Waila on the Hiking Trail Full Summary

Have you ever walked into a spider's web and experienced that creepy, sticky feeling of silk clinging to your face and tangling in your hair-- well, it's enough to ruin anyone's day! But did you ever think of how the spider felt? This is the story of Waila, the determined little spider, who spun her web, of all places, straight across a hiking trail. It's the classic underdog story of courage in the face of impossible odds-- with a twist. 

In the story, Waila baffles her family and friends by spinning her web not within in the safety of the woods, but out in the open where passing hikers trample through it in droves. By day, Waila is knocked around, dodging boots and walking staffs. By night, she works ceaselessly to rebuild her tarnished web.

At its heart, Waila on the Hiking Trail is a lesson in dealing with harsh criticism, encouraging young readers not to hide away from those who might tramp and stamp over their hard work, but to grow stronger with every hard knock. In place of the classic fairytale ending is a sharp and startling conclusion that will have readers, young and old, laughing in both joy and shock as all of Waila's hard work pays off.

Waila is for the young readers who would go on to collect R.L Stein's Goosebumps or Alvin Schwartz' Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Like a Tim Burton lullaby, Waila on the Hiking Trail blends the sweet with the macabre, subverting the fairytale genre. The energetic pace of the verse paired with the dark humor make for a lively read-out-loud experience that parents and children will want to revisit again and again.