Down Came the Spiders

About this book

Can you outrun eight legs?

Andi is not afraid of spiders. They have cool fangs. They hunt using vibrations. They can even create silk on demand to make amazing homes. So when Andi learns about a spider collection at a classmate’s farm, she’s willing to do anything to see it. Even attend a blowout Halloween party she’d normally run screaming from.

At the party with her friends Devon and Carly, Andi is delighted to find a new-to-her species. This spider is nothing like she’s ever seen: huge, red-eyed, and strangely hypnotic. But when the spider escapes and starts causing havoc, Andi has a strange realization: for the first time in her life, she’s scared to death of spiders.

Reviews

Praise for Down Came the Spiders:

“Light enough to induce shivers but not nightmares, this Hallowe'en tale sends three sixth-graders out to a schoolmate’s remote house for a party that quickly devolves into an unbridled spiderfest. Readers fond of buggy horrors will rattle their palps in glee.” – Booklist

“Russell (Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave) weaves spine-tingling chills into a character-driven tale of friendship and courage [. . . ] tense action, chilling atmosphere, and a delightfully icky premise, make this an ideal read for fans of creepy-crawlies and light scares.” – Publishers Weekly

“The evocative descriptions of spiders and their webs make for some truly chilling scenes, and the explorations of loneliness and tween difficulties with making friends add human elements to the terror.” – Kirkus Reviews