The Spider Ring

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. (Jan.)