I often complain that the middle part of a trilogy is nothing but a placeholder between the set up of the first book and payoff of the final book.  The Ironwood Tree may be the fourth volume in a five volume fantasy series for kids, but I found myself feeling the same way about it.

This book is part of the Spiderwick Chronicles.  The series tells the tale of the Grace kids, older sister Mallory and twins Simon and Jared.  When they move into the home of a distant relative, they discover a book that opens their eyes to all the mythological creatures around them.

As this volume opens, it's been two weeks since anything weird has happened to the Grace family.  But all that changes on the day of the Mallory's fencing tournament.  While watching from the bleachers, Jared spies someone going through Mallory's bag.  Then Mallory disappears.  Can Jared and Simon find her?

I think part of my problem was the familiarity of the story.  We'd already had one of the kids be kidnapped (and for the same reason, too) in book two of the series.  While the rest of the book was new, the set up was a tad too familiar for me.

The other strike against the book was that I didn't feel it added much to the overall story.  There was something major in the last chapter, but most of the story felt like filler.

Not that it was bad filler.  I was hooked the entire time trying to determine what was going to happen next.  Since this is the first book I don't remember as part of the movie adaptation last year, it really did keep me guessing, too.

Again, the three children are the only characters with enough page time to get any development.  With Mallory out of the picture, Simon is finally given enough page time to fully develop.  I always liked him, but I like him even more now.

As with the earlier books, I found it a very fast read, although I'm sure the target age of early elementary won't find it quite as fast.  The detailed black and white illustrations add to the charm of the book.

The climax is rather gruesome, so parents might want to preview it so that they can discuss it with their kids.

The Ironwood Tree may not be the stronger entry in the series, but it will still entertain fans of the series and fantasy fans in general.

This review is part of laurashrti's Second Annual National Library Week Write-Off because I borrowed the book from my library.

The Spiderwick Chronicles:
1. The Field Guide
2. The Seeing Stone
3. Lucinda's Secret
4. The Ironwood Tree (You are here)
5. The Wrath of Mulgarath

And when you have read the books, but sure to check out the movie as well.

Recommended: Yes