GOBLINS, BROWNIES, griffins and sprites, mixed with a sprinkling of magic and a puff of mystery, seem to be what catches the imagination of that timid creature, the boy reader.
Judging by the turnout at Eason's in Dublin yesterday for a signing of The Spiderwick Chronicles, the boy reader is alive and well and being nurtured by author Holly Black and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.
Competing with mobile downloads, football and TV shows about exploding tomatoes in a microwave, books need to work very hard to hold the attention of young readers. According to those who came to hear the author read and watch the illustrator draw, the chronicles do just that.
The books, which feature twin boys and a bossy older sister, also manage to please the girls, who turned up in big numbers as well.
The Spiderwick Chroniclestell the tale, in five instalments, of what happens to Mallory, Jared and Simon Grace when they move from New York to a crumbling Victorian house lent to their mother after her divorce.
They discover a field guide written by their great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick, which reveals the magical world around them, and adventures inevitably follow.
Black and DiTerlizzi had no problem keeping their audience's attention yesterday with an entertaining two-hander involving reading, drawing and questions and answers. The event coincided with the launch of The Spiderwick Chroniclesmovie, featuring Irish actress Sarah Bolger as Mallory.
David O'Callaghan, children's book buyer at Eason's, said that while five- to eight-year-old boys are well served with books such as Horrid Henryand Captain Underpants, when boys reach nine they are in danger of drifting away. Though the Harry Potter factor has brought lots of boys back to books, the challenge is keeping them, he said.
"We're finding a lot more boys like these books; there is a great crossover," he said. "They also appreciate the illustrations."
Josh Doran and Ross Flynn, both 11 and from Raheny, Dublin, thought Spiderwick'screatures were cool. "The illustrations are really good, they help you imagine what's going on," Ross said.
Patrick O'Toole (10) travelled from Ballina, Co Mayo, to attend. Jack Kirwan (12), from Killiney, south Dublin, said he enjoyed the unexpected endings. "The pictures are just brilliant," he said.
