Seven Spiders Spinning

by Gregory Maguire

Hamlet Chronicles (1)

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Description

Seven prehistoric spiders that had been trapped in ice for thousands of years bring excitement to rural Vermont and briefly unite two rival clubs at a local elementary school.

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Member Reviews

9 reviews
Seven Spiders Spinning is an entertaining, original and funny story, that will appeal to 3rd and 4th graders. However it has some major issues. Even though it is not meant to be a deep book, the characters were very shallow and stereotyped. A sweet naive young teacher, a boys and a girls clique, a bullying head of the girls clique, etc. Please! That wasn't necessary to tell the story! The cruel ways in which most of the spiders died were equally unnecessary and not a very good example for children. I have not read the rest of the series, but I hope that in the subsequent books some of these problems are ironed out.
I really enjoyed reading this story because it was entertaining and fast-paced. The story promotes a sense of family when one of the spiders is kidnapped and the other siblings go off to rescue her. The story also encourages readers to use their imaginations because all is not what it seems in the book. The reader must also use their background knowledge and prediction skills to enjoy the story because it has twists and turns. There are no illustrations in the text and reads more like a young adult chapter book.
Seven Siberian Snow Spiders invade Miss Earth's class, and they steadily grow larger and meaner. First book in the Hamlet Chronicles.
Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years.
This book is very good and its about seven Siberian snow spiders getting loose and they are mad. This book is A.R

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Author Information

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68+ Works 80,002 Members
Gregory Maguire was born June 9, 1954 in Albany, New York. He received a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Tufts University. He is a founder and co-director of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated, a non-profit educational charity established in 1987. He writes for show more both adults and children. His first book, The Lighting Time, was published in 1978. His adult works include Wicked, Confessions of and Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. The Broadway play Wicked is based on his book of the same title. His children's books include the picture book Crabby Cratchitt, the novel The Good Liar, and the Hamlet Chronicles series. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Zimmer, Dirk (Illustrator)

Awards and Honors

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Seven Spiders Spinning
Original title
Seven Spiders Spinning
Original publication date
1994-08-15
Important places
Hamlet, Vermont, USA; Vermont, USA

Classifications

Genre
Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
813.5Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-1999
LCC
PZ7 .M2762 .SLanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
BISAC

Statistics

Members
370
Popularity
84,335
Reviews
9
Rating
½ (3.54)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
9
UPCs
1
ASINs
9