The Spider Ring

Gr 4–6—Maria has never understood her grandmother's affinity for spiders, but then Grandma Esme dies and leaves her a spider-shaped ring-and a mysterious note: "The spiders are your friends. Do not abuse their friendship." Soon Maria realizes that the ring enables her to control spiders, which means that she can ask them to fetch things for her, improve her wardrobe, and even take the school mean girl down a peg. However, the appearance of a mysterious man from her grandmother's past leads to the revelation that the Order of Anansi is bigger than Maria could have imagined, and that she's not the only one with a spider ring. When her best friend's long-lost aunt comes to town, it soon becomes clear that she is the Black Widow of the Order's legend, and that her hunger for power, and for all of the spider rings, could threaten Maria and her entire family. This is a well-paced fantasy for middle-graders who do not suffer from arachnophobia.—Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI