Definitely a book for YA mystery readers, and I can’t wait for more in this series to read how the mystery continues. Fans of RL Stone books will really enjoy this series.

Delightful middle grade horror story. I enjoyed the characters and how a friendship came to be among them. The plot twists and turns in all the right places. The story continuously pulls you in. Quick charming read.

Perfect for fans of R.L. Stine, this book will draw readers in long past bedtime. Small Spaces brings all the delightful, squeamish, hide-under-your-blankets feelings that I remember from childhood. Wonderfully done, beautifully descriptive, Katherine Arden has written a great story for the younger crowd. Would definitely read a sequel. Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book.

Somewhere I had read someone review this book as such: "I would read Katherine Arden's shopping list." How true! Though I've purchased her Winternight Trilogy because they are so highly recommended, I haven't gotten the chance to read them yet. That's been my loss if those are anything like Small Spaces." Arden's a wonderful writer--Ollie's voice is full of heart; I loved her.

Small Spaces begins with eleven-year-old Ollie, who is heartbroken over a recent loss and who finds comfort through her books. When she finds a terrified woman at the river threatening to throw one into the water, Ollie steals it and runs away. This sets off a wonderfully creepy adventure.

Your middle grader will find this one hard to put down, especially if they are fans of R. L. Stine. The pace, voice, and chills all make for the perfect package. I'm eager to read the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this free copy to review.

The central character in this story is a girl named Ollie who is still grieving after the death of her mom. The story follows the adventures of Ollie and her friends during a school trip to a local farm reputed to be haunted. An interesting book for middle schoolers.

Thank you to Katherine Arden, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Small Spaces took me back to my middle school reading years. The book is enjoyable and features fun protagonists sure to engage a young audience.

I enjoyed this book as a quality reading experience for youth — it’s a title I would place in my classroom with no hesitation.

A creative balance of adventure and youthful suspense.

A unique storyline. I think my kids will enjoy that it has chills but not blood and gore. It was a quick read for me.

Olivia—who prefers Ollie--was different a year ago before she lost her mom. Since then, she quit chess club and most social activities and has retreated into books. On her way home one day after an incident at school involving another girl being teased and a rock thrown well and true at one of the purported instigators by Ollie herself, she stumbles upon a distressed woman in the woods. As the woman holds a small black book over Lethe Creek, Ollie snatches the endangered tome from her and brings the mysterious book home. The story it tells is a strange one involving someone known as the Smiling Man, an entity that makes deals with those who are desperate in exchange for service. The fantastical tale seems to follow her on a class trip the next day, and when the bus breaks down on their way home and the world starts to turn sideways, Ollie, accompanied by her classmates Coco and Brian, needs to use all of her knowledge, wits, and cleverness to get her and the rest of her classmates back to their own world and out of the grip of an entity that seems to have jumped right from the pages of the book she rescued from a watery grave.

I truly loved Arden’s first foray into children’s fiction. I found the team of young preteens to have some serious moxie and I loved how they got to know one another and use their hidden strengths and talents to survive in a mysterious world where they were hunted by scarecrows that turned out to be more than that. It was a story of love and acceptance and moving forward through grief. The characters had depth and Ollie was my spirit animal and is exactly the kind of kid I hope for someday. Ollie’s dad was also such a cool character with his love of crafts, baking, color, and amazing and corny dad jokes. I really grew to love Ollie’s companions, Coco and Brian, as well. Their adventures take them from being three very different acquaintances to three members of a survival team who grow to care for one another as friends. The alternate world that they slide into is interesting and well built, and the ending is very surprising.

I truly recommend this book to all young girls as a reminder that being smart and brave can make all the difference and to never let anything take their spark or make them go against their moral compass.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Group in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a great chapter book. If you enjoy goosebumps series. You will enjoy small spaces. This is going to be a book that I will be recommending to all my chapter readers

So good! The story was excellent! Katherine Arden's descriptions are amazing and the book just grabs you and won't let go. I loved the plot and that the story has a happy ending. Definitely will give you a few goosebumps along the way also. I finished the book in a few hours because it was hard to put down once you start. Highly recommend this book and the author!!!

Middle grade students never seem to tire of scary stories and this one fits the bill beautifully. Sixth grader Ollie is dealing (or not) with the death of her mother by immersing herself in the other worlds found in books. When she comes across a book that seems to be about the nearby farm her class is going to visit, fantasy and horror suddenly invade her world. She must come to grips with the meaning of friendship and bravery, finding unexpected companions in Coco, the irritatingly cute new girl, and Brian, the hockey star with a surprising literary side. Not too scary, not too sweet -- just right for middle grade readers,

I love corn mazes. I would love to have helped Coco, Ollie, and Brain through the scarecrow infested maze. Be aware of the scarecrow the next time you enter a corn maze! A great fun thriller you must read! When's the movie coming out?

In the past year Ollie has isolated herself from all the things she loved to do. Slowly, the story reveals why. When her school bus breaks down on it's way back home, Ollie must open her heart to new friends to defeat the smiling man who makes bargains with the living.
This is a heart warming and scary read. I will never look at scarecrows and not think of this story. And will recommend to my grandchildren.

I adore this novel! It's nonstop wonderful, exciting, suspenseful, heartwrenching, and spooky! The villain is so otherworldly evil I certainly would never wish to encounter: a trickster in disguise, sneaky and cunning. Young Ollie is as strong and brave and determined a heroine as a reader could ask. I so anticipate the sequel: DEAD VOICES.

This was a decent middle grade book, but I didn't like it as much as I expected to. I felt like the world building and the explanations for the supernatural events were a little weak, even for a kid's book.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden already I couldn't wait to try her middle grade book when i saw this pop up on netgalley yesterday. 

I read this in one sitting today. I loved the growing friendship dynamic between the main characters, Ollie, Coco and Brian. Especially the character arc that Ollie goes through. This was engaging and I could not put it down. I recommend this to children and adults alike. This takes you on a whirlwind of a ride and is up there with one of my favourite middle grade stories ever!!

I have just bought the hardback to support the author and have pre-ordered the second book in the series which is called Dead Voices.

100% recommend 🙂👍

What a fun and spooky middle grade debut! Arden has created lovable and very real, relatable characters in an eerie rural farm town, reminiscent of the dozens of R.L. Stine books I devoured as a child. I can't wait to see what the second installment in the series holds for Ollie, Coco, and Brian. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Katherine Arden's creepy, atmospheric ghost story will be a pleasure to recommend to middle school students who want to read something scary. The three main characters are so different from each other yet grow as friends and individuals.
Ollie is still grieving deeply after the death of her mom. Brian is a star hockey player with a secret reading life. Coco is new to rural Vermont from the city and a prime target for teasing. When the sixth grade class goes on a field trip to a local farm, the trip home becomes a nightmare. Ollie leads Coco and Brian off the bus into an adventure that will test their skills and imagination. This is a great book to read under the covers with a flashlight.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is a delightful creepy middle school read about 6th grader Ollie.
Ollie is quiet and likes her books and numbers more than she likes dealing with other people, especially when people are still giving her the sympathy face over the loss of her mother. When Ollie rescues a book from being tossed into the river she gets more than she bargained for when she’s told to avoid large spaces at night and to hide in small spaces and as she reads the book she discovers a chilling story about missing people and a smiling man who makes bargains. But it’s just a story right?
Ollie is a fun character, she is quiet, smart and brave. Her companions Coco, an accident prone but sweet girl, and Brian, field hockey champion and popular guy, help compliment her and she them as they try to solve the mystery they find themselves in as scarecrows come alive and try to capture them. Where are they, can they save themselves and their classmates, and who is the smiling man?
I breezed through this book, I loved it so much. A fantastic read.

I'm far from being a kid but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I love the author and I had a little time before my next book was ready so I wanted to give it a quick read. Now I'm looking forward to the next book.