Interview with Michael P. Spradlin, Author of Threat of the Spider
Welcome to Smack Dab, Michael. Please tell us about Threat of the Spider . Threat of the Spider is the second book in the Web of the Spider series, following on the heels of The Rise of the Spider which came out last fall. The series is set in a small town in Germany and follows the lives of several young people during the 1930s and Hitler’s rise to power. How did you come to write a historical fiction series for young readers focusing on Nazi Germany? I had interest in doing a book on the Edelweiss Pirates who were a real group of children that challenged the Nazi regime during the war. After some back and forth with my editor when went back even further looking for the seeds of youthful dissent. It was important to me that readers realize that not everyone German citizen supported Hitler or the Nazi party. Especially at the beginning. Ansel’s “Unassailable Facts of Life” are such a memorable part of his character. How did you develop this quirk? Do any of these s...
