Rise of the Spider, Michael P. Spradlin
Rise of the Spider, Michael P. Spradlin
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
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Rise of the Spider

Author: Michael P. Spradlin

Narrator: Andrew Joseph Perez

Unabridged: 2 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/24/2024


Synopsis

Witness the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in this first book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he’s old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf’s father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory.

Rolf doesn’t trust Hans and Nils for a moment. For all their talk of greatness, they act more like bullies, antagonizing shop owners who are Rolf’s friends and neighbors. Yet Romer becomes increasingly obsessed with their message of division, and Rolf watches in horror as his family fractures even further.

When there is an act of vandalism against a Jewish-owned business in town, Rolf fears Romer might have had something to do with it. Can Rolf find a way to intervene before things get any worse?

About Michael P. Spradlin

Michael P. Spradlin is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author of the Spy Goddess series, The Youngest Templar series, and the Web of the Spider series, as well as several works of historical fiction, including the Western Heritage Award–winning Off Like the Wind: The Story of the Pony Express. He currently resides in Lapeer, Michigan, with his wife, daughter, and his schnoodle, Sequoia. Learn more at MichaelSpradlin.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Doreen on September 23, 2024

This first book in The Web Of The Spider series for middle grade readers could not come at a more relevant time! Young Rolf von Heusen is eleven years old in the spring of 1929. His main interests are football and palling around with his friends Ansel and Joshua. He thinks that his hometown of Herold......more

Goodreads review by Mark on June 14, 2024

What worked: This book is historical fiction focusing on a time period not often seen in books for young readers. Many middle-grade readers will know that Hitler took control of Germany and led them into World War ll. This story looks at his rise to power following Germany’s loss in The Great War, Wo......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on July 11, 2024

Rise of the Spider is set in the small town of Heroldsberg, Germany as Adolf Hitler was beginning to rise in popularity and power. Young Rolf and his best friend Ansel watch a duo of Hitler Youth begin a chapter of the paramilitary boys group in their town and see that organization dovetail with the......more