Down Came the Spiders

Russell (Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave) weaves spine-tingling chills into a character-driven tale of friendship and courage. Twelve-year-old Andi, a shy Black girl who finds spiders more fascinating than people, would rather spend October 31 trick-or-treating and binging horror movies than awkwardly navigating a party. But Andi’s two best friends persuade her to attend popular classmate Clementine’s Halloween bash, luring her with the promise of viewing the host’s father’s unusual spider collection. At the party, the trio make their way to Clementine’s father’s office, which contains Specimen 17, a mysterious red-eyed, basketball-size spider in a terrarium, who exerts a hypnotic pull on Andi. After the creature escapes containment, adults suddenly vanish and hordes of spiders descend on the house. Now Andi must rally her peers to confront the swarm. Taut prose briskly sets the stage, humorously capturing the tweens’ social landscape while deftly juxtaposing Andi’s feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and self-doubt with her growth into a steadfast leader. A somewhat unfulfilling resolution is offset by tense action, chilling atmosphere, and a delightfully icky premise, making this an ideal read for fans of creepy-crawlies and light scares. Ages 8–12. (Dec.)