Spiderwick Series

We are loved this series! This book club idea is just for the first book. Once the boys finish the series we are going to go see the movie in the theater. I just wanted to reward them for starting the series and hopefully encourage them to continue on!

Our Energy Activity/ Quiz

I quickly sketched some pictures of Mallory/ Jared & Simon and stapled them onto three near by trees. (uh- labeled with their names... so the kids could identify them. :0) I then asked the kids questions about the story and they had to run to the person who was the right answer. If they answered wrong... they had to take a lap around the three trees.

Questions:
Who would most likely be a lion tamer when they grow up? (Simon)
Who made the hole in the kitchen wall? ( Mallory)
Who took the first object out of the wall? (Mallory- her fencing metal.)
Who was the first up the dumbwaiter? (Jared)
Who was the first to be pranked by the house brownie? (Mallory)
Who found the field guide? (Jared)
Who was fencing outside when Jared was reading the field guide? (Mallory and Simon)
Who poured flour on the kitchen floor? (Jared)
Who threatened to rip the book in half? (Mallory)
Whose idea was it to make a new home for the boggart? (Jared)
Who wrote the note to go into the bird house? (Mallory)

Next we went inside to make our "houses". We used milk cartons, pipe cleaners, feathers, buttons, glue, etc.. to decorate the inside. (I used a knife to cut windows and a door- I wanted to avoid any emergency trips to the hospital.)

Once your group has finished the series. Host another book club and watch the movie. Compare and contrast the movie to the book. My boys were disappointed in the end. They really wanted to see the battle with the Dwarfs and Mulgaraths fortress. What a great lesson for them to learn- that often the BOOK is BETTER than the movie! So if you like a certain movie- you should read the book... because the book will often continue and deepen the plot & characters they already know and love.)

Just a funny story: As you know my boys are reluctant to read. They normally don't read for fun. It is either for school or for book club- usually for both!

But once my boys started this series they were fighting over the books to finish.

(literally)

One morning my two oldest boys were fighting on their way out the door on their way to school. I couldn't follow the argument- so I asked them what they were fighting about?

Son #1 wanted to take the Spiderwick #2 book to school, but son #2 had it in his backpack already.

Son #2 argument was- he was almost done and could finish it.

My eldest countered that HE had more time to read during school since he had already finished his Social Studies project...

I was just stunned and stood speechless. Never in a million years would I have imagined them arguing over a book. What really surprised me was a few hours later- the school called. " You needed to pick your son up from school- he doesn't feel well."

I brought son #2 home, suspicious of his symptoms... and sent him to bed.

He spent the WHOLE day reading.. and by the time his brother came home from school he was onto book #4! What a sneaky stinker! They are not in any way competitive. :0)