Spiders in the Hairdo

Winner of the Garden State Teen Book Award & 2002 YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

Hey, did you hear the one about the lady who had her beehive hairdo sprayed so hard that spiders started to nest in it? Of course you did, it happened to your next-door neighbor’s cousin. Or was it your cousin’s next-door neighbor? Folktales are not the exclusive domain of the past. They’re alive and kicking in urban legends, those stories that are told as true, but always as happening to a friend of a friend.

We hear them in conversation and recognize them on the Internet. In this collection, you’ll encounter stories about stupid criminals, scams and conspiracy theories, students clever enough to outsmart the professor though not smart enough to pass the test, and jerks who get their just desserts.

Based on David Holt and Bill Mooney’s two-man storytelling show and their Grammy nominated audio, this collection will make your hair stand on end... possible into the shape of a beehive hairdo. These urban legends will teach readers the importance of courage and resourcefulness.

David Holt Bio: David Holt found his life’s journey in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. With a passion to become an old-time banjo player, David traveled to remote mountain communities like Kingdom Come, Kentucky and Sodom Laurel, North Carolina searching for the best traditional musicians. Holt found hundreds of old-time mountaineers with a wealth of folk music, stories and wisdom. There was banjoist Wade Mainer, ballad singer Dellie Norton, singing coal miner Nimrod Workman, and 122-year-old washboard player Susie Brunson. Holt learned to play not only the banjo but also many unusual instruments like the mouth bow, the bottleneck slide guitar and even the paper bag. For over three decades, David’s passion for traditional music and culture has fueled a successful performing and recording career. He has earned four Grammy Awards and performed and recorded with many of his mentors including Doc Watson, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins. Today he tours the country performing solo, with his band The Lightning Bolts and with Sutton, Holt and Coleman. His work has been featured in a number of public television productions.