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Novalee and the Spider Secret
My secret sits at the back of my throat like a balled-up spider. I don't like it there. Who would? Spider secrets are the worst. For a whole year, I've been trying to figure out a way to get this one out, but I'm afraid if I move, that secret might stretch out its legs and crawl down my throat, all the way to my stomach where I'll never be able to reach it. Shy Novalee starts the fourth grade determined to make friends. When her mom finds her grandfather's violin, Nova decides to take fiddle lessons to impress her classmates. To her surprise, she's a natural musician, and she even makes a few friends. But Nova's world soon tumbles out of control. Her violin teacher makes too many demands, and before long, she's keeping secrets that threaten her universe. She must find the courage, voice, and persistence to confront the spider secret, but how can she?
152 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 9, 2018
Novalee and the Spider Secret ripped my heart out and tore it up into little shreds. But it also made me laugh. And above all it made me feel a huge amount of gratefulness that the author would care enough about the subject of childhood sexual abuse to get this story out there. This is a must-read with your children. If they have been lucky enough not to have suffered a similar situation, statistics say that one of their friends has. The message of this book is that sharing harmful secrets is not only okay, but it is the path to healing. Kudos to Lori Stephens for having the courage to tell this story.
January 5, 2019
It's been a long time since I was in the fourth grade. Lori Ann Stephens' Novalee and the Spider Secret took me back because of her narrator's desires, even though her life was quite different from mine. Stephens explores Nova's uncertainty about her feelings, about friendship, about right and wrong, and about getting along in the world. She opens up Nova—and at the same time she opens up readers.
At the beginning of fourth grade, Nova wants friends and acceptance. She wants to stop judging everything that comes out of her mouth. When her mom finds an old violin in the attic, she's intrigued and takes lessons from a man named Jimmy whose affection and neediness make her uncomfortable. She's not exactly sure that he's done something wrong. She just knows that being alone with him makes her feel icky. Creepy. She doesn't want to be his special friend.
Telling anyone her feelings is unthinkable, but eventually she blurts them out to Toby, a boy who likes her even when she was mean to him. Toby advises her to talk to her mother. Though the results are unsatisfactory at first, he goes with her to make sure her mother hears what she's saying. By the end of the book she finds that courage matters. She finds her voice and she gets a friend, though he's not the one she wanted.
At first I was enchanted with Stephens' language. It was clear and appropriately sophisticated for middle graders. Best of all, it was dotted with lovely metaphors. As the story developed, I became more and more intrigued by the plot. The tone, the issues, and the resolution are all right on target. Stephens is a skilled writer with a knack for telling stories that young people need to hear. Get a copy for your grandchild or her/his teacher. It's a great conversation starter as well as an effective and important story.
by B. Lynn Goodwin
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
At the beginning of fourth grade, Nova wants friends and acceptance. She wants to stop judging everything that comes out of her mouth. When her mom finds an old violin in the attic, she's intrigued and takes lessons from a man named Jimmy whose affection and neediness make her uncomfortable. She's not exactly sure that he's done something wrong. She just knows that being alone with him makes her feel icky. Creepy. She doesn't want to be his special friend.
Telling anyone her feelings is unthinkable, but eventually she blurts them out to Toby, a boy who likes her even when she was mean to him. Toby advises her to talk to her mother. Though the results are unsatisfactory at first, he goes with her to make sure her mother hears what she's saying. By the end of the book she finds that courage matters. She finds her voice and she gets a friend, though he's not the one she wanted.
At first I was enchanted with Stephens' language. It was clear and appropriately sophisticated for middle graders. Best of all, it was dotted with lovely metaphors. As the story developed, I became more and more intrigued by the plot. The tone, the issues, and the resolution are all right on target. Stephens is a skilled writer with a knack for telling stories that young people need to hear. Get a copy for your grandchild or her/his teacher. It's a great conversation starter as well as an effective and important story.
by B. Lynn Goodwin
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
March 3, 2019
With flashes of poetry such as, "I felt grown up, but also kind of fragile, like a butterfly in a ceiling fan store," and deep sensitivity, Stephens immerses us in the mind of Nova, a girl who wants to be more outgoing and brave this school year. Nova starts to make friends and tries not to feel ashamed of her second-hand clothing, but she's hoping that learning violin will really get her noticed. However, Nova finds herself in the clutches of a private lesson teacher whose behavior crosses from overly familiar to inappropriate to predatory. This experience undermines her newfound confidence and strains her relationship with her mom, who doesn't at first realize the severity of the situation. Tension stems from the reader's hope that Nova can somehow stop this nightmare and tell an adult. Stephens expertly shows the web of emotional knots that tie Nova to her teacher. Thankfully, a true friend steps up to help Nova speak her truth. This book will be appreciated by a teen audience and even younger readers who are, after all, living in a world where adults can abuse their power.
February 12, 2020
It’s been a long time since I was in the fourth grade. Lori Ann Stephens’ Novalee and the Spider Secrettook me back because of her narrator’s desires, even though her life was quite different from mine. Stephens explores Nova’s uncertainty about her feelings, about friendship, about right and wrong, and about getting along in the world. She opens up Nova and at the same time she opens up readers.
At the beginning of fourth grade, Nova wants friends and acceptance. She wants to stop judging everything that comes out of her mouth. When her mom finds an old violin in the attic, she’s intrigued and takes lessons from a man named Jimmy whose affection and neediness make her uncomfortable. She’s not exactly sure that he’s done something wrong. She just knows that being alone with him makes her feel icky. Creepy. She doesn’t want to be his special friend.
Telling anyone her feelings is unthinkable, but eventually she blurts them out to Toby, a boy who likes her even when she was mean to him. Toby advises her to talk to her mother. Though the results are unsatisfactory at first, he goes with her to make sure her mother hears what she’s saying. By the end of the book she finds that courage matters. She finds her voice and she gets a friend, though he’s not the one she wanted.
At first I was enchanted with Stephens’ language. It was clear and appropriately sophisticated for middle graders. Best of all, it was dotted with lovely metaphors. As the story developed, I became more and more intrigued by the plot. The tone, the issues, and the resolution are all right on target. Stephens is a skilled writer with a knack for telling stories that young people need to hear if this one is any example. Get a copy for your grand child or her/his teacher. It’s a great conversation starter as well as an effective and important story.
This review was originally published at storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/no...
At the beginning of fourth grade, Nova wants friends and acceptance. She wants to stop judging everything that comes out of her mouth. When her mom finds an old violin in the attic, she’s intrigued and takes lessons from a man named Jimmy whose affection and neediness make her uncomfortable. She’s not exactly sure that he’s done something wrong. She just knows that being alone with him makes her feel icky. Creepy. She doesn’t want to be his special friend.
Telling anyone her feelings is unthinkable, but eventually she blurts them out to Toby, a boy who likes her even when she was mean to him. Toby advises her to talk to her mother. Though the results are unsatisfactory at first, he goes with her to make sure her mother hears what she’s saying. By the end of the book she finds that courage matters. She finds her voice and she gets a friend, though he’s not the one she wanted.
At first I was enchanted with Stephens’ language. It was clear and appropriately sophisticated for middle graders. Best of all, it was dotted with lovely metaphors. As the story developed, I became more and more intrigued by the plot. The tone, the issues, and the resolution are all right on target. Stephens is a skilled writer with a knack for telling stories that young people need to hear if this one is any example. Get a copy for your grand child or her/his teacher. It’s a great conversation starter as well as an effective and important story.
This review was originally published at storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/no...
January 16, 2021
I had no idea what this book was about when I bought it.
Every kid/young adult should read this.
Every kid/young adult should read this.
June 15, 2023
Reviewed by Matthew Vesley on www.rowanglassworks.org.
Novalee and the Spider Secret could be a catalyst for the younger generation, empowering the novel’s readers in the same vein as the #MeToo movement, which empowers people all around the nation to speak up about their sexual abuse. From the point of view of a young girl who is sexually abused, Lori Ann Stephens’ novel is special as it caters to a pre-teen audience.
Stephens introduces us to Novalee, or Nova, the elementary-aged middle child of an extraordinarily ordinary family. Novalee struggles with making friends mostly because of her name, because no one wants to sit next to a girl named Nova who might explode – get it, supernova…it’s elementary school logic.
She arguably hits on every elementary novel protagonist trope, except she has a spider secret. This secret is like a spider inside Nova that wants to crawl out, but there’s a web inside that won’t let it – a web of silence, guilt, and disbelief. She has one thing that makes her want to die, and it’s her violin teacher kissing her inappropriately.
Addressing such a timely subject is no easy feat, and Stephens hits the nail on this head with this poignant narrative. Novalee is relatable on a level beyond the text. We get to see her life unfold outside the heavy torment she receives while in her violin lessons, following her through elementary school, wanting to be friends with the popular girls, Missy and Della, while the boy with snot always dripping down his nose, Toby, tries to be Nova’s friend with little luck at first. The narrative is fast-paced, like any good middle grade novel, keeping the attention of the younger target audience and offering an accessible read.
Some sections of the narrative are (understandably) disturbing, and may not be manageable to some readers. Perhaps the text could have used a content trigger warning; however, it should be experienced by an adult audience as well. The narrative, as a whole, is perfectly crafted to present a reflection of real life experiences that have been lived time and time again without any real discourse. Novalee represents every person who is afraid to speak up, who has been guilted into sacrificing their own happiness for someone who only takes, who has felt helpless. The narrative fits well into the larger rhetorical discourse of sexual abuse. What gives it a spot of its own is its middle grade audience. Discovering a narrative that fits on the bookshelf of an elementary school and in a larger cultural discourse is a rarity.
Read Novalee and the Spider Secret. The narrative is easily accessible to all ages and provides an engaging story with takeaways for everyone. If you like the way Perks of Being a Wallflower plays out, Nova’s story will similarly enrapture you. Stephens manages to capture the balance between a story its young audience can digest, while also presenting timely commentary on heavy issues. Nova’s spider secret is universal, a web of silence our society has been stuck in for far too long; stuck in the web, children and adults aren’t so different. The book empowers and enlightens, and Nova’s narrative voice makes it all a poignant experience.
Novalee and the Spider Secret could be a catalyst for the younger generation, empowering the novel’s readers in the same vein as the #MeToo movement, which empowers people all around the nation to speak up about their sexual abuse. From the point of view of a young girl who is sexually abused, Lori Ann Stephens’ novel is special as it caters to a pre-teen audience.
Stephens introduces us to Novalee, or Nova, the elementary-aged middle child of an extraordinarily ordinary family. Novalee struggles with making friends mostly because of her name, because no one wants to sit next to a girl named Nova who might explode – get it, supernova…it’s elementary school logic.
She arguably hits on every elementary novel protagonist trope, except she has a spider secret. This secret is like a spider inside Nova that wants to crawl out, but there’s a web inside that won’t let it – a web of silence, guilt, and disbelief. She has one thing that makes her want to die, and it’s her violin teacher kissing her inappropriately.
Addressing such a timely subject is no easy feat, and Stephens hits the nail on this head with this poignant narrative. Novalee is relatable on a level beyond the text. We get to see her life unfold outside the heavy torment she receives while in her violin lessons, following her through elementary school, wanting to be friends with the popular girls, Missy and Della, while the boy with snot always dripping down his nose, Toby, tries to be Nova’s friend with little luck at first. The narrative is fast-paced, like any good middle grade novel, keeping the attention of the younger target audience and offering an accessible read.
Some sections of the narrative are (understandably) disturbing, and may not be manageable to some readers. Perhaps the text could have used a content trigger warning; however, it should be experienced by an adult audience as well. The narrative, as a whole, is perfectly crafted to present a reflection of real life experiences that have been lived time and time again without any real discourse. Novalee represents every person who is afraid to speak up, who has been guilted into sacrificing their own happiness for someone who only takes, who has felt helpless. The narrative fits well into the larger rhetorical discourse of sexual abuse. What gives it a spot of its own is its middle grade audience. Discovering a narrative that fits on the bookshelf of an elementary school and in a larger cultural discourse is a rarity.
Read Novalee and the Spider Secret. The narrative is easily accessible to all ages and provides an engaging story with takeaways for everyone. If you like the way Perks of Being a Wallflower plays out, Nova’s story will similarly enrapture you. Stephens manages to capture the balance between a story its young audience can digest, while also presenting timely commentary on heavy issues. Nova’s spider secret is universal, a web of silence our society has been stuck in for far too long; stuck in the web, children and adults aren’t so different. The book empowers and enlightens, and Nova’s narrative voice makes it all a poignant experience.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews