Threat of the Spider, Michael P. Spradlin
Threat of the Spider, Michael P. Spradlin
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.19
Club: $7.49

Threat of the Spider

Author: Michael P. Spradlin

Narrator: Andrew Joseph Perez

Unabridged: 2 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/24/2025


Synopsis

A twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

Ansel has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. He’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to make his friends laugh.

But more and more of his classmates have been swayed by Hans’s tactics and the Youth organization is growing throughout the city. Ansel knows that Hans and his group are spreading false information—after all, Ansel’s father is a journalist for the local paper and has been going toe to toe with Nazi propaganda for a long time.

Then Ansel’s father goes missing right before a prominent Nazi leader comes to town. With the local police in the Nazi’s pocket, can Ansel and his friends use their detective skills to find his father and thwart the Nazi’s plans to suppress the truth?

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 June 23, 2025

3.5 stars rounded up for the importance of the message. Oh, huh, I didn't realize that this second book in The Web Of The Spider series would have a different protagonist than the first one, but it makes sense! In Rise Of The Spider, our narrator was young Rolf, who watched with growing horror as the......more

Goodreads review by Mark on April 23, 2025

What worked: The previous book featured Rolf, while his loud-mouthed friend Ansel is the main character this time. The Hitler Youth group is gaining popularity, but Ansel has no problem taunting and antagonizing them. Many of his comments are directed at Hans, a local leader of the youth group. Howev......more

Goodreads review by Tonja on June 25, 2025

Serious moments of the time period hit with power, while balancing just enough humor to keep it digestible for the intended audience. This is the 2nd book in the series, and while I didn't read the 1st, it doesn't seem to be an issue, since this book goes into a different main character (the best fri......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on June 12, 2025

Michael Spradlin opened his Web of the Spider series with Rise of the Spider and main character Rolf who loses his brother Romer to the Hitler Youth program that has just formed in their small town in the Bavarian region of Germany in 1930. His best friend Ansel picks up the story in this book 2 whe......more

Goodreads review by Tanja ~ KT Book Reviews on June 11, 2025

Book two in Michael P. Spradlin's The Web of the Spider series is here. YA audiences with a liking for history are sure to enjoy this thought-provoking and teachable read. Learning to speak up when you feel as if you're on the outside of everyone around you isn't always easy, but truth and honesty s......more