Snow Spider

Written by Jenny Nimmo

Narrated by John Keating

Jenny Nimmo's award-winning SNOW SPIDER TRILOGY is back as an exciting Orchard Books fantasy series!

On Gwyn's 9th birthday, his grandmother tells him he may be a magician, like his Welsh ancestors. She gives him five gifts to help him - a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. One blustery day, unsure what to do with his newfound magic, Gwyn throws the brooch to the wind and receives a silvery snow spider in return. Will he be able to use this special spider to bring his missing sister, Bethan, home? THE SNOW SPIDER spins an icy, sparkly web of mystical intrigue that sets the stage for the next two books in this outstanding trilogy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9780545047180

Jenny Nimmo

Jenny Nimmo has been an actor, researcher, floor-manager and script editor for children’s television. Her first book ‘The Bronze Trumpeter’ was published in 1975. ‘The Snow Spider’ won the Tir na N’Og award and the Smarties Grand Prix. Her most recent book, for older readers, is ‘Milo’s Wolves’. Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire and now lives in Wales with her artist husband and three bi-lingual children.

Reviews for Snow Spider

[Artamys Bandali · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent reading experience. I recalled reading this before but the second reading was even better. Magic and mystery. Relatable characters.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

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!

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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

[68papyrus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 this book a three because it was an interesting premise and the audiobook narration was well done.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 Gwyn be a magician? And can he find a way to return his sister to the world?

[matthewbloome · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

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 makes a lot of sense, but that's my take on the matter.

[cars27_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

it was an ok book it isn't my favourite.

[jnselko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this in class, and almost every kid read the next two books!

[the_hag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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!

[wiremonkey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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!