This was a solid 4 star read for me, might bump it to 4 1/2, I will definitely be bring this series into my middle grade classroom and having my students get into it. The characters are great, the story is fun and engaging and I will be recommending this one a lot!!

I don’t read a lot of middle grade books, but this one piqued my interest because it reminded me of the old school scary stories I used to read as a kid like the classic anthologies Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the Fear Street books.

Ollie is a great protagonist. She’s plucky, determined, and most of all she is a loyal friend. She behaves like an actual kid, so sometimes her decisions are a bit impulsive, but she also has a good set of instincts, which serve her well as she tries to outwit the supernatural entity known as The Smiling Man.

This book is creepy, but not super scary. It’s perfect for the middle grade crowd who needs chills, but not graphic details. The narrative is so well written that there’s enough suspension of disbelief for the target audience to believe that Ollie’s classmates truly will stay scarecrows forever.

I would absolutely recommend Small Spaces. There is now a whole series following Ollie and her friends facing off against The Smiling Man multiple times. I know that I’m going to have to make room on my TBR for the rest of the series!

I received a digital ARC of this book from Penguin/NetGalley.

I thought this was a great middle grade read! I loved the setting and characters. I also loved the twists and storyline.

Katherine Arden has done it again! I can always look to her books for a solid 4-star read. I will definitely be reading the second book in the Small Spaces series.

I feel like adolescent me would have absolutely loved this book. Adukt me, i do really like this one.
It's fabulously imaginative and creepy.
A perfect read for the fall!

Obviously this is different than the Winternight series but still very good. A middle grade series that will make all the tweens happy. I’m not usually a MG reader but I tried it and liked it.

This is a slow build up to a pretty scary story for kids and some of us adults! Olivia is a pretty normal child and we get to know her for the first part of this book. Then things pick up. Scarecrows can be so scary, right? The mystery and spooky levels are just right. Like Scooby-Doo or Goosbumps, it shows the backstory of things that wen "bump" in the night. It deals with some issues that more kids are going through than you'd suspect, and still had a good ending.

Thanks to Net Galley for my digital copy of this book. A positive review is never required. This review is my own.

Super atmospheric and spooky read. Brought me back to my childhood of reading Goosebumps books. Intrigued that it’s the start of a series following the same kids- looking forward to the rest!

This was an engaging, fun, spooky middle-grade story. Ollie runs into a woman who is about to throw a book into the lake, so she decides to steal it from her. The book fascinates her until she realizes that the book is about the family that owns the farm that they are going to the following day on a field trip. When strange things start happening, and she and two other students are running for their lives, Ollie has to figure out how to keep them safe and save all the rest of the school kids. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. I will definitely be reading more of this series. It was very enjoyable. 4 stars.

This is pretty good youth horror. I would have loved this growing up! I did enjoy it as an adult but had to remind myself that the writing style is for a younger crowd; the author does good writing for them.

Child me would have loved this book. Adult me really liked it. It's wonderfully strange and imaginative, not to mention creepy and atmospheric. If spooky season is where it's at for a child (or adult), then I highly recommend them giving this one a try.

When I finished this book, I was thinking, "Yesssssss!" This is the kind of book we need for middle grade readers! Small Spaces is very creepy and has just the right amount of horror for the younger reader. I love putting this one in the hands of my students!

Ollie’s bus breaks down in a creepy part of the woods. Heeding the message from her broken watch, she and two friends set off to find safety.

The story sucks you in and will keep you turning pages until the end!

I have had this book on my Netgalley TBR since 2018 and I am just now getting around to it. I am not sure what took me so long to read this book because it was super creepy and I absolutely loved the main character Ollie! Ollie and her friends find themselves on a creepy field trip that none of them were expecting. I listened to this book at night and even though it is marketed as middle grade at the age of twenty three years old I had chills while listening. I was not expecting the book to take the turn that it did and I am so glad that it has a sequel now. This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and waiting to see what was going to happen next! I have never been that creeped out reading a book at night since I read The Diviners by Libba Bray in high school! I highly recommend this middle grade to anyone who loves thrillers and horror books.

This book was so interesting. It was scary but in a good way. My son and I cuddled up and it together because we both wanted to know what was going to happen. It was really thought out especially for a middle grade book because I was into like what’s next.

This was a quick and creepy middle grade read. It definitely delivered on the creepy scarecrow scenes. The story was interesting and fast-paced and I enjoyed it. Following the kids through the forest was a thrill and trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't was fun. Good read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about creepy! I wasn’t expecting that. It felt like a modern day Goosebumps story. I liked it!

Such a fun and spooky middle grade horror. This book reminds me quite a bit of R.L. Stine at his best. The scarecrows did indeed have me scared. A great horror with a wonderful heart.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden has been on my list for a while.
I decided the Halloween season would be a perfect time to give this a read.

I enjoyed this journey into East Evansburg with our main character, Olivia “Ollie” Adler.
Eleven years old, and already dealing with a crushing loss. Ollie is bookish and smart, sometimes a little rebellious. I loved the sweet relationship between Ollie and her father.

As you can see from the synopsis, Ollie winds up with a book she can't put down. Add in one rainy field trip to a local farm, which may or may not be haunted, and you know the day won't go as planned.

It was a treat watching the story unfold. Learning more about our main character, and the secondary
characters, Coco & Brian, who joined the adventure.

The story moved at a good pace and kept me intrigued. Found myself surprised when the “Smiling Man” was revealed and proud of the way Ollie handled things.

I found Small Spaces more than just a spooky tale, it was one of self-discovery, friendship, and conquering fear. Overall, I'd give this a 3.5, it was a nice escape and spooky enough for me.

I believe this is part of a series, and I'll be keeping it in mind for future reading. I've had my eye on
Ms. Arden's adult titles and will look into them as well.

This is my first book from Arden and it won’t be my last. Although this books is categorize for middle grade I found it to be so spooky. Kind of reminded me of a lesser gory version of Jeepers kreepers. The characters were so well developed and I couldn’t wait to get to the end and see how Ollie would help save his classmates.
This is Definitely a book you can read your aged kids