At the Back of the North Wind vs The Spiderwick Chronicles: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fairy Tales, Adventure, Children's fiction
At the Back of the North Wind
“I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the North Wind.”
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The adventures of a little boy, Diamond, named for his father's favorite horse, as he travels with the beautiful lady North Wind and comes to know the many facets of her protective and violent temper.
The Spiderwick Chronicles
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German-language description Jared und seine Geschwister Simon und Mallory haben in dem alten Haus, in dem sie seit kurzem wohnen, eine geheimnisvolle Entdeckung gemacht: Arthur Spiderwicks Handbuch der magischen…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Spiderwick Chronicles is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for At the Back of the North Wind.
- The Spiderwick Chronicles has the widest readership — 43038 ratings behind its score.
- The Spiderwick Chronicles runs the darker storyline; At the Back of the North Wind stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| At the Back of the North Wind | The Spiderwick Chronicles | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (8388) | 4.0 (43038) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (14) | 4.2 (6) |
| Google Books | — | 4.5 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (55) | — |
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Reception
| At the Back of the North Wind | The Spiderwick Chronicles | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 8388 | 43038 |
| Editions | 496 | 32 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 9524 | 11261 |
| Reading it now | 709 | 260 |
| Written reviews | 787 | 1395 |
| Wikipedia attention | 864 | 5951 |
| Pages | 278 | 160 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: At the Back of the North Wind or The Spiderwick Chronicles?
At the Back of the North Wind has the higher combined reader rating across sources (At the Back of the North Wind 4.0/5, The Spiderwick Chronicles 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Spiderwick Chronicles?
The Spiderwick Chronicles is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Spiderwick Chronicles (160 pages, ≈ 2 h 58 m); At the Back of the North Wind (278 pages, ≈ 5 h 09 m).
Which is harder to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Spiderwick Chronicles?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — At the Back of the North Wind: Moderate; The Spiderwick Chronicles: Light.