What do you think?
Rate this book
Stitch Head #4
The Spiders Lair
Arabella lands in the dreaded orphanage, and discovers a monstrous spider is feeding on orphans' souls. Stitch Head must help rescue her, but he finds himself caught up in the spider's web of intrigue with no chance of escape.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Guy Bass
72 books48 followersGuy is an award-winning author whose children's books series include Stitch Head, Skeleton Keys, Dinkin Dings, Spynosaur, The Legend of Frog and Atomic! In 2010 Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things won the Blue Peter Award for Most Fun Book with Pictures.
Guy's has also written plays for both adults and children. He has previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags.
Guy spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way.
Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog - yet.
Guy's has also written plays for both adults and children. He has previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags.
Guy spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way.
Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog - yet.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 17, 2017
Кърпена глава на спасителна мисия
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
Налудни книжки с налудни приключения! Може би това е краткото определение за поредицата на Гай Бас. Достатъчно разказвах в предишните ревюта за достойнствата на книжките, но постоянно забелязвам интересни прийоми, използвани от автора и илюстратора, за да изглежда всичко почти перфектно. Въпреки че става въпрос за страшни истории, не мога да определя жанра като детски хорър. Целта тук не е хлапетата да получават изненадващи адреналинови бомби, а да се забавляват и тренират въображението си. Както при повечето детски книги, темите са за приятелството, различията, справедливостта и изпитанията. Като малък действително усещах, че ми трябва повече информация за човешките отношения и отговор на въпроса защо възрастните хора реагират по определен начин. Детските писатели отлично съзнават, че не могат безцелно да нахвърлят разни неща, без да са вложили определен смисъл, който да развие определени възприятия у малките хора. Затова с удоволствие констатирам, че книжките от поредицата стават все по-интригуващи и богати. Гай Бас е на прав път, като усложнява сюжета, а пък хуморът може да допадне дори на батковците и каките. 🙂 Досещате се какъв е смисълът на словосъчетанието „забавна математика“. 😉 В книжките на Гай Бас никой не те съветва пряко как да реагираш в определени ситуации. Това е от полза за хлапетата, които са скарани с четенето, защото смятат, че някой иска да ги контролира и да им поставя ограничителни правила. В страшните книги е истината, ако ме разбирате. 😉 Смятам „Бърлогата на паяка“ („Фют“, 2017, с превод на Ирина Борисова Манушева) за най-добрата книжка дотук, без резерви и неизказани съмнения. Определено си личи ползата от лудешкото въображение на автора.
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
Налудни книжки с налудни приключения! Може би това е краткото определение за поредицата на Гай Бас. Достатъчно разказвах в предишните ревюта за достойнствата на книжките, но постоянно забелязвам интересни прийоми, използвани от автора и илюстратора, за да изглежда всичко почти перфектно. Въпреки че става въпрос за страшни истории, не мога да определя жанра като детски хорър. Целта тук не е хлапетата да получават изненадващи адреналинови бомби, а да се забавляват и тренират въображението си. Както при повечето детски книги, темите са за приятелството, различията, справедливостта и изпитанията. Като малък действително усещах, че ми трябва повече информация за човешките отношения и отговор на въпроса защо възрастните хора реагират по определен начин. Детските писатели отлично съзнават, че не могат безцелно да нахвърлят разни неща, без да са вложили определен смисъл, който да развие определени възприятия у малките хора. Затова с удоволствие констатирам, че книжките от поредицата стават все по-интригуващи и богати. Гай Бас е на прав път, като усложнява сюжета, а пък хуморът може да допадне дори на батковците и каките. 🙂 Досещате се какъв е смисълът на словосъчетанието „забавна математика“. 😉 В книжките на Гай Бас никой не те съветва пряко как да реагираш в определени ситуации. Това е от полза за хлапетата, които са скарани с четенето, защото смятат, че някой иска да ги контролира и да им поставя ограничителни правила. В страшните книги е истината, ако ме разбирате. 😉 Смятам „Бърлогата на паяка“ („Фют“, 2017, с превод на Ирина Борисова Манушева) за най-добрата книжка дотук, без резерви и неизказани съмнения. Определено си личи ползата от лудешкото въображение на автора.
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
July 31, 2022
This was the books that got me into reading books so I'm rating this 5 stars =>
June 14, 2025
Страхотна!🕷️🕸️
March 13, 2024
What worked:
Stick Head is the main character and his greatest quality is helping others. The mismatched creatures living together in a castle care for and support one another as a family of oddities. Stitch Head cleans up all of the messes that result from the doctor’s other creations so he automatically decides to help a human named Arabella escape from an orphanage. Stick Head realizes he doesn’t look completely human so he must maintain a disguise while going undercover. Ivo, a small, slender creature with one arm, will be even more difficult to hide so he pretends to be a doll. Pox, a monkey-bat, and the Creature, a huge three-armed monstrosity, want to help but hiding their appearances is impossible. The gothic illustrations accompanying the narrative artfully help readers visualize the various, unique characters.
Arabella is a curious character as she’s quite contrary and doesn’t need a reason to give someone a quick kick. She even has kicking shoes! While she’s the character who needs to be rescued, she’s not a big part of the action once the plot moves to the orphanage. Initially, Stick Head can’t find her anywhere. The behavior of the other orphans is unexpected as the plot transitions to a sort of mystery with Stitch Head trying to find an explanation. Stitch Head suspects the creepy, watchful professor can see through his disguise but the woman running the place is constantly singing a song about the wonderfulness of being an orphan. Hidden passages are found behind the orphanage walls with one of them leading to the lair of a giant spider!
Not surprisingly, the story includes levity arising from the creations, dialogue, and events. The Creature calls the orphanage the AWFULAGE with some of his loudly spoken words printed in all capital letters. Many of the chapters begin with Mad Musings from crazy Professor Erasmus Erasmus like “Science without madness is like a castle without monsters.” The song Madame Venin repeatedly sings is titled “It’s Not So Awful Being an Orphan” with lines describing a father being a bother and a mother being a nag.
What didn’t work as well:
It would be nice to know more about the creations and their origins, especially Stitch Head. The line between creations and humans isn’t clear except that the creations were made, not born. Stitch Head doesn’t need to eat, but he does in this story, and a couple of comments bring up the question of creation life spans. Stitch Head gets banged around a bit and takes some tumbles but it doesn’t seem to hurt him too badly. I may be the only one with these questions and perhaps more clarity can be gained by reading the previous three books in the series.
The final verdict:
This book is the fourth in the Stitch Head series but it can be read independently. It’s a charming story of friendship with a creative quest to bring everything together. Overall, it’s a fun read and I recommend you give it a shot.
Stick Head is the main character and his greatest quality is helping others. The mismatched creatures living together in a castle care for and support one another as a family of oddities. Stitch Head cleans up all of the messes that result from the doctor’s other creations so he automatically decides to help a human named Arabella escape from an orphanage. Stick Head realizes he doesn’t look completely human so he must maintain a disguise while going undercover. Ivo, a small, slender creature with one arm, will be even more difficult to hide so he pretends to be a doll. Pox, a monkey-bat, and the Creature, a huge three-armed monstrosity, want to help but hiding their appearances is impossible. The gothic illustrations accompanying the narrative artfully help readers visualize the various, unique characters.
Arabella is a curious character as she’s quite contrary and doesn’t need a reason to give someone a quick kick. She even has kicking shoes! While she’s the character who needs to be rescued, she’s not a big part of the action once the plot moves to the orphanage. Initially, Stick Head can’t find her anywhere. The behavior of the other orphans is unexpected as the plot transitions to a sort of mystery with Stitch Head trying to find an explanation. Stitch Head suspects the creepy, watchful professor can see through his disguise but the woman running the place is constantly singing a song about the wonderfulness of being an orphan. Hidden passages are found behind the orphanage walls with one of them leading to the lair of a giant spider!
Not surprisingly, the story includes levity arising from the creations, dialogue, and events. The Creature calls the orphanage the AWFULAGE with some of his loudly spoken words printed in all capital letters. Many of the chapters begin with Mad Musings from crazy Professor Erasmus Erasmus like “Science without madness is like a castle without monsters.” The song Madame Venin repeatedly sings is titled “It’s Not So Awful Being an Orphan” with lines describing a father being a bother and a mother being a nag.
What didn’t work as well:
It would be nice to know more about the creations and their origins, especially Stitch Head. The line between creations and humans isn’t clear except that the creations were made, not born. Stitch Head doesn’t need to eat, but he does in this story, and a couple of comments bring up the question of creation life spans. Stitch Head gets banged around a bit and takes some tumbles but it doesn’t seem to hurt him too badly. I may be the only one with these questions and perhaps more clarity can be gained by reading the previous three books in the series.
The final verdict:
This book is the fourth in the Stitch Head series but it can be read independently. It’s a charming story of friendship with a creative quest to bring everything together. Overall, it’s a fun read and I recommend you give it a shot.
May 24, 2023
I liked the name of the spider was madame Venin because some spiders have venom, so I thought that was a really clever name.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2024
The best one of the series so far, had one of the main characters friends storyline turned out to be really great to get to know one of the other characters better.
December 30, 2024
I absolutely love the stitch head series in the last book a new character ivo was introduced and he’s in this one a lot more and I just adore him
February 28, 2023
I really do enjoy these books - they're just so fun. In this one I did really miss the setting of the castle and Creature wasn't in it nearly enough but I still really enjoyed it and the twist at the end got me, not gunna lie!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2016
First Impression:
Spiders? I hate Spiders but I love Stitch Head. Of course once again I adore this series and the illustrations are just amazing, I am so glad I was able to read this series in Hardcover, the book is just amazing to look at and a pleasure to read.
The Story & Characters:
This story was a bit different than the first and you get to know more about Professor Erasmus. The beginning is a little sad but things, as always, take a turn and it's the friends to the rescue. Arabella is sent to an orphanage and Stitch Head and Ivo set out to find her and bring her back to Gotteskew. This was a little more dark than the other books and had a few fun creepy moments. You get a great back story and I loved all the surprises this book had. This one might be my favorite in the series only because you can really feel the friendship and Stitch Head and Ivo are so funny together. That little guy Ivo is a funny character. Both Ivo and Creature always have a way of making me laugh.
Final Thoughts:
I can't get enough of this series, so much action, twists and turns and just an amazing bunch of characters. Loved all the funny moments and can't recommend this book or the entire series enough. A must read for kids and adults, you will totally fall in love with Stitch Head, he's just to cute not to.
Spiders? I hate Spiders but I love Stitch Head. Of course once again I adore this series and the illustrations are just amazing, I am so glad I was able to read this series in Hardcover, the book is just amazing to look at and a pleasure to read.
The Story & Characters:
This story was a bit different than the first and you get to know more about Professor Erasmus. The beginning is a little sad but things, as always, take a turn and it's the friends to the rescue. Arabella is sent to an orphanage and Stitch Head and Ivo set out to find her and bring her back to Gotteskew. This was a little more dark than the other books and had a few fun creepy moments. You get a great back story and I loved all the surprises this book had. This one might be my favorite in the series only because you can really feel the friendship and Stitch Head and Ivo are so funny together. That little guy Ivo is a funny character. Both Ivo and Creature always have a way of making me laugh.
Final Thoughts:
I can't get enough of this series, so much action, twists and turns and just an amazing bunch of characters. Loved all the funny moments and can't recommend this book or the entire series enough. A must read for kids and adults, you will totally fall in love with Stitch Head, he's just to cute not to.
Thanks for stopping by to check out my review.
Have a great day and Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Because reading is better than real life
December 20, 2014
For more Stitch Head reviews check out my blog www.buzzonbooks.com
This is the last book of the Stitch Head series and I have to say I was not disappointed. Okay, well maybe a little disappointed, but only because it is the last book. I cannot believe that the series is finished.
In this book Stitch Head’s friend Arabella is taken to an orphanage after the death of her Grandmother. Although Stitch Head is unfamiliar with orphanages he knows that Arabella doesn’t want to be there so he sets out on a mission with Ivo to get her back.
When they arrive at the orphanage everyone seems to be having a good time and Madame Venin seems nice. They can’t seem to find Arabella anywhere in the orphanage though! It isn’t until late in the evening that Stitch Head and Ivo hear her voice coming from a hidden corridor. When they head through the corridor they find something absolutely HORRIFIC; a huge colossal spider! Where the story goes from here is absolutely astonishing, and it ties the series together perfectly.
I cannot express enough how disappointed I am that this series is over. I could read these stories over and over again and cannot stress how badly I want Guy Bass to continue writing these.
This is the last book of the Stitch Head series and I have to say I was not disappointed. Okay, well maybe a little disappointed, but only because it is the last book. I cannot believe that the series is finished.
In this book Stitch Head’s friend Arabella is taken to an orphanage after the death of her Grandmother. Although Stitch Head is unfamiliar with orphanages he knows that Arabella doesn’t want to be there so he sets out on a mission with Ivo to get her back.
When they arrive at the orphanage everyone seems to be having a good time and Madame Venin seems nice. They can’t seem to find Arabella anywhere in the orphanage though! It isn’t until late in the evening that Stitch Head and Ivo hear her voice coming from a hidden corridor. When they head through the corridor they find something absolutely HORRIFIC; a huge colossal spider! Where the story goes from here is absolutely astonishing, and it ties the series together perfectly.
I cannot express enough how disappointed I am that this series is over. I could read these stories over and over again and cannot stress how badly I want Guy Bass to continue writing these.
August 22, 2016
Avevo letto TestaCucita tempo fa e mi era piaciuto un sacco, specialmente per le illustrazioni. Sono molto cupe e il nero abbonda, ma i personaggi hanno una loro personalità ben definita anche nel disegno.
Così, oggi ho ripreso questo in mano. Anzi, me l'ha prestato uno dei miei studenti in modo che possa preparargli delle domande per completare una delle tre schede libro che deve scrivere per l'estate.
Mi ha fatto piacere tornare nel mondo di TestaCucita. Purtroppo questo è il quarto volume e io non ho letto né il secondo, né il terzo e quindi c'era qualche riferimento che mi mancava (l'incendio del castello, ad esempio). Però, dai, è una lettura velocissima e divertente.
TestaCucita mi piace moltissimo come personaggio e anche Igo. Di Arabella non sono molto convinta ma Varicella è favolosa.
Va beh, adesso mi dedicherò ai volumi che non ho mai letto. Un paio d'ore e mi rimetto in pari.
Così, oggi ho ripreso questo in mano. Anzi, me l'ha prestato uno dei miei studenti in modo che possa preparargli delle domande per completare una delle tre schede libro che deve scrivere per l'estate.
Mi ha fatto piacere tornare nel mondo di TestaCucita. Purtroppo questo è il quarto volume e io non ho letto né il secondo, né il terzo e quindi c'era qualche riferimento che mi mancava (l'incendio del castello, ad esempio). Però, dai, è una lettura velocissima e divertente.
TestaCucita mi piace moltissimo come personaggio e anche Igo. Di Arabella non sono molto convinta ma Varicella è favolosa.
Va beh, adesso mi dedicherò ai volumi che non ho mai letto. Un paio d'ore e mi rimetto in pari.
March 1, 2015
I was having trouble finding a title for my Chatterbooks group to contrast with the previous book, which was 'Invisible Girl'. I tried several, but for various reasons I wasn't happy with them. Then I saw this one and thought I'd give it a try. It is a delightful little tale, an easy read, and just what I was looking for. It isn't the first Stitch Head story, but I've not read the others and didn't feel that I was lost. There are references which are probably to previous tales, but they weren't essential to the enjoyment of this one.
Stitch Head is a very likeable character. I can see him in a Tim Burton movie. In fact, I can see the whole story as a Tim Burton movie.
Stitch Head is a very likeable character. I can see him in a Tim Burton movie. In fact, I can see the whole story as a Tim Burton movie.
January 9, 2017
I really liked The Spiders Lair and I think other kids should read it too.
My favorite character was Madam Venin (even though she wasn't very nice.) She reminded me of the Other Mother from Coraline. Stitch Head was a pretty good character, but I really liked Ivo because of how he talked. Like when he said "Now we go rescue angry girl!"
It was a mystery for me to figure out what happened. I was shocked when I found out what was happening.
I want to read more Stitch Head!
My favorite character was Madam Venin (even though she wasn't very nice.) She reminded me of the Other Mother from Coraline. Stitch Head was a pretty good character, but I really liked Ivo because of how he talked. Like when he said "Now we go rescue angry girl!"
It was a mystery for me to figure out what happened. I was shocked when I found out what was happening.
I want to read more Stitch Head!
May 17, 2016
Záplaťák je prostě super! Toho musíte mít rádi. A pokud ho ještě neznáte, napravte to. Hned teď!
Knížky jsou nejen parádně graficky upravené, ale jsou vtipné a mají pěkné příběhy.
V pavoučí síti bylo chvilkami i děsivé a dystopické (ten jistý motiv se objevuje docela často). A ke konci napínavé a i smutné.
Záplaťáka mám prostě ráda a doufám, že u nás vyjde i pátý díl.
Knížky jsou nejen parádně graficky upravené, ale jsou vtipné a mají pěkné příběhy.
V pavoučí síti bylo chvilkami i děsivé a dystopické (ten jistý motiv se objevuje docela často). A ke konci napínavé a i smutné.
Záplaťáka mám prostě ráda a doufám, že u nás vyjde i pátý díl.
Read
April 1, 2019I did't get to read it so it was not great at all nooooonoooooooo!😪😫😫😥😥😥😌:(>:(😫😫😪😪😪😪😪😥😥😥
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews