Small Spaces (Small Spaces Quartet)

“You might get to know characters in books, Ollie thought, but getting to know a human was an entirely different thing.”Small Spaces is Katherine Arden’s debut middle grade novel and I loved it so very much friends. Many of you know that The Bear and the Nightingale is one of my favorite books of all-time, and even though these stories are nothing like one another, the beautiful writing, amazing characters, and important themes shine through. I went into this expecting a fun and spooky read (which it was), but what I also got was such a beautiful love letter to grief, depression, and trying to live in a world that has taken away someone who you feel you cannot live without.In a small town in Vermont, our main character is riding her bike home from school one fall afternoon, when she notices a woman attempting to throw an old book in the water. Ollie, being the book lover that she is, feels obliged to stop and see what’s going on.➽ Olivia Adler - But she mostly goes by Ollie. A twelve-year-old, sixth grader, who loves to read and is trying to live her life while grieving a terrible loss. And the only way she truly knows how to cope is the escapism of books. (Also, there is a brief mention of her mom having brown skin, but I am not 100% sure of Ollie’s race.)➽ Coco Zintner - The tiniest child in Ollie’s class. She has a somewhat famous mother and has recently moved to the school. But her innocence and eccentricities constantly make her a target for bullying.➽ Brian Battersby - Jamaican and your typical middle school jock, who Ollie has known her entire life. And Ollie learns very quickly that you should not stereotype people, because they might surprise you.And their paths truly cross unexpectedly once Olivia begins to read the book that was almost abandoned. She learns of a farm, and a girl, and two brothers, and a missing persons case that was never solved. And now Ollie and her friends are going on a field trip to a farm that is very reminiscent of the story she has been reading about.And yes, friends, this is a spooky book. I mean, it’s nothing too scary or too much, but Katherine Arden for sure paints an eerie atmosphere and some extremely creepy monster like characters. And I truly think this will make the perfect Halloween read this year, for so many ages, but this book was also so much more than that.This is a book about healing and friendship and learning to let go while simultaneously never letting go. This book is about escapism through books and how books carry some of the most powerful healing magic imaginable. And this is a book about healing at your own pace and in your own time.“Maybe, she kept thinking, when she came back from one of those other worlds, when she woke up from book dreaming, she would come back to a world where […] wasn’t dead.”Ollie is really dealing with some very serious depression and grief throughout this book. Like how we give up things that make us happy, just because those things remind you of the person who made you happiest. How sometimes the world feels too heavy, too loud, too empty, all because it’s missing someone who was your entire world. Yet, this is also a love letter to how the ones we lose will never truly be lost; they will always remain with us. Always.Overall, I loved this book more than words. I wasn’t expecting it to make me feel everything that it did, and when I closed the book it truly felt like a cathartic experience. I recommend this book to any and every person, but especially during the autumnal season. I read this in a single sitting, I never once wanted to put it down, and I fell so deeply in love with it.

1st Line: "October in East Evansburg, and the last warm sun of the year slanted red through the sugar maples."Review: A re-read of Katherine Arden's middle-grade debut, in preparation for reading the entire quartet now that book four is out - and what a joy to find I liked book one even more the second time around. Ollie Adler is a quiet, sad eleven-year-old girl with a chip on her shoulder, still grieving the death of her mother the year prior in a tragic accident. Highly intelligent and good-natured at heart, she's grown introverted and sullen, nose often buried in a book - which makes it irk her like crazy when, one day, she comes across a semi-hysterical woman about to throw a book in a river. The woman, making no sense to the young girl, claims she must destroy the book, but book-lover Ollie ends up swiping it instead, escaping on her bicycle. The small, very old book, Small Spaces, tells the very creepy story of The Smiling Man, who seems to exchange souls for favors - and when a field trip the next day finds Ollie's class in serious trouble, sinister happenings too similar to her book to be coincidence, Ollie must band together with two of her classmates (the flighty Coco, and hockey champ Brian) to find out what's going on. Especially when Ollie's broken watch - which belonged to her mother, and hasn't worked since she died - starts sending messages to the girl, warning her of danger.Creepy, fun, and solidly plotted, this is such a terrific spooky read for anyone of any age, featuring a fast-paced writing and three classmates who grow into great friends, whom I can't wait to finally follow in the remaining books. 4.5/5 stars

SMALL SPACES – by #octothorpereaderleorakSmall Spaces (Small Spaces #1) by Katherine ArdenMy Rating: ####/5GoodReads Rating: 4.03/5Published September 25th 2018“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.” – GoodReadsSmall Spaces is just such a fun read – perfect for October. This is Arden’s debut middle grade novel and it is insanely creepy and scary. Seriously, it’s a children’s book that I couldn’t read at night but could not wait to get back into the following morning.Characters:The characters are diverse in age, gender and ethnicity which makes it a modern and relatable read for younger readers. Olivia (Ollie) has a strong, well-rounded personality, but is struggling to move on after her tragic loss.World-building:The subtle fantasy and parallel worlds are sewn together in a sensible and logic manner and makes the story flow smoothly and is easy to follow. The setting is perfectly normal during the day, and downright terrifying at night.Themes:Themes for younger readers in Small Spaces include:• Literary works such as Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe• Bravery• Teamwork• Grief and overcoming loss• AnxietyPlot:Small Spaces is told from Ollie’s POV. Ollie is trying to come to terms with her grief and is thrown into a mysterious world of creepy scarecrows, the smiling man and a very peculiar farm with two unlikely friends when she discovers a weird looking book. The dialogue is fast-paced and jam-packed with quippy remarks and recognizable “tween-chatter”. The mystery of the smiling man is unpredictable and is complimented with several supporting characters and plot twists.In my completely biased opinion, Katherine Arden can write a paragraph as follow: “blah blah blah, write, write, write, nonsenses, a bunch of squiggles and some punctuation, blah blah blah” and I would call it a literary masterpiece!My favorite quotes from Small Spaces (contains spoilers):“Even bad things can lead to good. Maybe in sad times, it helps to think of that.”“Alice in Wonderland,” said Brian. “Remember? ‘How do you know I’m mad?’ asked Alice.” “‘You must be,’” Ollie said, finishing the quotation slowly, “‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’” Brian buried his face in his hands.Coco didn’t cry because she was weak. Coco cried because she felt things. Ollie never cried because she didn’t feel things. Not anymore. Not really. She tried not to feel things.

My son really enjoyed this

Gran precio y llego en buenas condiciones, con algunos stickers de biblioteca

Wonderfully written, relatable characters, truly spooky story and a description of Vermont that sets a very atmospheric scene. Some of its contents reminded me a little of Coraline.

I loved this book. Started a bit slow but I absolutely loved it. Very creepy in places and I found this as an adult. Can't wait to read the other books in the series. Highly recommend. I am a huge Catherine Arden fan so would read all her books.

This book is a MIDDLE GRADE BOOK and the 1st book in a series by katherine arden and a perfect spooky Halloween🎃 read.🧟‍♂️🚍 Soon gonna order the 2nd book the dead voices..If you are thinking to buy then go now your missing a great adventure..11 Year old Olivia Adler lives with her family in EAST EVANSBURG..whatever I will say you can read in description and I don't wanna give any spoilers...''Until the mist becomes the Rain''And the MRP IS 399 and I got this book in 351Rs..Note: before buying any book check It's MRP first..