This is one book I would like to see in our school library it had the right amount of scare to it. Ollie has lost her mother and she is dealing with it in her own way. She finds herself just wanting to be left alone and just read. When she takes a book from a woman who is trying to get rid of it by throwing it in water; Ollie's world will be turned upside down. The paranormal will makes its way into Ollie's life. 

I was really proud of Ollie who stood up for a person she didn't really like in her class, she knew it was the right thing to do. Even if she knew she would get into trouble. 

Yet, what she doesn't know is that she and this girl she sticks up for will find themselves saving their classmates (the bullies included). 

When the kids go on a field trip it will be more than they bargain for and it will be up to Ollie, in the end, to get everyone safely home. She has to remember "Avoid large places. Keep to small." Yet, she doesn't know what that means just that it is what she is told. 

I really loved how the author used her words to describe scenes and what Ollie was really trying to feel. She captured it so very well from the very beginning and I can imagine that a lot of kids will like that when they read it. 

K and I enjoyed it. He said he wouldn't look at scarecrows the same for a long time. I really can't blame him they were a bit creepy but just in the right way.

Ollie is a middle schooler who lives in a small town with her dad. She is in recovery after her mom died. She seems to have few friends and she likes it that way. Above her relationship with her dad, Olivia loves books. So when she is on her way home one day and she sees a strange woman  trying to throw a small book in the local creek. Thinking this is completely bizarre, Ollie steals the book. Unable to help herself, Ollie starts to read the book. It spins an unusual tale about a family from long ago who had an encounter with a man in the mist. Thinking it’s just another unusual story , Ollie continues her day to day routine which includes a field trip to a very successful local farm. When their bus leaves the farm, an unusual, dense fog descends, and the bus breaks down. At this point, Ollie’s compass, which used to belong to her mom, and hasn’t worked in forever, starts indicating messages to Olivia. To save herself, she has to trust these mystery messages and her instincts. This is an eerie story, that should appeal to fans of RL Stein. Even though it is a youth novel I actually really enjoyed the story. This is a first novel in the series and I look forward to reading the follow ups. I will also recommend it to my oldest son.

Oh, oh and oh! Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is a chillingly delightful book of adventure and scary-ness...in a good way! My son and I loved reading this book together and couldn't wait to find out what happened to Ollie in the end. Even I,  couldn't wait to finish the story. Arden is now an author that we will keep an eye out for and yes, read more of her books. Way to go, Arden! Keep 'em coming.

I love a good middle grade. They hit your imagination in a different way than everything else you read. Small Spaces is no different. 
Positives:
-Ollie: Smart, grumpy, trying to deal with her mother's death and how everyone treats her after. She loves math and science but just seems like a normal little girl. I feel like often when writers branch into non-stereotypes about any give person, they just put characters in a new box. Not this time.
-Coco: Clumsy, Girly, Emotional, loves climbing. Again, Coco is girly, but that's not all she is. She loves climbing and she cries because she feels things not because she is a crybaby. (Better stated by one of the other characters but you get the gist)
-Brian: Jock that reads and is caring.
-Dad: cooks and nits
-None of the above seems weird

Negatives:
-I've got nothing.

While this wasn’t my favorite story I can see my students really enjoying it. I thought the premise and story were both really creative. I enjoyed reading about Ollie and the history behind her town. I felt that this book had a strong message about friendships, hardships, and the act of not being selfish. The book did have me on the edge of my seat most of the time and wanting to learn more. I plan on recommending this book to my students and cannot wait to see what their thoughts are about it. I am also curious to see what the next book will bring.

I've seen a lot of rave reviews for Katherine Arden's writing, but I'd never read one of her books before reading this one.  While I don't read a lot of middle-grade books, I do enjoy the occasional one and this was an excellent choice.  Very atmospheric, I could feel the chill in the New England autumn air despite reading this in August in Florida.  And there are plenty of creepy goings-on to send chills down a middle-graders' spine.  As a mom, I loved the element of a mother's love transcending time.  Well done overall, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.  

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Back when I was in middle school, I spent my nights buried under the covers, a flashlight held in one hand, and a scary book held in the other (this is long before the invention of the kindle, and we had to get creative when we were supposed to be asleep!).  I read late into the night with authors like RL Stine, Christopher Pike, and any other author that wrote for Point Horror.  I've never been a fan of scary movies, but a terrifying book has always intrigued me.  Now a days, I don't see as many scary books aimed at our young readers.  The days of Fear Street and Goosebumps seem to be behind us, but authors like Katherine Arden are introducing a whole new generation to late night scares.

Small Spaces is about a young girl named Ollie who has lost her mother in the past year.  She's struggled with her life since then, burying herself in books, and completely separating herself from anything that made her happy in the past.  She's alienated her friends, and doesn't talk to anyone at school, coming off as a loner.  One day when she ventures to her happy place, she finds a strange woman trying to destroy a book in the river.  Before she even knows what happened, she's stolen the book and rushed home.  Little did she know that the book was going to change everything she knew about her small town, and her life as she currently lives it.

I absolutely ADORED Ollie, and her small group of classmates who turn into her best friends.  This book was chilling, but taught some good life lessons at the same time.  I was hooked from page one, and finished the book in nearly one setting, immediately ordering the sequel.  I cannot wait until my kids are a little older and I can share Small Spaces with them.  It's definitely a book that I want to share and shove into all my friend's hands and tell them to read it this October!

I have read several of Katherine Arden's books.  They are full of beautiful imagery, strong characters, and creative stories.  Small Spaces, her newest middle-grade novel, continues with these high standards.  This was a fun, creepy story that younger readers will love.

What I Liked:
Setting:

An eerie little town in Autumn, a school trip to a farm (with a haunted past), a strange encounter with a woman muttering about a book.  All of these work to create a sense of foreboding that is compelling and scary.  Not to mention, the scarecrows...

Characters:

Ollie, the main character, will be a kid others will identify with.  Ollie is a girl who's mother has died.  She tries to remain under the radar, as she can't stand the sympathetic tone of teachers, and her fellow students.    She even lashes out against her father when he tries to tell her to move on.  No one seems to truly acknowledge her right to her own feelings.

I also liked Brian and Coco, who's characters went beyond stereotypes and showed Ollie not to judge others.  I liked that the novel took the time to really develop these characters and make them an important part of the story.

The Book:

Although it is not a person, the book that Ollie steals is practically a living character.  We get to read portions of it as the story progresses, which gives the backstory of the farm and the "smiling man".  As Ollie and her friends try to find their way, they meet various people who might be connected to the book's story.  It all make for a chilling tale.

Story:

This is a creepy story, but one that is not too scary for middle-grade readers (ten and up).  I will never look at scarecrows or school trips the same way again! The sense of dread permeates the story, which makes for a page-turning, exciting story.  I hope you don't mind if I am being vague, but I really don't want to give away spoilers.

I will say that this is a perfect book to read as Halloween approaches.  It is fun, exciting, and scary.

Such a great book! As someone who often reads adult fiction titles, I found myself glued to the couch as I read this one. I liked the fact that Arden's writing provides enough description/imagery for the reader to see the world from Ollie's perspective while allowing the reader to use their imagination to "fill in the blanks" if you will. There's nothing more frightening than imagining the fog that overtook the farm, or the garden tool appendages of the scarecrows as they inch ever closer to the ones they're stalking. This is a great middle grade horror book because it does allow readers who don't want all the imagery to engage with the book without feeling overwhelmed by scarier moments.

What a fun and spooky book!! Although it was middle grade, I did feel a little spooked out at times! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great Halloween haunting read. Looking forward to the next book in this series. Katerine Arden really knows how to write perfect atmospheric books.

3,5 stars 

That I love the Winternight trilogy must come as no surprise to any of you. So when I got the chance to read and review her first middle grade book I had to take it. This is quite a different kind of ball game but still pretty good in different ways. 

Ollie is eleven years old, living in a rural town where everyone knows everyone. She is still grieving the loss of her mom and does this through hiding away in books. When she sees a woman about to throw a book into a river she has to save it. When she dives into she uncovers a weird horror story that might turn out to become true. 

For a middle grade this books it’s strength lies in its characters and the story itself. Ollie is easy to feel for, someone you want to protect despite her defensive nature. She does reflect on herself and her behavior and that makes her so likeable to me. She makes mistakes but she also sees them. I always find that important in characters and more so in middle grade. 

The story is a basic horror story that takes place partially in the bus, surrounding forest and a farm. That alone should creep most of us out. I was also pleased that despite this being a horror middle grade there is barely any true violence in this story. There are so many ways you can creep someone out and you don’t need over the top violence for that. 

However for me the downfall for this book was is that I was expecting more depth in the plot and a better reason as to why he wanted to take the children. Just because is so tiresome and I think Katherine Arden could have done better there that could have still appealed to middle grade readers as well.

Ollie is not all that interested in school. She used to be. She used to have friends and play softball and be part of the chess club. Now she just wants to be by herself and read. Her father and her teacher encourage her to get involved again, but she can’t be bothered. She just wants to go by herself to her favorite spot by the river and read her book. 

But when Ollie gets there, she finds that she’s not alone. A woman was there, a woman who was clearly upset. She’d been crying, and Ollie heard her talking to herself. She was getting ready to throw a book into the water, but before she could fling the book in the river, Ollie grabbed it from her and ran. There’s no point in destroying a book like that, thought Ollie. And then she started reading it herself. 

The small, worn book told the story of a woman who owned a farm and the tragedies that befell her family there. Two brothers loved her and wanted her to marry him. When she said yes to her true love, Jonathan, his younger brother Caleb got into a terribly fight with Jonathan and then disappeared. After he’d been missing for several days, Jonathan went looking for him. Unable to find Caleb, he called out in frustration and was answered by a “smiling man” who offered him a deal. The man would return Caleb, but Jonathan would have to do whatever he asked. Desperate, Jonathan agreed, and Caleb came home. However, he was never quite the same. Eventually, the smiling man appeared again and both brothers disappeared. 

As Ollie reads this, she starts to recognize the farm and the family, who had recently moved back to take over the farm again. She wonders if the story is talking about what really happened on that farm generations ago. Then her classmates start talking about ghost stories that they had heard about the farm, a mysterious fire, and missing children. 

A class field trip takes them to the farm in Ollie’s book, and more creepy things happen. The bus breaks down, and the bus driver goes for help, but he leaves the kids with a warning—beware wide open areas. Look for small spaces. 

Small Spaces is a powerful middle grade story of the things that haunt us and how we can find ways to escape the darkness. With exquisitely crafted characters and meticulous descriptions, Katherine Arden has created a lush world of rich imaginings, delicious creepiness, and dramatic emotions. Small Spaces is a luscious novel to be savored by any age. Very highly recommended! 

Galleys for Small Spaces were provided by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This was a thoroughly creepy middle grade novel that is age appropriate but action packed! Ollie, the main character, and her 2 friends were great characters. I liked that this middle grade novel wasn't just an obvious scary story but more nuanced and thoughtful... kinda made it more creepy! It would be a great fall, Halloween type read but honestly, I think MY 9 and 13 year olds would not be satisfied with the ending because it DID require you to kind of pay attention to details and they would probably not want to put that much thinking into what is supposed to be a fun read. In that sense, it wasn't super polished.

A creepy tale about children trapped in a nightmarish limbo with echoes of 80s-90s horro movies. I loved it, to say the least, and I'm eager to see what the author wrote in the next book. Perfect for baby bats and the children of adult Goths. This is a promising series!

Full review (Sept-10): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/09/resena-review-small-spaces.html

Thank you to Netgalley and Katherine Arden for allowing me to read this book.

This is the perfect spooky read that should be added to everyone's Halloween TBR.  It has the perfect atmosphere and just the right amount of creep factory.  Its a short book so a fairly quick read and does not disappoint.

Highly recommended!!

This was such a great book to get me into the Halloween/Fall spirit! 

Something that is really great about reading middle grade books from authors who also write books for adults is that the writing is incredible. The author is so descriptive in this book, which is great for children to read and then learn how to be a great writers from it. 

This book held my attention from start to finish. The characters were well-written and enjoyable to follow. This is a book that I can’t wait to add to my classroom library for kids to read. I now want to go and pick up the sequel to this book.

Watch my video review of Small Spaces by Katherine Arden: https://youtu.be/cUZmaHVT3fU

I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at Netgalley in exchange for my review and opinion and I absolutely loved it. Firstly, the characters are unique, witty and endearing. The plot is well defined and creepy, not in a gory way, but in a psychological atmospheric way. Moreover, the author covers some relevant topics like realistically coping with the loss of a loved one, and bullying. I also loved the story within a story concept and how we switch between Ollie and Beth's tales. Overall, this is a great Halloween like story and I enjoyed it.

This is my first read by Katherine Arden and I was not disappointed.  
This book gave me the Scooby-Doo, Halloween, spooky feels.   A nice little, easy Halloween holiday read.  
Ollie's love for reading is so relatable, especially to us all in the book loving community.  Her love of books makes me wish I started enjoying reading at a younger age; because well I could have read that many more books :) .  While I enjoyed the quickness and ease to read this book I do wish there was a bit more in the descriptions in this book.  Sometimes I find myself thinking the author just prolonged chapters by adding in some background; which is something I did find myself wishing for in this novel.  However, it was still an enjoyable read.

I absolutely adored this middle grade spooky story and it was such a perfect read for me right now, as I’m desperately longing for the fall season! This story was written so well that at times it did not even feel like middle grade to me. It is written with an ease that could work for middle grade readers, teens and adults. And to top it all off, the “horror” factor in Small Spaces is actually pretty creepy, even for someone like me who loves horror! I was so impressed with the creepy way that Katherine Arden portrayed the scarecrows and the “Smiling Man,” it felt like reading a modernized version of a classic scary fairytale. 

In Small Spaces the main character, Olivia (Ollie), is having a hard time coping with the loss of her mother and has retreated into herself, preferring not to make friends and just to read books instead. (Something I can definitely relate to!) When Ollie happens upon a strange woman trying to throw away a book into the river, she steals the book and unknowingly begins immersing herself in an all too real ghost story. When her school takes a trip to the nearby farm, Smoke Hollow, the next day and their bus breaks down on the way out of the farm, Ollie is forced to reconcile the book she’s been reading and the real world horror that is happening around them. Ollie and two other students escape the bus before nightfall and head into the woods, the creepy bus driver’s final words their only directions, “avoid large spaces. Keep to small.” 

This story was just such a delight in so many ways. I absolutely loved the horror element of the story and how that played out, but the characters were so enjoyable as well. This story truly celebrates smart kids in so many ways. Ollie loves books and critical thinking. Coco, though being the smallest person and most often ridiculed in their class, loves rock climbing and is immensely brave. We find out later as Ollie gets to know Coco better, that Coco is also really good at chess. The third main character, Brian, is a super smart kid and Ollie also ends up finding out he reads a lot, despite being a popular jock kid. These three quickly become closer as they fight their way through this scary, shadowy world they are trapped in, and both Coco and Brian teach Ollie that people can surprise you, and you shouldn’t always confine them to predetermined cliches. 

The ending and resolution of Ollie’s fight with the “smiling man” was also such a delight to read, because of it’s nod to clever tricksters and Ollie finding her own way around the smiling man’s “deals.” This story is also ultimately about Ollie finding her courage to live and participate in the real world again, even with her Mother being gone. 

I loved this story so much and I can’t wait to read the next in the series, Dead Voices!

I got a copy of this from NetGalley and also bought my own ebook copy from Amazon Kindle too. I wasn't sure what to expect but I love how Katherine Arden writes so I wasn't too worried.

Ollie, hurting from the loss of her mother, finds herself thrust into a adventure she didn't bargain on. It starts with saving a book from being ruined and the story in the book creeps into her life until it's real and happening to her and her bus full of classmates, stuck on a road with a eerie bus driver and something coming for them all. Brian, a book lover and hockey player - and Coco, a city girl who loves chess and is a bit artsy and clumsy but should probably be in gymnastics, follow Ollie off the bus and into the smiling man's world of ghosts, deals and mazes.

I enjoyed it all very much, similar in theme perhaps to the cartoon "Over The Garden Wall" which has a pair of brothers exploring a otherworldly world, or the scarecrows that remind me of Doctor Who's Weeping Angels who move best in the dark and when you aren't looking. I think the smiling man reminded me of either the devil or a sorcerer like DC's Klarion. It's a wonderful mix of strange things that simply somehow work in the best of ways.

I did get to read the first chapter of the next book and also looked at the author's Twitter and so look forward to the winter/spring/summer books following each of this group of friends.