Content Warning: This section quotes text that refers derogatorily to psychiatric hospitals.

“There is an invisible world around us and we hope that you, dear reader, will open your eyes to it.”

In an opening note, Holly Black sets forth the basic premise of the book, that the strange creatures in it are real. This is an example of literary “verisimilitude,” where something is claimed to be real but is still fictional—that suggests the story is somehow an astonishing part of real life.

“If someone had asked Jared Grace what jobs his brother and sister would have when they grew up, he would have had no trouble replying. He would have said that his brother, Simon, would be either a veterinarian or a lion tamer. He would have said that his sister, Mallory, would either be an Olympic fencer or in jail for stabbing someone with a sword. But he couldn’t say what job he would grow up to have. Not that anyone asked him. Not that anyone asked his opinion on anything at all.”

Jared Grace is an angry boy. He resents having no purpose when his siblings already have theirs. He also feels left out of the major decisions being made about his life, especially having to live in an old house instead of back in New York with all of his family, including his dad. Lacking a goal to keep him busy, and forced to live in what appears to him as a gigantic shack, Jared has more reasons than ever for his rage to come to a boil. Through him, the novel will explore The Importance of Purpose. As he focuses on solving the house’s mystery, Jared will come into his own.

“Jared figured it would take a lot of rabbits and hedgehogs and whatever else was out here to satisfy Simon.”

In this first of the Spiderwick Chronicles books, Jared is the featured character; his twin brother, Simon, is an amateur biologist who collects small critters as pets. Simon’s interest in animals foreshadows his ability to reckon with the strange beings who live in or near their house.