Anasti, Tedd & Cameron-Anasti, Patsy. Spider riders; the shards of the oracle.

ANASTI, Tedd & CAMERON-ANASTI, Patsy. Spider riders; the shards of the oracle. Newmarket Press. 213p. illus, c2004. 1-55704652-2. $5.99. J

Hunter Steele is an ordinary kid: he likes video games, and he's afraid of spiders. That is, until he falls down a hole to the center of the Earth and ends up in Arachnia, a land where a race of humans called Turandot are at war with giant insects called Insectors. The Turandot are protected by Spider Riders, young warriors who ride giant spiders with whom they communicate telepathically. Seeing it as his only chance home, Hunter undergoes a series of trials to become a Spider Rider, bonding with a spider and helping to save his new friends from their Insector enemies.

This book is dressed up like a cartoon spin-off, though to my knowledge it's an original work. For all its pseudo-anime illustrations and outlandish premise, this is a fun tale with some creative ideas. It moves quickly, like any good adventure novel should, and the battle plans play out cleverly. This isn't the best-written book in the world, but it's engaging--a good choice for younger male readers, especially those who think they'd rather be watching TV. Samantha Musher, Asst. Libn., Sys. & Cat., Dana Hall Scb., Wellesley, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.