Happy Book Birthday, Threat of the Spider by Michael P. Spradlin!

 

I've been looking forward to diving into today's read for awhile, now. And it's finally time! I've seen several reviews out there from fellow, middle grade fans, and they've been more than good. So, I'm going into this historical novel with high hopes. I know it takes place around WWII, and I'm pretty sure it heads into the mystery genre. It is the 2nd in the series, and nope, I have not read the first one (because I often don't). 

Sit back and get ready for a grabbing tale because I have reason to believe that this one will be just that.

THREAT OF THE SPIDER

The Web of the Spider #2

by Michael P. Spradlin

Margaret K. McElderry

Middle Grade Historical 

176 pages

ages 8 to 12

A twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

Ansel has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. He’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to make his friends laugh.

But more and more of his classmates have been swayed by Hans’s tactics and the Youth organization is growing throughout the city. Ansel knows that Hans and his group are spreading false information—after all, Ansel’s father is a journalist for the local paper and has been going toe to toe with Nazi propaganda for a long time.

Then Ansel’s father goes missing right before a prominent Nazi leader comes to town. With the local police in the Nazi’s pocket, can Ansel and his friends use their detective skills to find his father and thwart the Nazi’s plans to suppress the truth?

GOODREADS    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Serious moments of the time period hit with power, while balancing just enough humor to keep it digestible for the intended audience.

This is the 2nd book in the series, and while I didn't read the 1st, it doesn't seem to be an issue, since this book goes into a different main character (the best friend of the one in the first). So, it can be read as a stand-alone...although the ending leaves in a cliffhanger to lead to book three.

While there are books out there with young characters facing the Nazi regime during WWII, this is the only one I've seen, so far, which deals with the time period shortly before...the rise of the regime. It's clear that the author knows his material well. Many facts, cultural aspects, and ideals of the time period are brought across with finesse and power. Readers are submersed into the German town and life, and experience the growing fear and unrest as Hitler's strength rises, especially in relation to the Hitler Youth. In other words, this is a great resource on the historical side as it brings across the situations and events in a way most middle grade readers can understand and emotionally connect with.

Ansel, the main character, is quite the kid. He's clever, intelligent, has a good moral compass, and loves to taunt and tease in a way which leaves his opponents frustrated but not completely grasping what he says. It reminded me a bit of a Sherlock Holmes as a kid who likes to poke fun at others (just a bit). His antics make him fun to root for, and while some of his stunts are extremely risky, it also makes it that much more exciting to get behind him. Some of his statements are confusing, especially his Unassailable Facts of Life, which read as riddled words of wisdom and. sometimes, leave everyone scratching their heads. That said, he's not an easy character to sink into when he speaks...nor is the entire narration since it's written in a very proper form much of the way through. I have family who grew up in the same circumstances as Ansel, and even taking in the historic aspect and the German language, it's stiff, at times. 

The theme in these pages is, obviously, not a light one and does a very good job at delivering the situation across with the bite and seriousness it requires. Still, it is kept at the middle grade level and leaves plenty of food for thought. The ending doesn't wrap things up, so there is still more to come on this end. And the situations are dire. While I don't see reluctant readers sinking into this one comfortably, more mature readers are in for a historic treat. This is even one to suggest in connection with a classroom theme and for homeschoolers.

And here he is...

Michael P. Spradlin is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author of the Spy Goddess series, The Youngest Templar series, and the Web of the Spider series, as well as several works of historical fiction, including the Western Heritage Award–winning Off Like the Wind: The Story of the Pony Express. He currently resides in Lapeer, Michigan, with his wife, daughter, and his schnoodle, Sequoia. Learn more at MichaelSpradlin.com.