Fablehaven

“Though he dreaded admitting it, he wished Kendra had come. The porcupine probably would have made her scream, and her fear would have increased his bravery. He could have made fun of her instead of feeling frightened himself.”

Mull characterizes both Seth and Kendra. He references the ideas of fear and bravery, which will evolve over the course of the story. By the end of the novel,Kendra and Seth are united in their bravery, rather than divided by it as Seth wishes they were here.

“Something caught a firm hold on his ankle, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sprawled on his belly, a cut on one hand, dirt in his mouth, he heard something rustling through the foliage behind him, and a strange sound that was either laughter or running water. A dry branch snapped like a gunshot. Not looking back for fear of what he might see, Seth scrambled to his feet and dashed along the path.”

Seth begins to understand the fear and danger that the forest truly holds in this quote. Mull alternates long and short sentences to create a rushed rhythm, mirroring Seth’s frantic run that is punctuated by an abrupt fall. The comparison between natural and manmade noises further confuses the situation.

“Unlike her little brother, Kendra was not a natural rule breaker. She was in all the accelerated classes at school, got almost perfect grades, kept her room tidy, and always practiced for her piano lessons. Seth, on the other hand, settled for lousy grades, routinely skipped his homework, and earned frequent detentions. Of course, he was also the one with all the friends, so maybe there was a method to his madness.”

Mull continues to characterize both Kendra’s and Seth’s characters. Kendra will learn how to break the rules when it counts by the end of the novel, and with that knowledge, she will shed some of her insecurities hinted at in the final sentence of this passage.

“Suddenly she stopped. There was writing on one of the final pages. Not really hidden, just tucked away in an unlikely spot. Three words written near the binding, towards the bottom of an otherwise empty page. Drink the milk.”

The instructions to “drink the milk” act as a pivotal moment both in the narrative of the novel and in Kendra’s development as a character. Drinking the milk allows Kendra and Seth to see all the magical creatures on Fablehaven, without which the rest of the story would not have happened. It is also the first time that Kendrarebels in the novel, and therefore the first step on her journey of self-discovery.

“There was no way she was really seeing this, right? There had to be an explanation. But the fairies were everywhere, near and far, shimmering in vivid colors. How could she deny what was before her eyes? As Kendra continued to survey the garden, startled disbelief melted into wonder.”

This is the first time that Kendra sees any of the magical creatures on the preserve. The way she describes it aligns with the themes of perception and subjectivity that Mull explores throughout the novel; Kendra cannot believe the sudden shift in her perception.

“Assuming you were the right kind of people. Frankly, I don’t know you that well. I hoped that the kind of person who would take the trouble to solve my little puzzle would be the kind of person who could handle the notion of a preserve full of magical creatures. Fablehaven would be too much to swallow for most people.”

Grandpa Sorenson shares with Kendra and Seth that he wanted them to drink the milk, but only if they could figure out to do so on their own. This quote reinforces both the fact that Fablehaven itself is special and the fact that Kendra and Seth are special as well.

“The fundamental premises of the law are mischief for mischief, magic for magic, violence for violence. They will not initiate trouble unless you break the rules. You have to open the door. If you harass them, you open the door for them to harass you. Hurt them, they can hurt you. Use magic on them, they will use magic on you.”

This agreement is the foundation of Fablehaven; it is what allows the preserve to function as it does. This agreement is also what will ultimately keep Kendra safe from magical interference and allow her to save her family.

“Only in memory. It would be unwise. They despise me there, all the more intensely because of their secret envy. How they would laugh at my appearance! They have not aged a day. But I have experienced many things that they will never know. Some painful, some wonderful.”

Lena explains her life as a naiad to Kendra and highlights several ideas that are important to young readers: that those who are cruel are usually acting that way out of secret jealousy, and that the experiences of life are what make it worth living. These insights also illustrate the differences between the magical creatures and their human counterparts.

“The Society of the Evening Star is an arcane organization that we all hoped had gone extinct decades ago[...]Over the centuries, their relevance has waxed and waned. [...] They are dedicated to overthrowing preserves in order to use them for their own misguided purposes [...] Members of the Society consort with demons and practitioners of the black arts.”

Maddox and Grandpa Sorenson’s explanation of the Society of the Evening Starforeshadows the group’s importance in the novel and the series moving further. The Society will become important later in this book, when the family learns that Muriel has been in contact with them.

“Many of the beings who dwell here existed gracefully when primitive man foraged in ragged tribes. We taught man the secrets of bread and clay and fire. But man became blind to us over time. Interaction with mortals became rare. And then mankind began to crowd us. Explosions in population and technology stole many of our ancient homes. Mankind held no particular malice towards us. We had simply faded into colorful caricatures inhabiting myths and fables.”

Lena highlights the perspective of the magical creatures in her explanation, providing insight into how their world operates. Mull repeatedly revisits the concept of the relationship between humans and magical creatures over thec ourse of the novel in his discussions of place and physical boundaries.

“Sometimes powerful magic is accomplished by simple means.”

Though Grandpa Sorenson is referring to Seth’s mistake with the fairy in the jar in this instance, this quote also foreshadows how Kendra will save her family and the preserve. She performs powerful magic when she summons and leads an army of fairies, and she does so by simply making a genuine, tearful plea to the Fairy Queen.

“Those are a peculiar class of lotus blossoms. The smell is intoxicating, the taste divine. A tiny nibble of a single petal carries you away into a lethargic trance populated by vivid hallucinations. [...] More addictive than most drugs. Sampling a lotus blossom that awakens a craving that will never be silenced. Many have wasted their lives pursuing and consuming the petals of those bewitching flowers. [...] Sit and smell them for a few minutes, and you’ll end up with a petal in your mouth before you know what you’re doing.”

Grandma Sorenson is explaining to Seth why a certain kind of flower that grows on the preserve is dangerous. This quote is important because this is the first time that any of the adults in the novel tell the children the full truth without being prodded or challenged by Seth.

“Your grandfather and I share a mutual respect with various beings on this preserve, but there is not much more loyalty than one would find out in the wild. The herd looks on as the sick or injured are brought down by predators. If your grandfather is to be rescued on such short notice, it will be our doing, with none but Hugo to aid us.”

Grandma Sorenson expands on the idea of mutual respect and trust that Grandpaintroduces Kendra and Seth to just after they drink the milk. Though this is an important lesson, Grandma Sorenson is wrong about the amount of help available to them. In her naivete, Kendra appeals to the naiads, the Fairy Queen, and the fairies themselves in her quest to save the preserve and her family.

“You did not mean to harm Grandpa. Yes, you made him vulnerable through your disobedience. [...]You must face that fact and learn from it. But the full blame for Stan’s predicament is considerably more guilt than you deserve. Your grandfather and I are the caretakers of this estate. We are responsible for the actions of those we bring here, especially children. [...]Your grandfather must share the blame for placing you children in a situation where opening a window with kid intentions could cause such harm and destruction. And clearly the fiends who abducted him are ultimately the most culpable.”

Grandma Sorenson is once again being perfectly honest with Kendra and Seth. She is absolving Seth of some of the blame for what happened on Midsummer’sEve and explaining that part of the blame lies with the adults present. This is an example that will be especially pertinent for the young readers that the novel is aimed at.

“Believe me, we would know if Bahumat had been loosed. I doubt anyone in the world has the capacity to recapture that fiend if he were to get free. His kind have been absent for too long, imprisoned or destroyed. Those who knew how to defeat such a foe have passed on, with none to replace them. Which brings me to my greatest concern: that Muriel might try to release Bahumat.”

This quote revisits the idea of lost knowledge and the fact that Fablehaven, and the other preserves like it, are very old and house beings that are even older. It also serves to set the stage for Kendra and the fairies’ eventual feat; Kendra is, in fact, able to help seal away Bahumat once he has been all but fully released.

“We who safeguard the preserves are essentially conservationists. We don't want to see the magnificent magical creatures of the world go extinct. We try not to discriminate against creatures of shadow—we want them to survive as well. But we do compartmentalize them when necessary. Members of the Society of the Evening Star mask their true intentions with rhetoric, alleging that we wrongfully imprison creatures of darkness.”

Grandma Sorenson further contextualizes the themes of captivity and confinement that run throughout the novel. She also continues to bring clarity to the aims of the Society of the Evening Star.

“You see, as mortals, we can choose to break the rules. The mystical creatures that seek asylum here are not afforded that luxury. Many would break the rules if they could, but they are bound. As long as I obey the rules, I am safe. But if I lose the protections afforded by the treaty, the consequences of my vulnerability would inevitably follow.”

Grandma Sorenson continues to dispense wisdom, this time about the treaty of mutual respect that upholds the preserve. She also connects the world ofFablehaven to the real world in that humans are allowed to infringe upon the lives of magical creatures(or wild animals), but not the other way around, and this infringement opens humans up to the consequences of trespassing where they do not belong.

“They can’t touch you, Kendra [...] You have caused no mischief, worked no magic, inflicted no harm. Run, Kendra, they can’t stop you!”

Kendra’s adherence to the rules of the preserve is finally coming to fruition. The fact that she has “caused no mischief,” in the words of her grandfather, keeps her safe and allows her to bend the rules of the preserve to save both her family andFablehaven as a whole.

“Once again she was standing on the brink of something frightening. But this was different. Jumping off a high dive, or riding a roller coaster with multiple loops, or passing a note to Scott Thomas—those were all voluntary thrills. There was no real consequence to avoiding the risk. In her current situation, her family would probably die if she failed to act. She had to stand by her previous decision and carry out her plan, regardless of the consequences.”

This quote exemplifies Kendra’s character development over the course of the novel. She now knows when and how to take risks and bend the rules, a skill which will serve her in the present and future alike.

“From tears, milk, and blood, devise an elixir, and my handmaidens will attend you.”

The Fairy Queen provides Kendra guidance when she goes to beg for helping the form of a small puzzle for Kendra to solve, reflecting the immortal ways of the magical creatures in Fablehaven.This guidanceallowsKendrato act as the hero at the climax of the novel.

“Stars continued to fade in the eastern sky. Kendra hurried along the road. She was pretty sure her sheltered status was at an end. But, if mischief had to be done, at least it had felt worthwhile. She had a feeling it would not be her final mischievous act of the night.”

Kendra’s earlier realization that taking risks and not following the rules to the letter is sometimes what needs to be done is emphasized again. She feels proud of herself for breaking the rules because she knows it was for a good reason.

“I’ll admit that it worries me somewhat […] Creatures of whimsy are not solely confined to the preserves. The blindness of mortals can be a blessing. Take care where you look.”

Grandpa Sorenson returns to the theme that knowledge and truth can be both a blessing and a curse. It allows the holder to experience life more fully, but it also opens them up to dangers. Kendra’s now permanent “second sight” will play a role in later novels in the series.

“Your grandmother and I have waited a long time to find somebody like you among our posterity […] Trust me. You’ll be back.”

Grandpa Sorenson foreshadows the further novels in this quote, assuring the reader that there are more adventures to come. This quote also speaks to the now-acknowledged fact that both Kendra and Seth are special.