The Spindlers

I can see two potential audiences for this book: younger readers who are actually looking for a Middle Grade book, and older readers who have enjoyed Oliver’s other work. I fall into the latter category: I loved Before I Fall, so I wanted to see what else this author could do.

The Spindlers read to me like a fairly typical fantasy adventure story. Liza realizes that her brother’s soul has been stolen by Spindlers, so she sets out into the world Below to get it back. While there, she meets all sorts of odd and interesting creatures, including a giant rat named Mirabella.

These straightforward adventures didn’t appeal as much to me as an adult reader, though I do think that children would enjoy them. I was more interested in the show more character development that took place over the course of the story. At this point, I think a spoiler warning is in order; don’t read on if you don’t want to know what happens.

Minor Spoilers:
Liza sort of befriends the giant rat that I mentioned earlier, in that she asks the rat to take her to the Spindlers’ nest, which involves an extremely dangerous journey. She doesn’t seem very appreciative of the sacrifice and personal risk that are involved in this, and mostly thinks about how strange Mirabella looks, or how bad her fur/breath smells, and other similarly superficial things. It’s only when Mirabella saves her from drowning that she decides that they’re friends—although she still struggles with the declaration, and although Mirabella has already saved her on previous occasions.

Major Spoilers:
So it’s a big plot twist when Mirabella betrays her, and it turns out that the rat was working for the Spindlers all along. But this twist would have been a lot more shocking if Liza had actually treated the rat well throughout the course of their journey, and offered something in return for everything that Mirabella was giving her. Since Liza mostly just expected people to help her without showing them any respect, I almost felt like she deserved the betrayal. I’m not sure that this is what I was supposed to think.

Major Spoilers continue:
Of course, it all works out well in the end. At the time of the betrayal, Liza proclaims how shocked she is, how she thought the rat was her friend and would have given to the rat in friendship anything that the Spindlers had given to her as payment. And the rat regrets the betrayal, and comes back and saves everyone. That’s all good: we get the standard lessson about the importance and power of friendship. But I felt like it was tainted a bit by the way we arrived there. Friendship only begins when someone dramatically saves your life; just going out of your way to help someone at great risk to yourself isn’t enough to earn a friend; appearances are more important. I don’t think these are the messages that Oliver was intending to get across, but they’re the ones that the thoughts and behaviour of the protagonist reveal.

No Spoilers:
I loved the protagonist in other ways. For one thing, she’s fiercely determined to save her brother no matter what. But the portrayal of friendship and non-friendship in the book just rubbed me the wrong way, and diminished my appreciation of the whole. If you’re just looking for a straightforward adventure story, this may not be a problem; Liza does have plenty of interesting adventures. But if you’re looking for a story that’s deeply satisfying at all levels, you may want to look elsewhere. show less

If one thinks there is a lack of imagination in the world, one need look only as far as Lauren Oliver's The Spindlers. It is full of wonderful imaginary characters (or are they imaginary?). Everyone knows that the spindlers come at night and steal children's souls, replacing them with spindler eggs so that more spindlers can be born. When Liza wakes up one morning and her brother Patrick isn't really Patrick anymore, with his glassy eyes and lack of emotion, she is panic-stricken. While brothers and sisters have their ups and downs, generally they do love each other.

Of course her mother sadly thinks she's making up yet another story, but Liza knows she must rescue Patrick's soul before it's too late. She ventures into the basement, with show more a broom as her only weapon, moves a bookcase covering a hole in the wall and enters the Below.

The first thing she meets is a rat almost her size named Mirabella. Mirabella is wearing a newspaper skirt, a hideous wig, a hat and enough makeup and mascara to scare anyone...including Liza. This is the delicious beginning of a dangerous journey the two take to reach the spindler's nest, meeting along the way troglods, nids, lumer-lumpens, nocturni and more.

These days, when kids grow up too fast, when they are bombarded at a young age with activities that will get them into a good college, a good dose of fun and fantasy is the prescription for bringing back childhood. (It even works for adults who have forgotten the wonders of childhood.) Lauren Oliver has supplied a goodly dose of adventure. I was with Mirabella and Liza every minute of their journey, beside them on the dangerous River of Knowledge, there when Liza had to outsmart a three headed dog, there in the troglod market. Knowing in my heart that Liza would save Patrick's soul, I couldn't wait to get to the next adventure, to get that much closer to what I knew to be a satisfying ending.

We all know that Lauren Oliver is a talented writer. She writes in multiple genres for middle schoolers and high shcoolers. Liesl & Po is another wonderful fantasy book of hers. So, if you're looking for something wonderful for your child to read OR you yourself want something wonderful to read, pick up The Spindlers and Liesl & Po. It is imagination at its best. show less

In short: Lauren Oliver has written another truly lovely and whimsical Middle Grade novel that can be enjoyed by all age groups.

After reading and loving Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver, I knew I needed to read The Spindlers, Lauren Oliver's second Middle Grade novel. Liesl and Po was a wonderful and whimsical story filled with cartoonish and memorable characters, and The Spindlers was no different. When Liza's brother's soul is stolen by the Spindlers, she goes Below to rescue it. Bold and brave, Liza comes up against some tricky tasks that she must solve along the way as well as some truly imaginative and quirky creatures and settings, all beautifully described with Lauren Oliver's signature fantastical prose.

If I had any critique for show more The Spindlers, it's that it was very reminiscent of other works, particularly Coraline by Neil Gaiman, but also Roald Dahl novels and Hayao Miyazaki films. It had so many of the same elements of these other works that at times, The Spindlers came across as cliched and predictable. I don't actually mind it when authors turn to these well known story arcs because they are beloved for a reason, but ideally I'd like to see said author present something new and original to set it apart from the masses and I'm not sure Lauren Oliver accomplishes that with The Spindlers.

BUT - and I would like to stress this - please don't take that one critique as an indication that I didn't enjoy The Spindlers. I loved The Spindlers. Really. It was just as lovely and wonderful as I have come to expect from all of Lauren Oliver's novels. And perhaps it's a bit unfair to call it predictable when I am an adult and this book is meant for children who probably wouldn't see it as being cliched at all. So I would definitely recommend The Spindlers for the age group that it is meant for. And I would absolutely recommend it for older audiences who love quirky and fantastical MG reads, as well. show less

I got an eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I loved Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver and was very excited to read The Spindlers. The Spindlers was even better than Liesel and Po, it was just fantastic. It was a very engaging and super imaginative story that reminded a little bit of Gaiman’s Neverwhere and a bit of Alice in Wonderland.

When Liza wakes up one morning her brother, Patrick has changed into something...not Patrick. He is something evil and strange. That’s when Liza realizes that the Spindlers have taken his soul and it is up to her to journey deep into Below to rescue him.

This was a wildly creative and fun quest-based adventure fantasy story. Liza runs into a number of fantastical show more characters and journeys through a creative and breathtaking underground landscape. She also has to solve numerous puzzles on the way. Her dedication to finding her brother and her steadfast bravery (in spite of being quite afraid at times) is admirable.

Liza is joined in her quest to find the Spindlers by a giant rat named Mirabella who talks and loves to wear pretty clothing. As Liza and Mirabella travel towards the Spindlers through one danger after another they develop a tentative friendship. It is a friendship which is sorely tested by some of the twists and turns the story takes towards the end.

The illustrations are few (in the ARC) but beautifully done and really convey the feeling of the story very well. The description throughout really makes the crazy settings Liza travels through come alive.

This book might be a little creepy or scary for young kids because it is a pretty dark tale. As mentioned above it reminded me of a cross between Gaiman's Neverwhere and Alice in Wonderland...maybe with a little Labyrinth in there as well. This is a book that would make a fantastic movie.

Overall I really loved this book. It was creative, had wonderfully descriptive writing, a spunky and heartfelt heroine, and a wonderful fantasy adventure. It is a book that people of all ages can enjoy. I highly recommend to those who love fantasy adventure stories. show less

I'm in love with Lauren Oliver's writing, and to be honest all I've read so far are her Middle Grade novels. If they are at all indicative of her overall writing style, I'm sold. Head over heels in love. Even as an adult reader The Spindlers captured my heart and mind. You couldn't have pried this book out of my hands.

Liza is our main character and I adored her from page one.Strong, stubborn, and braver than most young girls I know, she was a wonderful character to follow. Her belief in magic was sweet, and the relationship that she had with her brother Patrick was even sweeter. We all know that siblings bicker. That you can love the stuffing out of your younger brother or sister and still thing they are utterly obnoxious at times. I show more loved the reality of Liza's relationship with Patrick for that very reason. She knows what drives her crazy about him, and yet she sets it all aside to save him when he needs it.

What really sparked my imagination was the world that Oliver builds in the "Below". Liza must face some rather terrifying events and inhabitants to save her sibling. I loved how they were just the right amount of scary, without being too over the top. Also, they are offset by the cunning that Liza must use to solve puzzles in her quest as well. There was such a nice mix of trials for her to pass that, despite being an older reader, I found myself entranced by her journey. It reminded me slightly of Alice in Wonderland. A girl who is young and on her own, and yet does great things.

The Spindlers deals with sibling relationships, friendship, and finding courage within. Best of all, it does it in a format that is friendly to young readers. If you have a reader at home who loves adventures, or who believes in magic, this is a book for them. Actually, even if you are adult and have these same qualities, you'll love this book! I did, and I can't wait for more from Lauren Oliver. show less

Liza woke up one morning and discovered that her brother Patrick was no longer himself. He looked the same, had the same memories, and to everyone else seems the same, but something is definitely off with him. Liza is the only one who realizes the Spindlers have taken his soul and put one of their own in his place. To save Patrick's soul, Liza takes a broom (because Spindlers are afraid of them) and goes Below, a world beyond her own full of magical creatures, talking rats, glow worms that light her way, and all manner of dangers. She must face the evil Spindlers with her own intelligence and wit as her only weapons. Will she be able to escape alive and save her brother?

The Spindlers is a fun adventure complete with danger, darkness, show more and wonder. I adore Below, the underground world Lauren Oliver has created. It's just the right ratio of beautiful, strange, and scary. My favorite parts are the troglod market, the nocturni, and the lumpen. The troglod market links Below with the regular world. The troglods, little gnome-like creatures, steal things from humans and sell them in their market in exchange for random pieces of paper whose value is determined by the color. This reminds me of The Borrowers and pokes a little bit of fun at the money we put so much value on, which is just really bits of colored paper. The nocturni are my favorite part of the book. They are creatures that are a cross between hummingbirds and butterflies made of darkness and air. They bring dreams to only one person forever and are rumored to bring souls to the afterlife. These benevolent creatures are integral to the story, fascinating, and, as far as I know, an original creation. The lumpen are glowworms that light the way in the Below, but are very sensitive creatures that won't illuminate if annoyed or insulted. These are my favorite parts of the world, but the entirety of it is very visual and vibrant.

Liza is pretty awesome. Her adventurous spirit is infectious and makes me excited to see where she will venture and how she will get out of danger. Her unwavering loyalty is touching and you can really see how much she cares for her brother, even though they fight and annoy each other all the time. She even cares a lot for her family even though they want her to stop bothering them with her "imagination" and generally leave her alone. I loved Liza leading me through her adventures and found her very memorable, intelligent, and inspiring. I liked the thoughtful and determined way she got through every obstacle in her way to get to her brother.

I greatly enjoyed Lauren Oliver's The Spindlers. I found Liesl and Po to be much better because it dealt with real life, significant issues like death, but The Spindlers is still a great adventure story with twists, turns, and a delightful new world. show less

The Good Stuff
•Absolutely positively delightful -- where were books like this when I was in grade 3?
•Reminded me of those wonderful adventure stories like Alice in Wonderland, Spiderwick Chronicles, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe
•Wonderfully created world - Oliver you are bloody brilliant when it comes to creating new and fantastical worlds
•Such wonderful commentary on the importance of hope, love and loyalty. Done in such a masterful, simple and never talking down way
•Fast paced and never boring - quite frankly never said that before about a middle school book
•You gotta love Liza - such a strong, yet realistic, kick butt heroine
•Liza fights against what is easy to do what is right - such a fabulous role model

The show more Not So Good Stuff
•a wee bit of repetition
•For older readers it is a tad predictable

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"That was the problem with grown-ups; they told you not to lie, and then got angry when you told the truth! And it was Liza who was punished, because the rest of the world was blind."

"And is it natural," the rat thundered, quivering with rage, "for some to be cuddled and coddled and hugged, while others are hated and hunted and hurt, because of differences in fur, and tail, and whisker length? I ask you -is that natural?"

"This was exactly how things were Above: There were rules, but nobody told you about them, and you were somehow expected to know them anyway, and punished when you didn't"

Who Should/Shouldn't Read
•Will be recommending this to each and every 8 - 12 yr old girl that comes into my Chapters
•Thank goodness I have 2 copies (Thanks sweet Teri) I have passed on this copy to my new neighbors daughter - she is going to love this
•Librarians - this book is perfect for that girl -- you know the one -- who loves to lose herself in a good story

4.5 Dewey's

I received a copy of this at Book Expo America & sweet Teri gave me a signed copy show less