Small Spaces (Small Spaces Quartet)
New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback.
After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who 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.
Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "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 begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. 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 that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.
After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who 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.
Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "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 begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. 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 that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.
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Community Reviews
Originally published on Cyn's Workshop
What a delightfully creepy novel. Small Spaces is one of those novels that is perfect for those dark and stormy nights, or even just at night in general. Arden did a fantastic job with this piece. She created an unputdownable novel about a young girl sucked into another world outside our own, a world between life and death set in a cornfield with creepy scarecrows that come to life as the sun sets. It is wonderful. Arden’s language and tone create a beautiful setting, beginning with nothing spectacular but undoubtedly eerie, as Ollie heads home after school one day. It seems like nothing remarkable, but Arden weaves in a remarkable eerie tone to unleash unease onto the reader.
From the opening pages, something is unsettling about everything happening around Ollie. She rescues a book from someone who seems deranged and heads home, discovering something eerie and mesmerizing about the novel she is reading. Moreover, when she goes on a school field trip, she discovers something scarier. Her watch is guiding her, helping her along, as her school bus breaks down, fog rolls in, and silence settles around her. For Ollie and her two friends, it is a journey to not only save themselves but to unravel the mystery and save their class as well.
It is incredibly perfect how the story moves, maintaining that spooky element, there is also something mature in the storytelling. Ollie lost her mother in a tragic accident sometime before the novel begins. She is still reeling, trying to move on with her life, but she is not going about it healthily. Ollie isolates herself and lingers on the past, often lingering on the event through hints given to the reader by descriptions tone. However, through the watch and through the events that follow, Ollie learns to make peace with her mothers’ death and learns that her mother is always with her, allowing her to open up again in school and move on.
Small Spaces is a fantastic novel that is incredibly spooky that deals with mature themes making for an incredible read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
What a delightfully creepy novel. Small Spaces is one of those novels that is perfect for those dark and stormy nights, or even just at night in general. Arden did a fantastic job with this piece. She created an unputdownable novel about a young girl sucked into another world outside our own, a world between life and death set in a cornfield with creepy scarecrows that come to life as the sun sets. It is wonderful. Arden’s language and tone create a beautiful setting, beginning with nothing spectacular but undoubtedly eerie, as Ollie heads home after school one day. It seems like nothing remarkable, but Arden weaves in a remarkable eerie tone to unleash unease onto the reader.
From the opening pages, something is unsettling about everything happening around Ollie. She rescues a book from someone who seems deranged and heads home, discovering something eerie and mesmerizing about the novel she is reading. Moreover, when she goes on a school field trip, she discovers something scarier. Her watch is guiding her, helping her along, as her school bus breaks down, fog rolls in, and silence settles around her. For Ollie and her two friends, it is a journey to not only save themselves but to unravel the mystery and save their class as well.
It is incredibly perfect how the story moves, maintaining that spooky element, there is also something mature in the storytelling. Ollie lost her mother in a tragic accident sometime before the novel begins. She is still reeling, trying to move on with her life, but she is not going about it healthily. Ollie isolates herself and lingers on the past, often lingering on the event through hints given to the reader by descriptions tone. However, through the watch and through the events that follow, Ollie learns to make peace with her mothers’ death and learns that her mother is always with her, allowing her to open up again in school and move on.
Small Spaces is a fantastic novel that is incredibly spooky that deals with mature themes making for an incredible read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
This was EVERYTHING I want in a middle grade ghost story. It was Perfection.
Cannot wait to read the sequel.
Cannot wait to read the sequel.
Arden's handling of Ollie's grief is subtle and gentle; she slowly tells us more and more about what happened to Ollie's mother and how Ollie has dealt with (or denied) the loss. Despite a slightly rushed ending, Small Spaces is a deliciously suspenseful tale of loss, survival, and friendship.
When I read this book, I thought the setting is pretty cool—this book is set in Autumn, then the next one in winter, and so on. I like it with 4 different books set in different seasons. And the story goes like a thing or tells the lead the clue and the story goes on. I think Vermont is a nice place because it is filled with natural landscapes. I realized that book was set in October and I thought about reading this month too!
I liked the story ends. It still with happily ever after and like the lead of the story defeats the evil ones and the antagonist. It's a fast-paced book which I liked because the story was direct and not slow. But there are some chapters of the book which I didn't understand as they hide in the cave and that scarecrows suddenly moved and feel and that stuff. And that's it. I count the advantages and the disadvantages of this book and I think it's a lot of advantages so I would give it 5 stars.
I think I'm going to read the next series of this book cause I enjoyed this a lot! I found this interesting and catchy and omg, I followed this author
When I read this book, I thought the setting is pretty cool—this book is set in Autumn, then the next one in winter, and so on. I like it with 4 different books set in different seasons. And the story goes like a thing or tells the lead the clue and the story goes on. I think Vermont is a nice place because it is filled with natural landscapes. I realized that book was set in October and I thought about reading this month too!
I liked the story ends. It still with happily ever after and like the lead of the story defeats the evil ones and the antagonist. It's a fast-paced book which I liked because the story was direct and not slow. But there are some chapters of the book which I didn't understand as they hide in the cave and that scarecrows suddenly moved and feel and that stuff. And that's it. I count the advantages and the disadvantages of this book and I think it's a lot of advantages so I would give it 5 stars.
I think I'm going to read the next series of this book cause I enjoyed this a lot! I found this interesting and catchy and omg, I followed this author
My gosh I love Katherine Arden. This YA story is scary and fun, and a bit disturbing. And lucky us, there's a sequel too.
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