The Orb Weaver

The Lynx Spider

The Crab Spider

The Wolf Spider

The Cobweb Spider

The Mirror Spider

The Brown Recluse

The Black Widow

Thank you to …

My editor, David — you gave me light.

My team at Scholastic, and especially Jana Haussmann — you made this all possible.

My friends Joe, Jess, Zach, Nathan, Adam, Dan, and Nick — the story came to life first in your voices.

My friend Annie Swank — you always set the metrics.

My wonderful family — you are my magic ring.

Andrew Harwell is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn, New York. After growing up in the woods, he isn’t scared of real spiders, but spiders in stories — from the giant ones in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter to the Other Mother in Coraline — he finds absolutely terrifying. This is Andrew’s first book for young readers. Visit him online at www.andrewharwell.com.

Copyright © 2014 by Andrew Harwell

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014942282

First edition, February 2015

Cover art by Peter Crowther Associates Ltd

Cover Design by Yaffa Jaskoll

e-ISBN 978-0-545-68291-6

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.