The three Graces are back for another adventure in The Seeing Stone, the second book in The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

Only a few weeks have passed since the events of The Field Guide, and the children seem to have come to grips with the existence of real faeries. But the lone brownie living in a secret room in their ramshackle Victorian house is nothing compared to what waits for them in the woods surrounding their home.

When hungry goblins kidnap Simon, his resourceful twin brother Jared and older sister Mallory want to rescue him -- but how can they fight what they can't even see? The answer lies in the seeing stone, a simple tool that lets "rotten" human eyes see the invisible creatures around them. (Hobgoblin spit, the Graces soon learn, works just as well. But, like, ew.) The goblins aren't hard to find, but there are worse things that wait in the woods....

The Seeing Stone is a strong successor to The Field Guide -- just as much quirky fun and adventure in a natural progression of events. The story ends with the perfect setup for a sequel; five books are planned in this series, which -- the authors assure us -- is the true account of the Graces' fantastic experiences. The book is also a fast read, perfect for a lazy afternoon or evening.

My copy also came with, you guessed it, a seeing stone. I'll let readers find out for themselves if it really works -- but I will say it's proving invaluable around my house!