Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Not-So-Itty-Bitty Spiders by Amy Marie Stadelmann -- ADVISABLE

Stadelmann, Amy Marie The Not-So-Itty-Bitty Spiders (Olive & Beatrix #1), 80 pgs. Branches (Scholastic), August 25, 2015. $15.99. Content: G.

Olive finds it tough being the normal one when her twin sister is a witch -- especially when said sister loves to play pranks. To get her back one day, Olive releases spiders all over her sister. But when the spiders get into an enlarging potion, the girls have BIG trouble on their hands.

This is a cute start to a new series. With its colorful illustrations and concise text, this 80-page story perfectly bridges the reading gap between picture books and chapter books. Although the giant spiders and creepy forest add some tension, the tale is still more cozy than scary -- another plus when working with younger readers. Because of the simplified graphic-novel-like format, this one would work better for individual or one-on-one reading as opposed to a whole-class read-aloud.

EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Caryn

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