The Spiderwick Chronicles - would it be too scary for a 8yo?

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DS has always been a bit on the easily-get-scared side... I used to love the film adoption of The Spiderwick Chronicles and think he would enjoy it. But at the same time, I fear it would provoke too much imagination leading to fear when he goes to bed.

Can anyone tell me if your child experience similar fears reading this series please? How did you handle it? Thank you.

I see no one has responded to this so I'll give it a go. I don't have any recent experience with children reading the Spiderwick Chronicles, but I do remember reading them myself as a child in the early 2000s. I was perhaps one or two years older than your DS when I read them. You are right that there may be a certain "creepy" aspect to them at the beginning, but they're not gruesome or actually terrifying, IIRC. I still recall the riddle (was it in the first book?) that went "In a man's torso you will find/my secret to all of mankind" or something like that (I remember this specifically because it was where I first learned the word "torso"). I remember feeling a bit scared, mistakenly thinking of a potential hidden corpse in a spooky old house, but actually it was just a play on words: "torso" = "chest" as in treasure chest, not a body part.

There were certainly some comic aspects to the story, in the behaviour of the fantasy creatures. The later books were definitely not scary. I would suggest your child start reading them in broad daylight, when you are nearby. He should be fine. Just don't let him start off reading them right before bed when it's dark -- I think psychologically that can amplify any eerie feelings.

My DS (7) read these recently. He loved them and was not scared at all BUT his friend didn't like the first one and gave up on it as they found it a bit too creepy. Maybe try the first and see how you go? I've just asked DS and he says the second and fifth books are the most scary.