Seven Spiders Spinning [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Gregory Maguire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2002

Seven baby Siberian snow spiders, frozen in a glacier during the Ice Age, defrost in the present time -- and are lost en route to Harvard for analysis. Creeping through the Vermont woods, the arachnids observe a girls' club, the Tattletales, on a campout, and each spider imprints on a club member. It's love at first sight!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This high-camp fantasy-mystery uses farcical elements to embellish a tale of spider intrigue. En route to a lab at Harvard, seven Siberian snow spiders escape from the frozen blocks of ice that held them captive for thousands of years. The hapless spiders scuttle their way into Hamlet, Vt., where they witness a meeting of the Tattletales, a club of seven elementary school girls. Besotted by the Tattletales, the spiders set out one by one to meet the girl of their choice-with fatal results. As the spiders' numbers decline, the spurned survivors lose their ardor and begin to seek revenge. Fit into this a subplot involving a romance between the truck driver who transported the spiders and the nurse who lulls him out of a coma by reading love stories and bestowing kisses. Add a meddlesome reporter named Meg Snoople, who is determined to uncover the missing spiders, and the plot only thickens. Though the story moves along at a brisk pace, the humor risks being precious and, sometimes, arch. The compassion of Maguire's more serious and wittier Missing Sisters is absent. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Seven tarantulas preserved in a glacier since prehistoric times are discovered, fall out of their refrigerated crate on their way to Harvard scientists, and thaw in rural, present-day Vermont. Given this premise, readers follow the rather intelligent creatures' trail of poisonous love and revenge. The objects of their affection (and later their hate) are The Tattletales, a group of girls whose school rivals are the Copycats (boys). The two groups finally call a truce and combine forces to rescue their beloved teacher, Miss Earth, when she receives a deadly bite. As the tale progresses and each of the arachnids approaches its potential victim, the suspense builds. However, there is quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor here, as well. Characters are almost caricatures-the standard bossy girl, studious boy, motherly school aide, and too-good-to-be-true pretty teacher. Yet, somehow it all comes together to create a funny, shivery story of ancient Siberian snow spiders and the problems they cause in a peaceful New England village. The book is a bit long, but would make a great read-aloud and a satisfying choice for fans of humorous horror.
Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 134 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786244194
• ISBN-13: 978-0786244195
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,131,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gregory Maguire received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England. He still serves as co-director of CLNE, although that organization has announced its intention to close after its 2006 institute.
The bestselling author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, and the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. Wicked, now a beloved classic, is the basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Maguire has lectured on art, literature, and culture both at home and abroad.
He has three adopted children and is married to painter Andy Newman. He lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting!, May 22, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Seven Spiders Spinning (The Hamlet Chronicles) (Paperback)

Seve siberian spiders on the loose makes Pearl's life even worse! As the spiders watch the seven girls gathering they fall in love. They want to be loved by someone. Though, as they get bigger and meaner it becomes more dangerous for the girls. The spiders start to follow them everywhere. It is also very exciting when someone gets bitten and everyone rushes her to the hospital. They try their hardest to comfort her while she is in pain. Soon there aren't anymore spiders of that rare kind to live anymore. That will be a good thing for humans but sad for the spiders who really just wanted to be loved.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SPIDERS!!!!, February 14, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Seven Spiders Spinning (The Hamlet Chronicles) (Paperback)

For this 9 weeks, I read Seven Spiders Spinning, by Gregory Maguire. The book is so funny! I love it! There are seven books in this series. Gregory Maguire is a great writer.
Seven Spider Spinning is a humorous book. Like I said before this book is really funny! The book of course is a story ; it's not true. It's about seven baby Siberian spiders who got frozen in a big block of ice during the ice age. When the spiders unfroze, they each saw seven girls who they felt in love with. The older the spiders became the more dangerous they became. The seven spiders followed the seven girls everywhere. When the seven girls teacher got bitten by one of these mean spiders she got sick, so sick she could have died...
The books strengths is it's so funny, that most people would want to keep on reading it. The books weaknesses is it is so short. If he made it longer than the story would last longer, and more people will want to read it.
I think the author did a great job of writing this book. He made it funny so more people would want to read his books. Also I would recommend this book to people who likes to read books about spiders, and people who like funny books. I hope people will enjoy this book as muck as I did!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars story in high drama, January 5, 2005

By 

bookgeek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Spiders Spinning (The Hamlet Chronicles) (Paperback)

At first I didn't know how to feel about the VERY high level of suspense, and melodrama pushed into every minute detail of this book from the children answering rollcall to some healthcare staff who would be over the top even for General Hospital. However, the style really grew on me and I found the whole story very endearing. I especially admire the way Maguire protrayed the children as high thinking individuals who enjoyed school and participating in life. Too often children are looked down on as one dimensional and too snotty and superior to care about things. My favorite scene in the book was Lois Kennedy the third and her nonchalant responses to Meg Snoople in her town square 'interview'.