Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)

by Katherine Arden (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: Small Spaces

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both 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.

Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "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, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: Run.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. 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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Kirkus

Starred Review
Atmospheric horror at its best. Chillingly tender.

Publishers Weekly

Eleven-year-old Ollie lives with her big-hearted baking enthusiast father following the tragic death of her mother, and finds respite from her grief through reading. Her circumstances take a supernatural turn when she encounters a frightening woman attempting to throw a book into the river. When Ollie, drawn to the book, takes it, the woman warns Ollie to "avoid large places at night... keep to small." In its pages, Ollie reads of a long-ago family whose losses led them to make a dreadful pact with a demonic figure known as "the smiling man." And on a class trip to a dairy farm, Ollie and two classmates--with whom she forms a reluctant connection--learn that the smiling man is very real. Arden (The Bear and the Nightingale) shrouds her Halloween-time story in autumnal mists, introducing a sometimes-crowded cast of ominous figures, from ghosts to shapeshifters and scarecrow minions. Ollie is a relatable heroine who finds strength through trusting in friendship, while her ghostly adventures lead her to learn an important truth: sometimes, the best way to honor the memory of a loved one is by moving forward, bravely, and with love. Ages 10-up. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (Sept.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for Small Spaces:

"Is it a mystery? A fairy tale? A horror thriller? As the suspense gripped me, I just wanted to know one thing—WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Terrifying and fun."—R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series

"The perfect book to be read by firelight during a chilly autumn evening—though you might find yourself inching closer to the light as the story nears its terrifying conclusion. Katherine Arden is a gifted storyteller with a wicked imagination!"—J. A. White, author of The Thickety series and Nightbooks

"This book scared the snot out of me. Fast-paced and spine-tinglingly delightful. I defy you to read the first two chapters without staying up the rest of the night to finish. You've been warned!"—Jonathan Auxier New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener

"Atmospheric horror at its best. Chillingly tender."—Kirkus, starred review

"With a tantalizing pace and palpable suspense, all nicely grounded in realistic emotions, this well-wrought spine-tingler is destined to be a hit (just makes sure the lights stay on)."—Booklist, starred review

"Arden...shrouds her Halloween-time story in autumnal mists, introducing a...cast of ominous figures, from ghosts to shapeshifters and scarecrow minions. Ollie is a relatable heroine who finds strength through trusting in friendship, while her ghostly adventures lead her to learn an important truth: sometimes, the best way to honor the memory of a loved one is by moving forward, bravely, and with love."—Publishers Weekly

" The novel's menacing fantasy world of centuries-old ghosts and children being turned into scarecrows is provocative enough, but explicit references to Narnia, Wonderland, and Cerberus of Hades make for a smart and moving account of how stories may transport but grief and loss still take a lot from us." BCCB

Do you like dark small spaces? This is your book!

Small spaces is a scary book that is placed in a thrilling other world. Ollie and her friends have to find a way out of the maze and save their classmates.

Katherine Arden
Katherine Arden is the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces quartet. In addition to writing novels, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables, and running wild through the woods with her dog. She lives in Vermont.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593857083
Lexile Measure
570
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication date
April 02, 2024
Series
Small Spaces
BISAC categories
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV069000 - Juvenile Fiction | Ghost Stories
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Survival
Books and reading
JUVENILE FICTION / Mysteries & Detective Stor
Supernatural
Paranormal fiction
JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survi
School field trips
Forests and forestry
School bus accidents

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