SOLVED. A magical realism/fantasy teen book with a giant spider friend and a magical web pocket dimension. [s]

[Remy]

I believe this was from a series, although I don't know that for sure, or whether it was even book one. If it was a series, I only read this one. It was set in (ostensibly) the real world, but with fantastical parallel universes or something similar that most people are unaware of.

I think the protagonist was a boy. He had some kind of connection to some kind of like, spider god thing. A big spider friend. It gave him some kind of powers I think. One of those powers was that he could enter a sort of web-themed pocket dimension, like his own little personal space. The problem was, time didn't pass while he was in there, so if he spent too much time inside, it would seem to his friends/family as if he had aged more than he should have.

The pocket dimension stuff was a relatively minor part of the book, but it's the main thing I remember. I have no idea what the plot was about at all. I don't know what year I read it, at a very rough guess maybe between 1999 and 2004?

[Zev]

This might be one I'm looking for too. It's part of a series. He helps aliens with math (?) And they pay him in valuable Earth jewels. The spider's name is Bekla and she speaks in thought-speak. This would have been in the same time frame you listed because people saw the thought-speak as plagiarizing the Animorphs series.

Edited to correct a spelling errror.

[Becca]

Lost and Found by Duncan Long has a giant spider called Bekla.

[Remy]

Becca wrote: "Lost and Found by Duncan Long has a giant spider called Bekla."

That was it!!! Thank you so much!