The Spider Lady

By Penny Parker Klostermann, Anne Lambelet (Illustrator)

A woman harnesses spider silk to aid the war effort, risking danger for innovation.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 174 ratings

48 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In WWII California, Nan Songer turns her home into a spider sanctuary, breeding venomous black widows to harvest their silk. Her daring experiments aim to supply the military with stronger rifle crosshairs. As she navigates the perilous world of arachnids, Nan's ingenuity could change the course of the war. Will her silk-spinning efforts succeed, or will the dangers of her eight-legged allies prove too great? Discover the untold story of a woman whose scientific curiosity and patriotism led her to the brink of discovery and danger.

From the publisher

An ALSC Notable Children’s BookNSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book2026 NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book WinnerCCBC Choices 2026A Bank Street Best Book Perfect for kids who are fascinated by insects and American history, here is the story of Nan Songer, a little-known hero of World War II, who collected and bred spiders in her home and found new ways to use their silk to help the United States win the war. Venomous spiders, delicate silk, and science experiments filled Nan Songer’s days and nights–her home in California overflowed with many-legged critters. With inspiration from a friend, Nan began to study how spider silk could be harvested. The finely woven material spiders used to create webs was much stronger than it looked, and Nan was eager to unlock its potential and hopefully help her country at the same time. At the height of WWII, she studied different spiders before landing on the poisonous black widow as the perfect spider to experiment with. Their strong silk could be used for crosshairs on rifles, which Nan used to fill massive orders for the US military. Despite the danger posed by black widows, Nan wasn’t deterred–she wanted to play her part. Using a device she built for extracting silk, Nan humanely used it on the deadly spiders to get both extra fine and super heavy silk.

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