The Spider Ring by Andrew Harwell (review)

Grandma Esme has always been a little bit kooky, especially with her affinity for spiders, but seventh-grader Maria finds a refuge from the trials of adolescence—namely a snotty girl at school—in her visits to her grandmother’s cluttered, old house. Maria is devastated when the old woman passes away, but she’s even more suspicious, since Esme passes away just days after claiming that the spiders were after her. Maria inherits her grandmother’s spider ring and soon realizes it gives her control over a specific species of spider, the brown recluse, but she also discovers that she is only one of eight such ring holders and the most powerful one—the Black Widow—is the likely murderer of Esme and is hot on Maria’s heels. Nonarachnophobic readers looking for a carefully plotted, well-told introduction into the horror genre will find this exactly what they seek. Harwell’s style is direct and frills-free, focusing mainly on Maria’s efforts to understand the ring and then defeat the Black Widow; the story also includes some pleasingly quotidian elements, including Maria’s coping with school bullying and her dealings with her male best friend. The comeuppance for the villain has a delightful ew factor, while Maria learns that with great power comes great responsibility.