Small Spaces
-
-
4.4 • 99 Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback.
After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who 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.
Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "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 begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. 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.
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.)
Customer Reviews
See AllI recommend
Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. It made me very jumpy after I finished the book and once I read the rest of the series I immediately felt sad that there wasn’t more. It’s one of those books that make you stay up and wondering, what will happen next?
Small Spaces
My friend Eliza read this book. One time in the school library, I was in the Scary Stories section and she came over and pointed to a book called “Small Spaces”. She said I should check it out, because it was really good. I checked it out, but I never got to read it.
Then My dad ordered it off of Amazon for me (he got me the whole quartet, actually) so I red Small Spaces and I loved it so much that when I went to school the next day, I told Eliza that I was reading t he whole series.
Great
I am not a huge fan of horror, but this is the one horror book I have ever read and loved. Everyone should read this, regardless of whether they like horror or not. It’s just that good.