The Snow Spider takes inspiration from Welsh folklore and it tells the story of Gwyn a young boy who on his 9th birthday is told by his grandmother that he may be a magician, like his Welsh ancestors. She gives him five gifts to help him–a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. One blustery day, unsure what to do with his newfound magic, Gwyn throws the brooch to the wind and receives a silvery snow spider in return. Will he be able to use this special spider to bring his missing sister, Bethan, home? THE SNOW SPIDER spins an icy, sparkly web of mystical intrigue that sets the stage for the next two books in this trilogy.
Set in the Welsh countryside, the book is a sprawling and magical read, which leaves a lasting impression upon the reader.
The Snow Spider split the Book Club down the middle-
half enjoyed the book, a small number were unsure and some didn’t like the book as they found it scary or too slow moving.
Many of the Book Clubbers agreed that they found the plot different and ‘interesting’ when compared to other books they had read recently. A few reported that whilst the plot was interesting the pace of the story itself was a little slow.
The word ‘mysterious’ came up frequently especially when they considered the character Nain and her magical objects.
We had given the copy of Snow Spider published by Egmont covered in brown paper and I’m proud to say that there had been no peeking! The edition that we gave them was published to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of its first publication. We wanted to see how the cover might have affected their readiness to read the book and the majority of the club liked the colour and the sparkle on the cover. Some of the book clubbers did feel that the cover didn’t reflect the exciting story and we have certainly found in the shop that it isn’t a book that appeals to the children from its cover.
So, hopefully some of them will continue with the trilogy…Emilyn’s Moon and finally The Chestnut Soldier
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