Find a book
Donate
book cover

Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Spiders

by Katie & Kevin Tsang, illustrated by Nathan Reed

Interest age: 6 to 11
Reading age: 7+

Published by Farshore, 2019

  • Funny

About this book

Sam Wu has been working hard on his bravery, facing down dangerous sharks, ghosts and the dark – not to mention the annoying class bully Ralph Philip Zinkerman the Third, who just won’t leave him alone. So when one of his teachers brings a bird-eating tarantula into the classroom, Sam definitely isn’t scared. And he really, really isn’t scared when he finds out later that day that the tarantula is on the loose in the school…

Will Sam be able to master his spider phobia, or will it finally overwhelm him? And why does he need his sister’s cat Butterbutt’s help?

The fourth book in Katie and Kevin Tsang’s warm, relatable comedy series features a new challenge for Sam and another opportunity for him to work together with his friends on a solution, all the while subtly reminding us that bullies are also usually people with their own worries – and that being scared isn’t anything to be scared of. It’s also always a joy when we see Sam’s Chinese family, authentically represented in these chapter books for younger readers.

About the author

Katherine Webber is originally from California but currently lives in London. She has also lived and worked in Hong Kong, Maui, and Atlanta.

Her debut YA novel Wing Jones was published by Walker Books in the UK and Penguin Random House/Delacorte in the US. Katherine also writes the young fiction series Sam Wu is Not Afraid as Katie Tsang with her husband Kevin Tsang. 

Katherine is a former BookTrust employee and we all miss her terribly!

About the author

Kevin Tsang was born in Copenhagen in 1987 to Hong Kong Chinese parents and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s lived and worked in the USA, Australia and Hong Kong, and is currently based in London.

Kevin is the co-author of the young fiction series Sam Wu is Not Afraid, which he writes with his wife, author Katie Tsang (nee Katherine Webber). The series was inspired by wanting to see more books featuring children from Asian heritage backgrounds but which are accessible and enjoyable to all children. Some of Sam Wu’s experiences are based on Kevin’s own childhood. In each Sam Wu book, Sam faces a different fear but, with the support of his family and friends, as well as his own bravery, he’s able to overcome each worry. Kevin hopes that children will be both inspired and entertained by the Sam Wu books.

More books like this

Explore our Bookfinder
Share this page Twitter Facebook LinkedIn