Families are strange sometimes. You know, like how you can be related to someone by blood and have no idea that they're running a preserve for mystical creatures. This is pretty much exactly what happens to Kendra and Seth in Fablehaven when they go to stay with their grandparents for a couple of weeks so that their parents can go on a cruise with other relatives.
We see family as a theme in other ways too, though, like the huge contrasts between Kendra and Seth. For all that they're siblings, these kids are pretty much like night and day: Seth breaks rules left and right, while Kendra is usually pretty obedient—stuff like that. Family is also important because family members tend to have one another's backs, like when Kendra is so determined to rescue her family that she takes some pretty big risks. So maybe family's not all that bad, or at least not that weird (or maybe family being weird doesn't make family bad).
Questions About Family
- Who do you identify more with, Kendra or Seth? Why?
- Why is Kendra so hesitant to go spend a few weeks with her grandparents?
- What are the various theories Kendra has for why Grandma Sorenson is out of the picture?
- Would you risk setting foot on the Fairy Queen's island shrine in a desperate situation?
Chew on This
Every family has its secrets, but Kendra and Seth's family has more secrets than most others.
Kendra is the bravest person in her family.