Spider Summer - Summary

Spider Summer

Spider Summer (ITP Nelson, 1998) is a realistic fiction novel for ages 9 – 12. It’s a story about a boy named Luke and his pet tarantula, and how they catch a thief who lives in their own apartment building in London. It’s also a story about keeping a new pet secret from your parents (because your dad has arachnophobia) and adjusting to life in a new place. Although Luke is spending the summer in England, he wishes he were back home in Wakaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, with his dog Rusty, and his best friend Marty.

When Bev wrote this story, she was temporarily in London as well! She had two small children and was terribly homesick for her family in Canada, and some of Luke’s homesickness definitely reflects her own emotional climate at the time.

Tarantulas do make good pets—Bev knows this for a fact! She had a Mexican Red Leg for many years, and found her to be docile, quiet, and tidy. When she taught elementary school, Herbie was a favourite classroom addition. Herbie sometimes got more Valentines than the teacher!