Member Reviews

What a fun and educational Children's Series. It's super-inspiring to read how Children learn to overcome their crippling phobias. I certainly learned more about Spiders than I ever knew, and it didn't pain me a bit. I was super-empathetic to Stink, who starts out severely arachnophobic, then gently crosses the continuum to become not just tolerant, but amazed.

I listened on audio and applaud the Narrator!

This is #Summerween Book One!!

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One day, while playing with his origami frog, Stink comes across something that makes him run back to his house: a giant, hairy spider. Stink is terrified of spiders and refuses to think about them or look at them. He goes to his sister, Judy Moody, to help him get over his fear and find the spider. When she is unable to help, he turns to his friend, Webster, who is determined to teach Stink about tarantulas to help him confront his phobia. Together, they work to help Stink realize that spiders are not as scary as they seem.

Stink and the Hairy, Scary Spider is a hilarious, illustrated chapter book that incorporates problem-solving, scientific discoveries, and desensitization techniques. Stink and his friends try to help him work through his arachnophobia with creative methods, such as using Stink’s passion for origami to help him come to terms with spiders and their features. To accompany the discussion of spiders, this book also features fun illustrations that bring every character to life, especially the eight-legged ones! Additionally, readers can enjoy a bonus origami activity, just like Stink creates in the story. Overall, Stink and the Hairy, Scary Spider is perfect for kids who want to learn about facing their fears in an engaging, easy way.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change.)

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This was the first Stink book I have read, but it was very cute. I think my fourth graders would enjoy reading it. I liked how Stink worked through his phobia and how his friends were supportive rather than making fun of him.

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This is a book about Judy Moody’s little brother, Stink. Stink comes across Spiderzilla, a ginormous spider that is terrifying and even has pink toes.

This is a fun book that includes info about spiders and fun facts at the end. Definitely a great book for early readers to dive into.

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Yet another very good title in the Stink series. Typical format where Stink deals with a certain situation (in this case spiders) and gets teased by his sister, Judy. The book includes many spider facts, some spider riddles, and origami made spiders and frogs. They have the song Itsy Bitsy Spider in Spanish, too. I especially like the puns that his friend Webster makes (web-ster so knows about spider; webster knows a lot of different things because he's named after a dictionary) This is a good choice for kids who are just starting out on chapter books. There are breaks in the story with extended facts, comics, and such that were a bit distracting for me. I would have preferred them all in a section at the end. Also, I think the spider theme was SO overdone in every twist and turn that it was a bit tiresome. Still, it was interesting to see how Stink learned to overcome his fear. My favorite line in the whole book in keeping with Stink's character was on p. 42 when Stink is so curious that he forgets his fear: "the science in Stink won out over the scared in him."

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Stink and the hairy scary spider is a funny book about Stink ( Judy Moodys younger brother) finding a pink toed terrantula in his garden when he was playing with an origami frog he had made out of a dollar bill.

Stink is terrified if spiders and his friends rally round to try to cure him of his arachnophobia.

This book gave me a few giggles as I read it and the additional pages added through the book such as spider jokes, facts, comic strips etc were great little additions.

A quick, easy, fun and enjoyable read!

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When his dollar bill origami frog leap frogs away from him, Stink encounters something really scary in his yard. Spiderzilla!

“A ginormous, hairy, scary, radioactive mutant spider!”

This is definitely not an ordinary spider. After all, it has pink toes!

Determined to get his frog back without having to encounter the arachnid again, Stink enlists the help of his sister, Judy Moody, and his friends, Sophie of the Elves and Webster. Webster, being the wonderful friend he is, decides he’s going to help Stink overcome his arachnophobia.

“But spiders made him shiver. Spiders made his skin crawl. Spiders felt like a thousand tiny prickly feet marching up and down his arms and legs.”

But even with spiders on the brain and his fear threatening to overwhelm him, Stink works hard to face his phobia. He learns he’s not the only one who’s scared of spiders and that there are steps he can take to conquer his fear.

Besides catching up on Stink’s latest adventure, there’s plenty of extra content in this book. Some of the things you’ll find include fun facts about spiders, learning how to make an origami jumping frog and seeing how to make a hand shadow spider. There are also some spider jokes, which are Dad joke quality. My favourite joke was:

“Q. What do you get when you cross a spider with an ear of corn?
A. Cobwebs.”

See? Groan-worthy. Granted, the accompanying picture was what made me laugh.

As usual, Peter H. Reynolds’ illustrations add to the humour. My favourite picture features a rather unconventional arachnid rescue.

After having some problems with the content of the previous ‘Stink’ book, this story was a welcome return to form. I’m looking forward to finding out what Stink gets up to next.

“Freaky-deaky!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

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What a sweet, fun book. Stink is terrified of spiders. One day while exploring outside with his origami frog he stumbles on a pink-toed tarantula. Judy, unafraid of spiders, looks for it for Stink but cannot find it. Stink's friend Webster helps Stink in his quest to conquer his fears

I love the ease of the level of reading for this book. The chapters are short, the illustrations help the text. The story is filled with fun facts about spiders, and the vocabulary is adventurous but not intimidating. This will be a welcome addition to any elementary school library.

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I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick Press through NetGalley.
The latest in this series by McDonald. Stink conquers his fear of spiders with help from his friends. They manage to find and care for a tarantula who is obviously someone's pet. After his family makes him take the spider to the pet shop, he gains a new friend when he meets the pet's owner.
McDonald captures the humor and joy of this age. Readers will find adventure - spider on the loose! - and so much to like about Stink and his friends and family. Mid-elementary readers will relate to these characters. The comics interspersed with text add to the story's fun. McDonald also weaves in fun facts about spiders in almost every chapter.

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I have always been a fan of the Stink book series--I actually prefer Judy Moody’s little brother over her! Although the Stink books are below most of my student’s reading levels, I always make sure to have some on my shelf because they are quick reads and can build some reading confidence for my reluctant readers.

Stink suffers from arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. However, when he discovers a wayward tarantula in his backyard, he gets help from Webster to overcome his fear and rescue the tarantula. I think my students will appreciate the spider facts that are included and the origami especially the included instructions on how to make a creature or two.

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My 7 year old has enjoyed all previous Judy Moody and Stink books, so this was obviously one we wanted to check out. Judging by the fact that he didn't emerge from his room for all of his sister's nap time (thus allowing me to have some solo reading time!), this was a hit!

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