Spider Boy by Ralph Fletcher

From the Publisher

Humorous story about a boy's adjustment to new surroundings and kids in a new school. Packed with fascinating facts about spiders, the story is told through journal entries and scenes of events. Contains a spider bibliography.

"Creating and guiding a winning cast with a light, sure hand, Fletcher puts a fine, fresh spin on a familiar premise."

Children's Literature

Another new-kid-in-town novel, but a compelling one. Seventh-grader Bobby isn't thrilled about moving to New Paltz, New York, particularly when the local kids find out about his fascination with arachnids. He responds by spinning, well, a web of lies about himself and his family. Will he ever find a way to fit in? Maybe, but not without plenty of struggle first. The author puts Bobby into some sticky situations, like apologizing to the class for his lies-it's nice to see a character face up to his actions instead of having the way smoothed for him. Fletcher's writing is deft, particularly when he uses Bobby's "spider journal" as a way of showing the reader how his character feels.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7Bobby loves spiders and keeps a journal in which he records interesting facts about them, as well as some personal reflections. He is worried about his pet tarantula because she hasn't eaten since the family moved from Illinois to New Paltz, NY. The boy doesn't have much of an appetite himself. He doesn't fit in with the rest of the seventh graders at his new school. A group of his classmates call him "Spider Boy" and make his life difficult. The use of spiders in Bobby's journal and in the plot is a unique unifying theme of this novel. However, the character development is less successful. It takes awhile for readers to care about Bobby. The supporting characters are stereotypes (bully, understanding teacher, confident older sister). The story moves slowly and is limited in intensity until a final crisis. The resolution is predictable but upbeat. Bobby finds a niche for his unique interests, new friends with whom to play football, and even a little romance.Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Kirkus Reviews

In a story every bit as engaging as Fletcher's Fig Pudding (1995), and less of an emotional rollercoaster to boot, a seventh- grade arachnophile and his beloved tarantula take some time adjusting to a family move.

Between missing his old home and worrying about Thelma (the spider), who has stopped eating, Bobby feels suspended, unable to accept the change in his life long enough to unpack. His parents give him plenty of room and support, plus a huge, ferocious king baboon spider he dubs "Monk" as an early birthday present. Not until two new friends take him firmly in hand, and a bully's harassment escalates into spidercide, does Bobby snap out of it. So does Thelma, who molts and once again takes to pouncing on hapless crickets. Capable of telling wild but utterly convincing tall tales about his family at school, courageous enough to make handsome apologies later (and to face his nemesis without fear), Bobby is a beguiling character who fills his notebook with fascinating spider facts (a bibliography is appended) and trenchant observations: "The female [black widow] allows the male to mate with her. And to show her appreciation she kills him. Eats him. . . . It's lucky human girls aren't this dangerous. Or who knows—maybe they are." Creating and guiding a winning cast with a light, sure hand, Fletcher puts a fine, fresh spin on a familiar premise.

Product Details

• Reading Group Guide

Reading Group Guide

1. Bobby Ballenger is the new kid in school and isn’t adjusting well. Miss Davenport, the guidance counselor, calls Bobby’s parents to the school and uses words like “closed off,” “unstable identity,” “at-risk adolescent” to describe Bobby. Discuss why Miss Davenport feels that Bobby is at-risk. How do Bobby’s teachers try to help him adjust?

2. Butch Fostick tells Bobby, “Whatever you do, don’t let Chick Hall get under your skin. He’s just testing, you know. “ (p. 34) How is Chick Hall testing Bobby? Contrast the way Bobby deals with Chick Hall at the beginning of the novel and at the end of the novel.

3. Miss Terbaldi, the English teacher, introduces the elements of a short story and gives a lecture on conflict and resolution. Identify the conflict and resolution in Spider Boy. Conflict resolution is a term used by educators in solving behavioral problems in the classroom. Discuss ways of resolving conflicts with bullies like Chick Hall. How does Chick’s father contribute to the resolution?

4. Bobby’s school adopts an honor system. Why does Mr. Niezgocki question Bobby’s honor when he reports that he saw someone cheating? Explain what Mr. Niezgocki means when he says, “You did the right thing, young man. But sometimes doing the right thing puts other people in a tough spot.” (p. 127)

5. Bobby and Chick Hall get into a fight. How might this fight be considered the climax of the novel? Bobby refuses to accept Chick’s apology, because he can’t bring himself to forgive Chick for killing Monk, his pet tarantula. Discuss the differencebetween acceptance and forgiveness.