I thought this was cute, but very typical of MG. No doubt, Ms. Oliver can write. I had really quite enjoyed Delirium--it's probably one of my favorites--and I looked forward to seeing how this would win me over. I don't read MG too often anymore to be completely fair, because I can never seem to find one nowadays that stands out enough to me. But I'll gladly try out the ones any of the authors I've read and loved have written. It's interesting reading in their different styles. You see a different flow compared to the other work, but at the same time, you can still see themselves in the writing and know it's theirs. 
 Some of my favorite MGs: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Nancy Drew, Charlotte's Web, and James & The Giant Peach. 
 What I liked about The Spindlers is that while it's typical in many ways, it's still unusual and imaginative. I easily visualized everything--and sometimes the visuals were creepy (I hate bugs...and the idea of these things made me shudder). Even though I only liked it alright enough, I would read more MG from Oliver--I haven't read Liesel & Po yet--and I'm positive my own ten year old step-daughter would adore this book. Her favorite movies are Coraline and Labyrinth, and that's a lot of the vibe of similarities I also got from this one. It is quite an adventure with some strange characters along the way. Ugh...the mouse. 
 This was, to simply put, a nice, easy, and engaging read that I'm sure a lot of kids will love. :) I'd most definitely recommend it. 
 <3 
 Pixie 
 P.S. Thanks to Christina over at A Reader of Fictions for the book. :)