Down Came the Spiders

Russell, Ally. Down Came the Spiders

December 2, 2025 by Scholastic Paperbacks

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Andi and her older sister Adrienne are decorating for Halloween, but there is some tension between the two girls. Adrienne is social, and likes to go out with her girlfriend, but 6th grader Andi is quieter, and prefers to spend her time studying spiders and watching horror movies with her best friends Carly and Devon. When Clementine, an 8th grader, has a Halloween party, the trio consider themselves invited because Devon is on the track team, which Clementine has invited. Andi's dad drops her off, and Andi is apprehensive about staying, but is glad to see her librarian, Ms. Kaye, serving refreshments. Mr. Mendez is a science teacher at the kids' school, and when Andi finds out that he collects spiders, she wants to have a tour of his office. Mr. Mendez gets sidetracked before he can show her the collection, but when the office is open, Andi and her friends sneak in. There are interesting specimins, like a Black Widow and Brown Recluse, but it is Specimin 17 that draws Andi's attention, especially since it seems to speak to her in a hypnotic fashion. Andi takes the lid off the cage to take a picture, but is startled when she hears Mr. Mendez approaching. Carly and Devon encourage Andi to be more social, and comment about her reclusive habits in a negative but somewhat supportive way. She also has the attention of Jason Arnold, who is rather cute and dressed like an owl. Eventually Andi notices an spider invasion that gets progressively worse. Not only that, but no one has cell phone service way out in the country, and all of the adults are missing! The group heads out to a Ferris wheel size spider web, and even more spiders. They call 911 on the landline, only to be laughed off as a prank; they wisely tell the dispatcher that there is a teen party out of control in a desperate attempt to get help. Oddly, they don't want their own parents to come. There are spiders everywhere, and Andi starts to suspect, after reading some of Mr. Mendez's paper, that Specimin 17 is behind the odd activity. After discovering a web with woodland animals trapped under it, Andi knows that she needs to figure out what's going on in order to save everyone. But will she be able to?

Strengths: Andi's interest in spiders is a great way to introduce this topic, and there's certainly a lot to be frightened of if there are cascades of the creepy critters everywhere. I'm all for saving spiders and putting them outside because they eat other more annoying bugs, but this many of them (including some parasite infested zombie spiders in the basement) would make me want to squish them. Andi is able to use her knowledge to make sure the infestation doesn't get worse. Both of her parents are alive, and she has some realistic interactions with her older sister. The idea that she is a 6th grader and gets invited to an 8th grade party was something that I'd like to see in more books. Even one grade is a huge difference in middle school. Mr. Mendez's position on the school staff (and his secret back history!) is used to good effect. Carly and Devon, as well as Jason, are good foils for Andi's quieter personality. 
Weaknesses: Once again, Scholastic brings us a brilliant book available only in paperback. This was similar in fear level to Russell's It Came From the Trees and Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave. I didn't find it all that scary, which would make it great for upper elementary readers. My students want a lot more blood and gore than most publishers want eleven year olds to have, but I will buy this because the cover is so brilliant. Pacing is a bit uneven, and my horror readers won't care about Andi's social awkwardness, but inclusions like this will help sell this to adults. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who don't have arachnaphobia and enjoyed other creepy crawly books like Gillespie's Give Me Something Good to Eat, Killick's Dread Detention, Lawrence's Many Hauntings of the Manning Family, and Alexander's The Fear Zone. 

 Look at that cover. It's one of the best scary ones I've seen lately. Stephanie Yang is credited for book design, but I'm not sure that includes the cover. I wish publishers would make this information easier to find.