While I don't usually read Middle Grade fiction, I love Katherine Arden's adult fantasy novels and felt I should pick this up, too. I really enjoyed it! It's a great read for kids who love horror and creepy fantasy, with plenty of great moments that send a shiver down your spine. Arden knows where to draw the line, so young readers can enjoy the chills and thrills without nightmares.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A middle grade horror novel that is the perfect way to introduce kids into the horror genre. It's Goosebumps but without Stine's nonsensical jump scares or as we call on the podcast "buses". There's a lot taken from classic horror tropes, but done with an original spin. It's definitely creepy, but it has a lot of heart. It's a well written cohesive story from start to finish.

Ollie is still reeling from her mother's death from earlier in the year. She's pulled away from her hobbies and classmates. One day she encounters a woman trying to drown a book and manages to run away with it. She reads about a family's tragedy but also about the Smiling Man and the mist and the lost brothers. Things take a turn when things from the book start appearing in real life. The clue small spaces may be what saves her and her friends in the end.

While I do think some parts of the book were predictable, I think the general creepiness of it will keep the targeted age group entertained. It's certainly better crafted than the majority of Stine's books.

3.5/5 rounds to 4/5.

Young Ollie is having a tough time following the death of her mother, and finds solace in books.

Yet, the eleven-year-old still finds herself surprised when happening upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, she just acts, stealing the book and running away.

She finds within the book a chilling story that she slowly discovers may not be a work of fiction.

I really enjoyed this young adult novel. The author does a great job of building tension, and keeping the supernatural plot scary, yet believable.

Though it's written for young teens, adults who enjoy scares without gore will enjoy Small Spaces, as well.

Full review at Zengrrl.com soon.

My Thoughts
I have to admit, when I noticed there was a middle grade horror book on NetGalley, I had to read it! Here are my pros and cons for Small Spaces:

Pros

1. Lots of Dad jokes the beginning of the story. Who doesn’t love corny Dad jokes?
2. There were some typical pre-teen issues thrown in at the beginning of the story, but I liked how the kids came together to get through this adventure.
3. I liked how the three main characters (two girls and one boy) each had skills that helped them get out of the situation they found themselves in. It wasn’t just the boy getting the girls out of messes and it wasn’t just the girls doing it either. They each had a different set of skills that they were able to utilize and it was nice to see the kids start to respect each other’s abilities and knowledge.
4. I thought the connection between Ollie and her mom was creative and endearing.
5. This story is scary! I am 49 years old and parts of it were seriously creeping me out! The author creates an atmosphere that is super eerie and realistic!
6. The ending was fantastic. While this book definitely had horror elements, it is also about healing and letting go. Ollie makes a very hard and smart decision at the end of the book and her strength to do so was amazing and mature.

Cons

1. At the onset of the story, I found myself thinking the writing was a tad verbose. I even made a note that I didn’t think the writing style would appeal to middle grade kids. I was losing interest a little bit myself, but then the action picked up and the writing became a lot more readable.

Summary
I love a good horror novel. The author used a particular thing/entity to create a very scary situation that really affected me personally. I will admit there is something I am particularly scared of (irrationally so, I recognize) and this book happened to implement a version of it into the story. Therefore, this story probably affected me a bit more than it might others. That said, I’m not sure I would recommend this to any middle grade kids that are easily spooked!

This book, however, is much more than a just a middle grade horror novel. It is also a story about healing, grief, learning, loving, and letting go. I thought it was quite well done… even if I did get spooked!

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for a free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

>Cute and fun and spooky
>Ollie reminds me of Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time.
>Yay great dad that cooks and gets crafty
>Love Ollie getting BFFs by the end
>Appreciate the handling of bullies and the class crybaby
>Creepy atmosphere and set up w/ scarecrows & The Smiling Man
>I like that the kids had vague guidance and reassurance but were on their own
>I did not figure out the riddle/hint/clue until Ollie did

I read Arden's Bear & The Nightingale but eh. Too slow and not for me so I didn't continue the series. But Small Spaces I will be!

I've had this book for quite sometime and I don't what took me so long to read it. 'Small Spaces" is Katherine Arden's debut middle grade book. I absolutely loved the spooky vibe it gave off. Arden really knows how to tell a story.
We meet Olivia Adler who goes by the name Ollie. Ollie is a quiet girl who likes to be alone, enjoy the company of her books, and riding her bike. She lives with her dad whom is a solar panel salesman, but whose true gift is being creative....including being an amazing cook and baker. They live in their house that people call: 'the egg house" because of the easter egg colors her dad painted it. After a situation happens at school and Ollie flees the scene, she goes to her fave river to ride her bike and relax. She then comes across a strange and distraught woman trying to throw a book in the river. Ollie being the book lover she is takes the book from her and runs off. When she gets home, she begins reading it. She falls into a trance by reading the tale. The tale is about a girl named Beth and two young men who are brothers. The brothers are fighting over the girls love, but they also make a deal with someone called: "The Smiling Man". A highly sinister character who will grant you a great significant wish, but at a cost of course. Ollie is so engrossed in the tale until she goes on a school trip to a farm called: "Smoke Hollow". When she gets there she learns about its haunted past and the eerily similarities to the tale she's reading.
When it's time for the class to go back home, their school bus breaks down and the creepy bus driver says: "Best get moving, at nightfall they'll come for the rest of you" and with that Ollie's wristwatch gives her a warning:"RUN"! and so she starts a chilling and scary adventure through a corn maze, the woods, and with scarecrows. While on this scary adventure we also meet Coco Zintner and Brian Battersby.

I absolutely loved this book even though it was scary and kept you on the edge of your seat, it also teaches you about friendships, standing up for what you believe in, and how to deal with grieving. Yes! grieving. Ollie losing her mom made a huge impact on her behavior overall. Huge thanks to NetGalley and G.P Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers of a copy of this book in a exchange for a honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

3.5

A quick, fun read for my October All-Things-Creepy goal. Had sufficiently spooky elements, a refreshing setting (Vermont), and characters that were both diverse and strong mains.

This was such a cute middle grade novel. It was kind of scary, but not overly so, and also has a pretty good message.

I loved the Coraline elements and the fall/Halloween atmospheric setting. The main character, Ollie, was such a breath of fresh air. She’s strong, but still scared and in need of guidance, and she likes chess, and loves her dad and appreciates his cooking.

The writing was simplistic but not overly so and really set the mood for the whole story. The book had a nice resolution and could definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I think it’s also part of a series. And I will definitely pick up the next one.

Very, very spooky and well-written. Author used well-known horror tropes and made them her own with the great writing and compelling setting. Scarecrows will never fail to scare anyone, IMO. I was surprised this book accomplished so much considering it's middle grade and can't cross the line with too scary content and has to stay within the appropriate range for its age group.

I received this book through Net Galley for an honest review.

I usually do not read the mid-grade books and I certainly didn't expect to enjoy this one. So it was definitely a surprise to me how much I like it. Mid-Grade horror that made me an adult looking for my blanket in a good way. Love all the way!

I just couldn't get into it! I was really interested to read it at first since it was mentioned that there was a similarity to Scooby-Doo whom I loved as a child. I simply found the novel a bit boring. It lacked that excitement I was expecting, unfortunately.

Maybe I will try to reread it some time in the future to see if my opinion changes.

I loved the Bear and the Nightingale trivia and wanted to give Katherine Arden's middle grade writing a shot. She delivered. The adventure and suspense kept me involve and although it was written to a different level of reader, I never felt like it was talking down to the reader or over explaining the danger. I am making plans to read the subsequent books in this series.

As an avid reader of horror stories and ghost stories, this one was definitely a good read for me, but I think I'll be laying off the scary reads for a while now! Ollie goes and saves a book that an old lady is trying to get rid of, and reads the story of deaths caused by a creature known as "The Smiling Man'. But quickly what should have been an enjoyable fictional tale turns into a terrifying reality when the Smiling Man seems to really be haunting Ollie. I really enjoyed this creepy read and it's made me think twice before opening up a scary story again.

The most ridiculous story line. I couldn’t finish. As soon as it started talking about moving and “alive” scarecrows I stopped. I got 60% done. Dumb.

Reminiscent of an R.L. Stine tale, this deliciously spooky and entertaining tale was pleasant to to read.

This was a very interesting book. It gave me a bit of a goosebumps feel. I think my students would like this book, some of the pros for me would be the focus on friendships and the excitement and creativity of the middle and ending, the cons would be how much extra information that was not needed and how slop the beginning was.

I absolutely ADORED this book. It is the perfect spooky middle grade, and once I bought it, it FLEW off the shelves in my library (I talked it up a lot). Was fabulous for October, and is still going out now (in December). A wonderful story! I can't wait to read the sequel (it's on my next order!) and other future middle grades by this author! I'm so in love with this book I'll be reading KA's young adult Winternight trilogy (finally!) to see if any would be a good fit for my middle school library.

Highly recommend!!!

She thinks she has no friends. She thinks her mother is gone forever. She thinks there is no one she wants to talk to. The smiling man wants to be her friend. The hockey player and the city girl aren’t so bad. The scarecrows want her in their inner circle. Ollie will have to choose her past or her future , her friends or her mother, no more pain or the ups and downs of life. The scarecrows are waiting till dark to pull you to the other side and take away your pain. Stay in the small spaces, run and hide because their coming.

This is my first book by Ms Arden but won’t be the last. I am an adult but found it to be very creepy for a middle-grade book and cannot wait to read more books in the series. I loved the main character Ollie and her friends. Page turner and very quick read.