Status
Available
Local notes
Fic Nim
Collection
Series
Publication
Orchard Books (2006), Edition: 1, 146 pages. $9.99.
Description
Gifts from Gwyn's grandmother on his ninth birthday open up a whole new world to him, as he discovers he has magical powers that help him heal the breach with his father that has existed ever since his sister's mysterious disappearance four years before.
Awards
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (1986)
Tir na n-Og Award (Winner — English — 1987)
Original language
English
Original publication date
1986 (England)
2006 (US)
Physical description
146 p.; 8.34 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member the_hag
The Snow Spider is the first book in a new Trilogy (The Magician's Trilogy, no less) by Jenny Nimmo and I have to say, it's a delightful read. I was pleased to see a mix of fantasy and Welsh folklore/mythology...not exactly something you see everyday in kid's fiction and it makes for an interesting
As Snow Spider starts out Gwyn has been given five rather unusual birthday presents (A scarf, a brooch, a broken wooden horse, a whistle, and a bit of seaweed)...items which initially seem like the silly gifts of a grandma whose maybe gone a little dotty, but which ultimately serve as his entrance into a whole new world. As it turns out, Nain is right, Gwyn IS descended from a long line of magicians and it is through these gifts that he can reclaim this birth right.
It all starts with the offering of the broach, which brings him the mysterious spider Airanwen, a very special spider indeed. There are elements to Snow Spider that seem common with most children's fantasy stories...Gwyn's father is mean to him on his birthday because he blames the boy for his sister's disappearance four years earlier, he's got a plucky best friend, and while the adults in this story are largely caring, Gwyn is offered lots of opportunities to be out on his own and be the hero of his magical little story.
Overall, The Snow Spider is a wonderfully magical start to a new series and we are eagerly awaiting the next installment (due out this month). I give Snow Spider five stars; it's a short read that manages to deliver a fantastic story that leaves the reader wanting more!
Show More
read! In this first book of the trilogy we are introduced to a group of characters that I suspect will be with us for the entire series. The main character is Gwyn a young man celebrating his tenth birthday as the story begins. We also have his Nain (grandmother) a kind of kooky but loveable woman who initiates Gwyn into his destiny; Mr. & Mrs. Griffiths his parents; Bethan, Gwyn's sister who has been missing for four years; Alun Loyd (and the entire Loyd family) his best friend; and Erlys the pale girl who plays an interesting part in the whole story. As Snow Spider starts out Gwyn has been given five rather unusual birthday presents (A scarf, a brooch, a broken wooden horse, a whistle, and a bit of seaweed)...items which initially seem like the silly gifts of a grandma whose maybe gone a little dotty, but which ultimately serve as his entrance into a whole new world. As it turns out, Nain is right, Gwyn IS descended from a long line of magicians and it is through these gifts that he can reclaim this birth right.
It all starts with the offering of the broach, which brings him the mysterious spider Airanwen, a very special spider indeed. There are elements to Snow Spider that seem common with most children's fantasy stories...Gwyn's father is mean to him on his birthday because he blames the boy for his sister's disappearance four years earlier, he's got a plucky best friend, and while the adults in this story are largely caring, Gwyn is offered lots of opportunities to be out on his own and be the hero of his magical little story.
Overall, The Snow Spider is a wonderfully magical start to a new series and we are eagerly awaiting the next installment (due out this month). I give Snow Spider five stars; it's a short read that manages to deliver a fantastic story that leaves the reader wanting more!
Show Less
LibraryThing member wiremonkey
Oh how I enjoyed this book! I don't know why- maybe it is the heavy, forboding weather we are having, maybe it is just because it is a darn fine book, but I could not put it down. Set in Wales, the Snow Spider trilogy is about Gwyn Gwydion, who finds out he is descended from one of the fabled Welsh
Show More
wizards. He has inherited the power, but does not know how to use it properly. The characters are well rounded and grow with the story. Difficult issues are explored such as the yearning for a lost sister, the feeling of being an outcast or a good for nothing. Nimmo tells a ripping good story as well, weaving action, adventure and terror all into one! Show Less
LibraryThing member JNSelko
I read this in class, and almost every kid read the next two books!
LibraryThing member cars27
it was an ok book it isn't my favourite.
LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This book just struck me as odd and not terribly suspenseful. I saw that the basic elements of an exciting storyline were all there. The characters just didn't act on them. It seemed like the story happened to the characters rather than their being activ participants in it. I don't know if that
Show More
makes a lot of sense, but that's my take on the matter. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
His sister disappeared and his family has never been the same. Now it’s Gwyn’s birthday and his grandmother has given him five odd gifts. He must learn first if he has inherited the family secret; is he a magician? And then one night a snow spider appears and begins to weave a magical web. Can
Show More
Gwyn be a magician? And can he find a way to return his sister to the world? Show Less
LibraryThing member 68papyrus
I wasn't a fan of the Charlie Bone books but decided to give this book a try. I listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Jack Keating. While I enjoyed this book better than the Charlie Bone books I still felt the dialogue was a bit stilted and that the plot wasn't developed enough. I'm rating
Show More
this book a three because it was an interesting premise and the audiobook narration was well done. Show Less
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
I didn't enjoy this book. I found the characters flat, especially Gwyn. who sometimes acted his age and other times behaved as a much younger protagonist. Overall, I found "The Snow Spider" strange and unappealing, and definitely not for me!
LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
the short of it—kids book based in Ireland, very fanciful, filled with magic and puzzles, i don't quite get where it was headed
LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
the short of it—kids book based in Ireland, very fanciful, filled with magic and puzzles, i don't quite get where it was headed
Similar in this library
Pages
146