Fablehaven

Brandon Mull

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2006

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12 -14

Chapters 15-17

Chapters 18-19

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 1-2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary: “A Mandatory Vacation”

Mull introduces most of the main characters and follows the protagonists, Kendra and Seth, as they begin to explore their grandparents’ property in rural Connecticut, called Fablehaven. Neither child is happy about having to spend three weeks with grandparents that they barely know, but their parents are going on vacation and must leave them behind. With their grandmother strangely absent, Kendra and Seth’s grandfather shows them around and lists off the rules they must abide by. Chief among them is a warning not to go into the woods because of the danger of ticks. The children also meet the housekeeper, Lena, a woman who is aging but still mysteriously graceful, and the groundskeeper, a man named Dale. Kendra and Seth are shown to their quarters—they will be staying in a sprawling attic playroom stocked with toys, activities, and a pet chicken named Goldilocks. Seth begins to make a mess as soon as they settle in, while Kendra looks over the room more methodically and counts the days until her parents will return.

Chapter 2 Summary: “Collecting Clues”

Kendra and Seth begin to explore the grounds of Fablehaven. They spend time swimming and admiring the unusual quantity of exotic-looking bugs and butterflies that inhabit the garden. They watch as the bugs become fascinated with a mirror that Kendra brought out to taunt Seth with. Grandpa gives Kendra a set of tiny keys, telling her that each one unlocks something in the playroom. She begins searching. Later, Kendra sees Dale sneaking around the edge of the yard. When she confronts him, he acts suspiciously and tells her that he is putting milk out for the wild animals that inhabit the land. Seth informs Kendra that he is going into the woods. She discourages him from doing so and says she won’t lie to him but halfheartedly covers for him when Dale asks.

Chapters 1-2 Analysis

These first chapters introduce many of the main characters, major settings, and general ideas. Mull introduces Fablehaven, the preserve where the entirety of the novel takes place. It is a sprawling piece of land in rural Connecticut; a long driveway decorated with lighthearted but menacing warnings to “keep out” leads to a large old house and beautifully maintained gardens. It is surrounded by a deep forest populated by dangerous and endangered magical creatures. The setting of the novel largely structures and dictates the story itself; Kendra and Seth's journey involves exploring the preserve and learning about its secrets.

These first chapters are filled with secrets and mysterious hints. The garden is filled with strange bugs that turn out to be fairies, the attic that looks larger on the outside turns out to be partially occupied by a storehouse of magical items, the milk that Kendra sees Dale putting out turns out to be equally magical, and the mysteriously graceful housekeeper turns out to be magical as well. Though children won’t solve these mysteries until later in the novel, Mull sets the stage and introduces uncertainty in these first two chapters, allowing readers to wonder and try to figure things out along with Kendra and Seth.