery Honor. She has sold over twenty-six million books worldwide, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. Visit her at BlackHolly.com.

More audiobooks from Holly Black

Related to The Nixie's Song

Related audiobooks

Children's Legends, Myths & Fables For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Nixie's Song

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
4/5

40 ratings15 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    _The Nixie's Song_, the first book in the trilogy sequel to _The Spiderwick Chronicles_, brings the story down south, where Nick Vargas finds himself dealing with not only an unwanted new stepsister but also the small problem of a fire-breathing giant down the road from his house. Nick and his stepsister Laurie manage, with some help from Jared Grace (from the first series) and a big game hunter (giants are big game, indeed) named Noseeum Jack, discover that this giant isn't alone, and that every few hundred years all slumbering giants reawaken to wreak some havoc--and that time is now._The Nixie's Song_ follows the same basic pattern of _The Spiderwick Chronicles_, but despite the creativity of the story and the fine illustrations, the story is rather less charming this time about. Mainly, this is due to the story's fumbling attempt to turn the fictional "Spiderwick Chronicles" into reality, by having the main characters be familiar with the Spiderwick books--as fiction--and then find that they are, actually, based upon real events and people. Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black even make cameo appearances at a book signing, where Laurie and Nick go to try and get their advice for dealing with the giant. It all comes across as very cutesy, with a broad wink and a nod from the authors, but is instead quite jarring and rather than making things more "real" actually makes it harder to suspend disbelief. The original _Spiderwick Chronicles_ very easily and successfully swept the reader into a world where fairies are not only real, but very likely sitting right next to you, by taking the fiction very seriously--it *is* real, no bones about it--but in _The Nixie's Song_ it comes across more like a parody.Of course, as an audience member I'm more on the "up" side of the "ages 7 and up" advertised on the back cover, and that younger readers may find the idea that the fictional _Spiderwick Chronicles_ are Real! to be more exciting; but I think that kids, even very young ones, have imaginations sophisticated enough that they make the Chronicles real enough by themselves, without being hit over the head with it. Still, once you set that aside, the story plays well, and sets up an exciting story to come. The character of Noseeum Jack in particular, though he only makes his appearance in the last pages of the book, seems like he'll be a scene-stealer. I'll be reading the next two, but hope the authors leave themselves at the door. Three stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    From the Authors of the New York Times bestselling series “the Spiderwick Chronicles”.Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles starts with Book One “The Nixie’s Song”. Regular kid Nick and his new wacko step sister Laurie, stumble upon the world of the faerie. While Laurie a devout Spiderwick enthusiast is overjoyed to be brought into this fantastical new reality, Nick is horrified by what he discovers namely an injured Nixie. Nick and Laurie decide to help the injured Nixie, and in the process are drug into a heart stopping race to fulfill a pact with fairy creatures to prevent a giant from destroying their home and killing their family.In the tradition of the Spiderwick Chronicles “The Nixie’s Song” places regular kids in a fantastical world full of strange creatures and hidden dangers. Where they must be the heroes and protect themselves, and the adult world from the troubles that they alone can see. The action is fast paced and follows unexpected twists and turns. A good read for fans of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Eleven-year-old Nicholas has had his whole world turned upside down after his mother dies and his father remarries: his stepmother is always at the house, and he has to give his room to his stepsister, Laurie, and move into his older brother Julian’s room. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Laurie is really weird – she even believes in fairies! Nicholas doesn’t think it could get any worse until he starts seeing fairies, too. But then a fairy sends them on a quest to find her sisters… not an easy thing to do when there’s a giant trying to kill you! First book in the “Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles” series. This is a great book and it deals well with issues of remarriage and stepfamilies. Fast-paced and well-written. 700L
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I really disliked how Jared was portrayed in this book. Immensely.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    it was a good book. pretty good. just some of the wording just wasn't the best.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    IN this action book Laurie and Nick have to defeat a giant bear like creature before it destroys them and their family. This book will really get you excited to read the next book in the spiderwick series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas has had to make a lot of adjustments since his mother died and their father remarried. For one thing, he has to give up his bedroom to his new stepsister, Laurie. Nicholas doesn't have a lot of patience with Laurie, especially since she believes fairies are real. He tells her that her book about fairies, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You" is fiction but she insists that fairies do exist. Much to his surprise, Nicholas finds out that Laurie is right and soon he is involved in adventures far beyond anything he would have imagined. "The Nixie's Song" is the first book in the three-part sequel to the "Spiderwick Chronicles" fantasy series for children. I was a bit wary about reading it, because I was afraid that it wouldn't capture the magic of the first series, but it does a very good job of doing so. It does at times walk a very fine line that could have been dangerous as it blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction - authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black appear as characters as do Simon and Jared Grace (with Jared playing a big role towards the end of this book) - but it works out fine. The book deals nicely with the real life issue of a young boy struggling with the loss of his mother and his father's remarriage and dealing with a new stepsister. Nick Vargas is a well-written character - he thinks of himself as a bit of a loser, overweight and resentful of losing his bedroom to his new stepsister. His stepsister Laurie is also well written, a young girl who still believes in magic. All of the magical elements are well done especially the Nixie and the Giant. Authors DiTerlizzi and Black have written yet another magical book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My Spiderwick-loving heart was delighted to discover that Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi had teamed up again for another small series set in the Spiderwick world. This trilogy begins with a new family, different from the Grace children in character and personality, but similar in messed up family dynamics. The third person narrator focuses on Nicholas's perspective. He and his older brother Jules and his father have dealt with the death of Nick's mom, but now Nick's dad is moving on; in fact, he has remarried, and Nick is not too happy about having a new stepmother and stepsister. Especially since Laurie, his sister, is his age and completely unlike him. Nick likes to play video games and Laurie is into fairies. He likes his old room and Laurie has taken it. Worst of all, she seems excited about the new marriage, and Nick just wishes that it had never happened. His dad wants Nick to play nice, though, so he has to join her on her fairy hunt through their new housing development that his dad is building. Laurie owns the Spiderwick Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, and is using information from the book to search for clues to any fairy presence. When Nick finds a four leaf clover (which Laurie told him will give him the Sight) he decides to keep it a secret. He skips out on Laurie because her antics become too far-fetched for him to handle, but later that night, when he sees a body on the lawn, he worries that Laurie may have been hurt in his absence. He dashes outside, only to discover that the body is not Laurie's, and is not even human. It's a water nixie. For help. he has to enlist the only person who has any knowledge about this crazy stuff: his stepsister. Suddenly they are bound together in their secret knowledge. After rescuing Taloa, the water nixie, she entreats them to find her missing sisters. Nick wants to refuse, but that becomes difficult when Taloa summons a wakened giant with her singing. Now Nick and Laurie have no choice but to agree to help Taloa, along with dealing the giant sitting in their backyard.Once again, Black does a fantastic job of melding together fairy adventures with family problems that are real issues for many children in today's society. The result is tension that impacts not only the plot of the novel, but the characters themselves. I was just as eager to see how Nick and Laurie would resolve some of the issues in their relationship as I was to see how they would fix their giant situation. Also, the family background makes the children more likable, because we can relate to them, we can see where their flaws are coming from, we know that they are good people dealing with some bad history, and we want them to grow past it. I like stories where people rebuild a family structure after life has shattered what they once had; I like the hope and the love that is integral to that process. Since this is the first in a trilogy, I know I'll have to wait until the conclusion of all three books to see significant changes in the family dynamics, but the story rightly starts with Nick and Laurie's relationship, as these two are at the core of the action. And the action is wonderful, too. The integration of fairy world into a new housing development in Florida is just fun. The author does a good job of making me believe that kids could really find these kind of creatures. The giant looks like a hill to anyone else, and the nixies hide in ponds and lakes and streams, and their songs sound like the chorus of outdoor animals. That is, to people without the sight. Once Nick and Laurie find the secret, their world is transformed. Lucky for the reader, we get the sight along with them, thanks to DiTerlizzi's beautiful drawings that liberally accompany the story. His artwork is fantastic. I am probably using too many positive superlatives, but they are indicators of how much I like this book, and all the Spiderwick entries. I saw on DiTerlizzi's website that he and Holly Black are too busy with other projects to consider any new collaborations, and that makes me sad, because I would be ecstatic to see more stories set in the Spiderwick world. Other children could buy the Field Guide and find fairies, all over the place. The possibilities for ideas are abundant! I hope some day the writers have just as much a desire to create more books as I have to read them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The boys and I really enjoy the Spiderwick Chronicles. I'd say I like the first set of books better than this one, but it was still relatively fun. I did enjoy how the authors poked fun at themselves at one point in the novel. I was also a bit surprised when Jared said a curse word, but as I was reading it out loud to the boys I just edited. Still, they were shocked to hear Jared say "Lard Butt", lol! We'll be starting the next book later this week. We love Spiderwick!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fans of the original Spiderwick Chronicles will be pleased with this new series where Black and DiTerlizzi bring to life more of their magical creatures. The chapters are short and fast-paced, which will appeal to reluctant readers, and the illustrations are simple yet lovely, as in the first series. The teaser at the end, promising another book, will be all young readers need to keep them reading.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In the first book of their spinoff series Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, Black and DiTerlizzi introduce Nick and Laurie. Nick is disgruntled because his dad has recently married Laurie's mom and now Laurie has moved in and taken over his bedroom. Laurie seems to have her head in the clouds, dragging around a well-loved copy of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and convincing Nick that she believes faeries really exist. On a search for said faeries, Nick gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a four-leafed clover and it gives him the Sight. When he and Laurie help a dying nixie get back to her pond, she repays them by granting them both permanent Sight. Then she blackmails them into helping her find her lost sisters. You don't need to have read the Spiderwick books to make sense of this first book in a new trilogy. However, some characters from Spiderwick make cameos and I think the story will be more fleshed out if you've read the first series. I found it to be an okay follow-up and it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger (with the next book, A Giant Problem to be released in Sept. 2008). It's quite timely with the movie due out in February.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great start to the first of the next Spiderwick series. It leaves off on a cliffhanger of sorts, so I can't wait until the next one comes out.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While I enjoyed this book, I didn't feel it was anywhere on par with the initial 5-book Spiderwick series. It was a good continuation of the theme, but I felt that the near-breaking of the fourth wall was a bit much to handle in terms of believability... though perhaps children will appreciate it, since it might make the story seem all that more real for them. For myself, however, I found it distracted from the storyline more than anything else.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Read it one sitting. Never a dull moment.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    There's a giant problem. The original series with Jared, Simon, and Mallory is a lot better. I'll try the second book, but it looks like this series is based off giants.