I was really excited to receive this book to review because I’ve previously read one of Ben Miller’s stories and I loved the magic involved.

This is the story about how Lana and Harrison meet some spiders and end up ok a magical adventure at nighttime. Lana is the younger of the two and she is still very much into play and believing, whereas Harrison is just that much more grown up now he’s a teenager. They both want to play on the old hollowed tree at their Grandparents area, but when some developers ask Lana if she wants to save the spiders that live there of have a big climbing frame - well, you can guess her answer. She wants to play and Harrison wants to save the spiders.

(If you read the acknowledgements you will notice that two of Ben Miller’s children are called Lana and Harrison and I can actually image the author sitting and telling them this story at bedtime which is pretty cool. )

The one thing that struck me in comparison to ‘The Day I Fell into a Fairytale’ (which I loved) is that the siblings have a much better relationship with each other, possibly because they’ve grown on their past adventures or possibly because they’re a bit older and a bit more respectful of each other.

The covers artwork looks amazing too - the spiders webs on the cover with the kids climbing help set the scene for what is going to happen inside the book - and there’s also some nifty illustrations inside.

One of the things that I like about this book is that the chapters aren’t too long and that’s good when you’re reading with younger children, or when they’re now reading by themselves. Recommended for parents looking for a fun and magical bedtime read and children who like magic and these characters are relatable.

I found myself really caring about the spiders by the end of the book too, which I think was the point. Miller made you feel and understand things from the spider perspective which was cool, almost as if he knows what it is like to be a spider.

A straightforward tale for children. There are the elements of adventure and fantasy which children will enjoy. I would say ages 7-10. The sentences are straightforward and not over burdened with description.

There is a message for all children about caring for all creatures and about adults who exploit the environment to make profits. There is also learning about the value of spiders, even for those, like the heroine, who don’t ‘like’ spiders. There is some anthropomorphism if that is your thing. Children often like that.

I read in doc format and all the illustrations in black and white did not add a lot for me ( as an adult). I think this book, and others in the series, would be great additions to a school library. I was interested to read this as a teacher. It could be read aloud to a class too.

I read a copy provided by Netgalley.

Another absolutely incredible book by the amazing Ben Miller. This book contains an amazing storyline full of adventure, magic and more. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to see what Ben Miller does next.