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    The Nixie's Song
    The Nixie's Song
    The Nixie's Song
    Ebook158 pages1 hour

    The Nixie's Song

    By Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The Spiderwick Chronicles leave the old-fashioned charm of New England far behind and head 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 (plus a familiar face from the original Spiderwick Chronicles) to figure out the best way to stop a host of rampaging giants before all of Florida goes up in smoke.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateSep 8, 2009
    ISBN9781442403574
    The Nixie's Song
    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.

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    Reviews for The Nixie's Song

    4/5

    31 ratings13 reviews

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    • 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.
    • 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!
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      it was a good book. pretty good. just some of the wording just wasn't the best.
    • 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.
    • 2/5
      I really disliked how Jared was portrayed in this book. Immensely.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 3/5
      This is the first of three books in the Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles series. (Is it redundant to say series if you're already talking about chronicles?)

      First of all, let me say that I adore the first Spiderwick Chronicles. I love the creatures, the realistic portrayal of siblings (despite some of the language), the design, everything. And I think that Arthur's Spiderwick's Guide to the Fantastical World Around You is exquisite. I even bought the calendar. Twice.

      So you might think that I would be overjoyed at the prospect of more Spiderwick novels. However, one of my biggest criticisms of the children's publishing industry at this time is the complete and utter lack of restraint. Any commercially successful book must have a sequel, whether or not there is any more story left. And if I learned only one thing from Cathie Mercier, it's to ask if there's really more to tell, or if I just want more. I wasn't convinced that there was really more story to tell, so I was a bit trepidatious.

      Having said all that, I enjoyed The Nixie's Song, but it's definitely more of the same. We have an unlikely hero who is feeling misunderstood and marginalized with the changes that are happening in his family. He is introduced to the faerie world and, although Nick is more doubtful than Jared was, he will probably end up saving the world from some mean creature. And he will probably learn to love his new stepmother and stepsister in the process, and he might even have a nice moment with his dad when they learn to appreciate each other again. I hope I'm wrong. I hope it's more imaginative than that.

      What I loved about this book is that Laurie has a copy of Arthur Spiderwick's Guide and she and Nick go to a book-signing where they meet Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black and ask them for help. It reminds me of the movie Ocean's Twelve, in which Julia Roberts plays a character who impersonates Julia Roberts. Cracks me up every time I think of it. I love meta-stories.
    • 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.
    • 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

    Book preview

    The Nixie's Song - Holly Black

    Cover: The Nixie's Song, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi

    The Spiderwick Chronicles

    Book No. 6

    The Nixie's Song

    DiTerlizzi and Black

    The Nixie's Song, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, S&S Books for Young Readers

    They’re fairies! They’re tricking us!

    Map of Mangrove Hollow

    To my grandfather, Harry, who liked to make up stories.

    —H. B.

    To all my friends and family back in Florida. These images of my old home are for you.

    —T. D.

    S toried old New England is

    where this vast tale was born.

    Three kids, an antique house, a book,

    a dad from daughter torn,

    an unexpected escapade

    into a tricksy land—

    with dangers unpredictable

    so very close at hand.

    The kids were tested fearless.

    The book was lost then found.

    The dad was reunited then

    passed on without a sound.

    Evil was soundly thwarted

    like in fairy tales of old,

    but there’s no happy ending.

    No! Because the tale was told…

    … to Tony DiTerlizzi and

    his partner, Holly Black.

    They took the story coast to coast,

    around the globe, and back.

    Then that pair took the secrets

    and put them into a book,

    a guide to the fantastical

    for all who cared to look.

    Now each and every single day

    the story grows and roves.

    It wanders beneath maples, birches,

    pines, and old mangroves.

    So when you walk among the trees,

    look close and do not blink,

    because the world you’re entering

    is

    BIGGER

    THAN YOU THINK.

    Table of Contents

    LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

    MAP OF MANGROVE HOLLOW

    CHAPTER ONE: IN WHICH

    THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS

    CHAPTER TWO: IN WHICH

    NICHOLAS GOES FOR AN ILL-FATED WALK

    CHAPTER THREE: IN WHICH

    NICHOLAS LIFTS MORE THAN AN EYEBROW

    CHAPTER FOUR: IN WHICH

    NICHOLAS SEES FOR THE SECOND TIME

    CHAPTER FIVE: IN WHICH

    NICK STEPS ONTO MORE TROUBLE

    CHAPTER SIX: IN WHICH

    LAURIE RECONSIDERS THINGS

    CHAPTER SEVEN: IN WHICH

    WE NEARLY BREAK THE FOURTH WALL

    CHAPTER EIGHT: IN WHICH

    A PLAN IS HATCHED

    CHAPTER NINE: IN WHICH

    THEY GO ACCORDING TO THE PLANS, BUT THE PLANS GO AWRY

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    List of Full-Page Illustrations

    THEY’RE FAIRIES! THEY’RE TRICKING US!

    MAP OF MANGROVE HOLLOW

    WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?

    A FIELD GUIDE

    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

    NICHOLAS SAW A PALE BODY

    HE TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND PUSHED

    GET A WHEELBARROW

    THE CREATURE LIFTED EASILY

    SHE SANG THE WORDS

    IT GAZED AT HIM WITH SAND-COLORED EYES

    THEY SET OUT EARLY THE NEXT MORNING

    ONE DARTED OUT IN FRONT OF HIM

    HE PEDALED HARD

    IT DROPPED THE THING INTO ITS MOUTH

    LISTENING AS IF TRANSFIXED

    JULES WAS ON HIS PHONE

    JULES DROPPED THEM OFF

    THEY WERE MIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER

    NOT MY PROBLEM

    THE GIANT ROARED, BEATING ITS CHEST

    IT LOOKED LONG ABANDONED

    THEY’RE FAERIES!

    JARED STOOD ON THE SLOPE

    YOU BETTER SHUT UP, LARD ASS

    ITS ENORMOUS EYES FIXED ON TALOA

    NICK’S PALMS WENT DAMP WITH SWEAT

    What are you thinking about?

    Chapter One

    IN WHICH There Are Many Different Sorts of Developments

    After his mother died, Nicholas Vargas stopped bothering. His Aunt Armena had told him to be good and not to bother his father, but he decided that her advice could extend to everyone and everything else. It seemed that Nick’s brother had the same idea—Jules barely even hung around the house anymore. So the whole family kept on not bothering each other right up until Nick and Jules’s dad suddenly decided to get married again.

    Leading his new stepsister up the carpeted stairs, Nick had to keep his jaw clenched to stop himself from saying something he’d regret. He hated that he had to give up his room and move in with Jules, who snored all night and woke up at the crack of dawn to go surfing. If his father hadn’t married his stepmother after only six months of dating, Nick wouldn’t be stuck with a bedroom-stealing stepsister. Laurie was almost exactly his age and the biggest, weirdest loser he’d ever met. She bothered everyone.

    Nick was being fair about it, too, because he’d been called a loser and a nerd and a weirdo himself. He was eleven, chubby, and bad at sports, while Julian shredded waves and made it to state in track. The only thing Nick thought he was really good at was school, and that was mostly about being quiet and following directions. So, okay, he knew he wasn’t cool. At least he knew better than to advertise everything weird about himself. Laurie seemed to be proud to be the weirdest person alive.

    What are you thinking about? Laurie asked him, hugging a box to her chest. Her skirt brushed the floor, making the little bells along the hem jingle.

    Nick cringed and set down another box of her crap on the canopy bed. All the boxes seemed to be labeled UNICORNS, FAIRIES, or BOOKS ABOUT UNICORNS AND FAIRIES. A few of them had even bled glitter onto the hall rug.

    Things I hate, said Nick.

    Like what? Laurie tucked a

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