The Spider Ring

October 20, 2014
Seventh-grader Maria Lopez loves her Grandma Esme, but she doesn’t understand her fascination with spiders, not to mention the enormous spider ring Esme is never without. After her grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances, Maria not only inherits the ring, but she also gains the ability to control one of the Order of the Anansi—eight of the most feared spiders on the planet. As Maria learns the hard lesson Grandma Esme left her—“The spiders are your friends. Do not abuse their friendship”—she becomes involved in a sticky plot that has a driven villainess seeking to collect all the rings and thus control the entire Order. Amid the mystery of Grandma Esme’s death, Maria meets the Amazing Arturo, her grandmother’s partner from her traveling circus days, whose story, while providing important clues, is written in an abrupt flashback. This aside, the inventive concept and fluid descriptions in children’s book editor Harwell’s first novel combine to create a suspenseful and sometimes unsettling glimpse into the intricate behaviors of spiders, with a dash of magic for good measure. Ages 8–12.

November 1, 2014
She's pretty sure that Grandma Esme is a little bit strange, but it's only after the woman dies and Maria gets her special spider-shaped ring that the truth gradually emerges. And that truth is crawling with spiders.Maria is dealing not only with her beloved grandmother's unexpected death, but also with constant bullying from a popular girl at her school, Claire, who delights in publicly humiliating the impoverished seventh-grader. When Maria discovers that the spider ring gives her a certain control over spiders, it's not surprising that she might use that power to retaliate against Claire, even though her best friend, Derek, thinks it is a poor idea. Maria's situation becomes increasingly perilous as she delves into the history and power of the ring, information gained from a somewhat clunky story within the story provided by the owner of a related ring. As she learns more and realizes that Derek's odd aunt may be more than just peculiar, Maria gains perspective on the relatively inconsequential nature of her school problems. Nicely described, frequent encounters with very large numbers of spiders keep the ick factor high, and the fast pace of the tale will ensure readers are fully engaged. A horror story for young readers that all but oozes spiders-a surefire template for success. (Fantasy/horror. 9-12)

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November 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Maria has never understood her grandmother's affinity for spiders, but then Grandma Esme dies and leaves her a spider-shaped ring-and a mysterious note: "The spiders are your friends. Do not abuse their friendship." Soon Maria realizes that the ring enables her to control spiders, which means that she can ask them to fetch things for her, improve her wardrobe, and even take the school mean girl down a peg. However, the appearance of a mysterious man from her grandmother's past leads to the revelation that the Order of Anansi is bigger than Maria could have imagined, and that she's not the only one with a spider ring. When her best friend's long-lost aunt comes to town, it soon becomes clear that she is the Black Widow of the Order's legend, and that her hunger for power, and for all of the spider rings, could threaten Maria and her entire family. This is a well-paced fantasy for middle-graders who do not suffer from arachnophobia.-Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI

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