Fangs

Malorie Blackman's Fangs is a funny, quick story for 7 year olds told by a tarantula who's quite sure she's the most gorgeous spider in the universe.

What happens

Fangella has been stuck in a tank in a pet shop window for far too long. People tap on the glass. Plenty pull horrified faces. Nobody ever comes in to buy her, and she's lonely and bored.

Then along comes Nathan, a very serious boy with round glasses, who thinks spiders are beautiful. He's only got five pounds in loose change, but he takes her home anyway.

There's one small problem. Nathan's mum hates spiders. The ones in the bath go down the plughole, and the ones on the carpet go CRUNCH under her foot.

So Nathan has to win Mum round. His first go at breakfast goes badly. Explaining exactly how spiders eat their dinner is NOT the way to charm a spider-hating mum!

His next plan is even worse. Let's just say it involves a jam jar, lots of creepy-crawlies from the garden and a kitchen floor.

The best bit is being inside Fangs's head. She's vain, bossy and very funny about the humans around her. Nathan can't understand a word she says, but she knows exactly how his clever ideas are going to go (and she's usually right). Younger readers will love being one step ahead with her.

Big sister Shelby would rather stand on the sofa than share a house with a tarantula. Baby Nadine, on the other hand, thinks Fangs is lovely.

There's a scary moment with an angry dog near the end, but it's over quickly. There are some real tarantula facts after the story too, if your reader wants the science.

If you've got a child who's ever begged for an unusual pet, they'll be cheering Nathan on all the way.

What to read next

Another boy with a big hairy spider his family won't let him keep turns up in Dirty Bertie, and he finds his one sitting in the bath.