Cobwebs
Ages 12 up, 400 pages
Weaving, jumping, spinning, spitting, healing, sailing on spinnerets…what kind will Nancy turn out to be?
The pattern will change … because I am here.
from the flap:
A girl walks across the Brooklyn Bridge, a backpack full of knitting slung over her shoulder, a green fish kite in her hand.
A boy balances on the bridge's crisscross webbing, waiting for the girl to pass.
Are they angels? Spiders? In love? Or in danger? Once they connect, they'll start a chain of events that could stretch out smoothly like the river below them –– or become knotted like a tangled web of spider silk.
excerpts:
• And then she was doing it. There was only one way to get from Ned’s roof to the next: Jump. There was no gap to fall into, just the different roof levels to account for, and the walls to cross. Jump. So what if she’d never done such a thing before. So what if going down the walls scared the snot out of her. If only she had silk.
She didn’t. She tried to put thoughts out of her head and just blast along.
I can do this. (Maybe.)
Climb the wall. (Just like the other time.)
Don't think twice. (Yeah, right.)
Leap for it. (Only as far as absolutely necessary.)
Land on all fours on the next roof. )Ow. No, actually it didn’t hurt. Why doesn’t it hurt?)
Jump up and run.
•“What are you afraid might happen?” asked Ned.
“I’m afraid of splattering!”
He nodded. “I thought you were small but wiry.”
Nancy grinned. It was what she always said. But now: “If only I had spinnerets…”
Spinnerets made lines like bungee cords. They saved your fall. But Nancy didn’t have them. Yet. Would she ever? She had grown lately, it was true. Her hair was longer and her legs were longer and Granny said her face was bony now, not soft. Her chest wasn’t bony anymore. Still, there were no spinnerets inside her, no silk.
from the reviewers:
“The author deftly creates an intriguing web that draws readers into the alternate universe of Nancy and her family. It’s smart, sometimes poetic, with incredible images of the cityscape and its inhabitants.” ––KLIATT (starred review)
“Includes many appealing elements –– the vertiginous view of Brooklyn and the tender, budding romance between Nancy and Dion to name two.” –– Publishers Weekly
“Some readers may be mystified by the story strands’ refusal to braid neatly together; others, especially teens of an artistic, assertively alternative stripe, will happily immerse themselves in the poetic, free-associative narrative.” –– Booklist
“So far, Nancy is neither spier not healer, and she can’t get her parents to tell her why. She meets strange, ghostly Dion as he balances on a high railing above the East River, and feels an obvious connection. Their families have more in common than they know, and the author unravels this web of connections one deliberate and deftly foreshadowed thread at a time. Young’s prose is simple and graceful, and her depictions, including several freakishly authentic New York neighborhoods, are subtly drawn.” –– School Library Journal
“Cobwebs, by Karen Romano Young, (Greenwillow, 2004) – Nancy Greene–Kara leads a strange life, dancing her way between her father’s rooftop dwelling and her mother’s basement apartment, finding a middle ground on the streets of Brooklyn. The child of two distinct and disparate heritages (her father a child of Anansi, the African–Jamaican spider trickster figure, her mother a descendant of Scottish orb weaver spiders such as inspired Robert the Bruce), Nancy is balanced between the two, though as of yet, displaying characteristics of neither. But that’s all about to change, as Nancy stands poised on the edge of something rich and special. But will she understand what’s happening to her body and her heart in time to harness the power and take charge of her life? And just how does the strange young man, Dion, who’s been following her, tie in to it all? As if that wasn’t enough, Nancy’s family is hiding mysteries left and right, and there’s the matter of the Angel of Brooklyn, the unseen figure who stops muggings and other crimes by dropping things off rooftops. But it’s all part of growing up when you’re part of the hidden magic of the world, and Nancy’s time of self–discovery, though it comes at some cost, will open the door to a wider existence.
Imagine if Charles de Lint and Francesca Lia Block got together for a jam session, and the result was a coming–of–age romance set on the rooftops of Brooklyn. The blending of the everyday world and the hidden magic is seamless, the text weaving its spell like a patient spider of its own. Karen Romano Young really manages to bring out the lure of the urban environment, infusing it with a rare love and sense of mystique. This was one of those books I just couldn’t put down until I was finished. She’s a worthy and welcome addition to the urban fantasy genre, and I hope we see more of her soon.” –– Michael M. Jones, Schrödinger’s Bookshelf blog
from the fans:
“I was deeply touched by Dion and how he shaved off all his hair in order not to be seen.” –– Claire
“I read your book and liked it very very much.” –– Marianne
about the artwork:
Oh, isn’t the design so beautiful? It’s the work of Chad Beckerman, who also told me wonderful stories about his Brooklyn rooftop apartment. Thanks, Chad, for working so hard on the design (it won an award, you know), and for taking so much care to make every chapter opener different.
A weird fact about this book:
There were spiders all over my desk while I wrote this book. Well, I work in a barn, so there are often barn spiders, but during this time someone must have laid an egg. It hatched, and tiny spiders as small as pinheads were all over my keyboard and desk. In their honor I named my computer “Charlotte.”
Another weird fact about this book:
I found five books that were printed completely upside–down. Very groovy, I think.
How to make a spider ambulance:
Here’s how to get rid of a spider (any bug) you don’t want. You’ll need a glass or jar and a postcard or envelope or something else kind of thin and stiff. Place the glass open-side down over the spider (you need to do this on a flat surface –– a wall or floor or desk –– so it’s completely trapped). Now, with the glass held down firmly, slip the card underneath bit by bit, giving the spider time to climb up the glass or over the card. Next, holding the card FIRMLY over the opening, lift up the glass and card and carry it outside. Making an ambulance siren sound is optional. This is also your opportunity to take a close look at the spider to see if it might be someone you know. (See chapter 41.) Take the glass off and shake out the spider, or just put it down and get out of the way.
My pet count during this book:
two dogs, two cats, one beta fish, lots of baby spiders
Yogi, Rosie, PuttPutt, Stuart, Morris, Charlotte’s children
Check out the Awards and Honors for this book.
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