Katherine Arden

"After eleven-year-old Ollie's school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip, she has to take a trip through scary woods, and must use all of her wits to survive. She must stick to small spaces"--

Small spaces

Sarah Sammis

The reason I continue to read children's fiction is because themes and tropes are rendered down to their core essence. In the case of the road narrative spectrum, children's fiction is a great litmus test.

9966FF - Scarecrow / Minotaur home cornfield

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

Mae Erceg

I’m gonna give this story3.5 stars not because it was bad but because I’m not a middle schooler but also not sure where the story fits in a middle schoolers library. I’m not sure where the meaning of the story was. Which is fine for middle schoolers, they don’t always want a meaning in books. They want something entertaining and exciting. But this was too scary IMO for a middle schooler to read. So it should neither be read by middle schoolers nor was there a message at the end of the book to redeem the scary aspect. I can’t see why a middle schooler would read this and be as scared as I was ! I loved the scary aspect but because it’s written for middle schoolers, it doesn’t make sense to me nor did I enjoy it. I wouldn’t recommend unless a middle schooler isn’t scared of anything and needs something creepy to scare them. Other than that, I don’t know what audience this book needs.

Krystyna 

I absolutely adored this book! I love Katherine Arden's writing, and this was an excellent middle grade debut by her. Everything about this book is great, from the cover to the story within the pages. This felt super nostalgic to me because it gave me major Goosebumps vibes. My 90's childhood heart loved it. I really enjoyed the eerie vibes of this book. This story presented some great messages about family, friendship, healing, and learning to let go. This is a beautiful, magical gem of a book. I don't read much middle grade but this one was such a delight!

Ryan LaFerney

Small Spaces is a spooky, engaging, fast-paced story about an eleven-year-old girl named Ollie and a book she stole and where this act leads her.

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. 

Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. 

Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small." And with this a terrifying adventure begins.

Small Spaces is fascinating and terrifying. It contains a story within a story. It's a puzzle/mystery to be solved (who is the smiling man? Why is the woman trying to throw a book in a river?). The characters are relatable and charming. And this might be a middle grade horror book, but readers beware, Katherine Arden deserves to be mentioned alongside of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, etc. Small Spaces is a creepy read that is full of atmosphere. But, it also deals with pretty heavy ideas like death, grief, and family but it's all wrapped up in a deliciously spooky package. 

I'll never look at scarecrows the same way again.

Aurien Smith

mars

Ghita B

Spooky story and perfectly atmospheric for this season 🍁

Mary Garza

Este libro fue una recomendacion de @A bookish witch GRACIAS LO AMÉ !!!
qq
Realmente es muy bueno, lo disfruté de principio a fin y aunque puede ser un libro destinado para niños y jóvenes creo que cualquiera lo puede disfrutar. Esta bien contado tiene buen desarrollo y los personajes son los mejor y haberlo leído en esta época del año fue una buena decisión.

Laura Kehoe

Actual rating is 3.5
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale is one of my favorite books, so as soon as I knew she had another book out, I had to check it out. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I actually ended up liking it a lot. 

This was a fun mix of horror story and coming of age, with a little magic thrown in for fun. Normally horror stories freak me out too much, but this one didn’t bother me as much as I’d expected. I found the story intriguing enough to overcome any creepy feelings. 

It took me a little bit to get into this story, however. At first it seemed to move really slow. But once the story picked up, I found myself being drawn into the book. 

Overall, I’d recommend giving Small Spaces a try! It was a fun, quick read. I’m always impressed with Arden’s talent for story telling.

Cheri McElroy

The Bear and the Nightingale has been a favorite of mine this year so I had to read Katherine Arden’s middle grade novel. It didn’t disappoint. Katherine is a genius in creating an atmosphere and this one is beautiful and spooky. The book addresses loss, grief, and friendship, all while creating an eerie tale. A wonderful read-even for an adult.

Tae Thompson

My Favorite book of the year, I loved every moment of this book, and even though it only took me like 3 hours to read it I do plan on getting a new copy of this book for myself

Small spaces

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