Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze

One day I saw my daughter curled up with a book. "What are you reading?" I inquired. She flashed the well-loved cover of my childhood copy of Spiderweb for Two. "I was feeling Melendyish today," she explained. "Melendyish" is the perfect word to describe that sensation experienced by die-hard fans of Elizabeth Enright's four Melendy stories when nothing else will do but to curl up with one of her books and visit the beloved Melendy family once again. When I was a child the four Melendy children sometimes seemed more like real, three-dimensional people than some actual living, breathing kids I knew. Spiderweb for Two was the first Melendy book I read and it inspired me to create many mind-boggling clue hunts for my brother and my friends. The treasure hunts that figure prominently in the way my children and I celebrate holidays today can probably be traced back to those Melendyish moments of my childhood when I read this book over and over and over. (I can still recite some of the story's mysterious clues from memory!) I would suggest that you read the Melendy books in order: The Saturdays, The Four Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Tatsinda (a fairy tale that is mentioned but not told in Then There Were Five) and finally Spiderweb For Two. Just be sure you don't stop before you get to Spiderweb for Two! Your whole family will enjoy it! If you want more funny, creative, warm and cozy family stories like these, try The Treasure Seekers, The Wouldbegoods, and New Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I first read it when I was 13 years old and it was great. This book inspires everyone to be creative and to have fun with being young.

My mother read us the entire series when I was a child and we soaked them up (including my father who never missed a bedtime story reading!). I am surprised to read the other reviews saying this was their least favourite book in the series - I beg to disagree, naturally because it was my favourite as a child. Since we had also moved to the countryside and loved building tree houses and staging elaborate treasure hunts, this book gave me ample scope for imaginative hiding spots. Elizabeth Enright's books fed my lively imagination as a child and are wonderful adult reads too - I highly recommend them.

when i first read this book in 1959, i was a little disappointed in the content. but it still stands as a truly entertaining entry in the melendy family chronicles. i have been an avid elizibeth enright fan ever since i read the the melendy family in the fourth grade. i recently reread the entire series, after managing to find a copy of this book at a garage sale. i still like the clues that randy and oliver find,and the way that their relationship grows throughout the adventure. this is what the family is all about, the bonds that tie the children together as they grow up in the 1940s. there is a great little insight into the life of "cuffy" that really shines in the book. parents, get this series for your children, but read it for yourselves!

When I first read *Spiderweb For Two* I was deeply disappointed. Mona, Rush, and Mark are hardly even seen. Then, as an adult, I read the entire series to a much younger friend. I realized I'd underrated this book because it wasn't what I expected. I reread it again a few months ago and I loved it. The clues left for Randy and Oliver are clever. I like where they lead. I like what we learn about Mr. Melendy from one of them. I'm glad dear Mrs. Oliphant wasn't left out. I'm only sorry there aren't any more Melendy books. That young friend I read them to loved them because his own home wasn't very happy. He told me the Melendys showed him what a family could be like. I'm sorry, but I'm a little choked up thinking how much pleasure this series has given me for most of my life. This is a good family. The children are nice without being implausible angels. Mr. Melendy, Cuffy, Willie -- these are good adults for raising children. I heartily recommend the serie! ! s, not just for children, but for adults who aren't afraid of being caught reading "kids' books." Ann E. Nichols