Along Came Spider

Author: James Preller

Publishing information: (Scholastic, Inc., September 1, 2008, Ages 9-12)

Number of Pages: 131 pages

Genre: Novel- Fiction 

Summary of Plot:

            This story was about two fifth grade boys, who were neighbors.  Their names were Spider Stevens and Trey Cooper. Spider was the more athletic one. Trey was the less athletic, and more academically inclined.

Trey was noticeably a little off. Some people worded it nicer than others. A friend of Spider, Ryan, was a big notice of Trey’s differences. He felt some differences from the boy’s. He felt they were like wolves.  He felt separate and alone and he often went to the library to eat lunch. One day he even showed up to school with his hair dyed green. Even though Spider and Trey were neighbors, Spider referred to Trey as a part time friend.

One day Hoops for Hearts was announced in the class. This was a basketball competition, whose proceeds would go to the American Heart Associational kids and teachers were invited to sign up with a team.

One day Trey wanted to play basketball, even though he was not good at it, with Spider, Ryan, and other boys. Long story short is that he messed up so much that Ryan got frustrated and the game was called off after a playground aide stopped their argument.

Trey gradually started to become a friend to a girl named Ava. They decided to create a basketball team for the competition. They called themselves the Mighty Klutzes. Ms. Lobel joined as the needed third member. They ended up only losing Spider’s team by one point, with the help of Ms. Lobel’s college basketball experience.

Trey was told friendship was like a chair. He thought of it as a stool, having two other friends. At the end of the book he had obtained two and a half friends, Ava, Ms. Lobel (school librarian), and Spider. Spider became more of his friend in the end. Trey became happier, now that he had a few friends.

My Reaction to the book:

            I liked its message. Friendship is like a stool; you do not need to be popular to be happy. The plot was fun, simple, and easy to follow. It has language that children can understand. I liked how it ended.

Potential Problems:

            Hurtful comments about Trey

            Loneliness

Recommendations:

            I would recommend this book for those who like reading about people gaining friends. Its message is applicable to everybody because everyone is different in their own unique way, and everyone needs a friend.