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A review by enchantedfiction
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
5.0
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is about a girl named Ollie and two of her classmates who attempt to solve a mystery surrounding a local farm. Ollie has "stolen" a book from a woman trying to throw it into a river on her way home from school one day. She reads this story, and finds connections between this book she has rescued and the history of the local farm they will be visiting as a class. When their bus breaks down on the way home, the bus driver warns them..."avoid large places at night. Stick to small." Ollie and two of her classmates heed his words and disappear into the night, only to be wrapped up in the terrifying mystery, with no knowledge of how to get out.
Katherine Arden has a way of sucking a reader right into this story, putting mystery around the main character for the first part of the book, and doing a minimal amount of foreshadowing that leaves you on your toes. The fact that she brought this ghost story to life and my heart beat faster just reading it, was really fun. The characters all had elements that they could bring to the story and make it believable.
This story is set in Vermont, where Arden resides, as do I. It was a little spooky reading a story like this set in my home state, but it didn't deter me from soaking it all in. I liked that she made Ms. Webster seem more afraid of Mr. Jones, the bus driver, than of Seth, who ended up being the Smiling Man, even though it made me think that Seth was really the one to look out for. Ollie had an interesting story as well, since it was a bit of a mystery as to why she was different than she had been the year before. There were hints that something happened to her mother, but we didn't actually find out what it was until about halfway through the story. I also liked that we learned elements about Coco and Brian, since Ollie had kind of pegged them to be a certain way, and since she was the main character, that is kind of what the reader believes of them as well.
I do wish there had been a little bit more to the story when Ollie met the ghost of Beth Webster. I felt like that was kind of left a little flat, since she was the one who got Ollie into the history and story in the first place. I wish there had been a little more explanation for this part, a little more background information of what happened when Beth stopped writing Small Spaces. I wasn't even sure if Ollie ever finished the story, as it seemed like every time she read part of it she got interrupted.
I did really like that Ollie was able to outsmart the Smiling Man, as younger people usually have a better understanding of what is right for everyone instead of just themselves. She of course really did want her mother back, but she had faith that her mother's spirit never actually left her, and she knew that making a deal with the Smiling Man would only make things worse for her later on. She had the foresight to see what an adult, like Jonathan Webster and Linda Webster, could not see, which was the consequence of having to answer to him later.
This was a really fun book to read right around Halloween, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to read something quick and spooky. Arden's writing style is easy to follow and will keep you guessing at how Ollie, Brian, and Coco will solve the mystery around Misty Valley.
Katherine Arden has a way of sucking a reader right into this story, putting mystery around the main character for the first part of the book, and doing a minimal amount of foreshadowing that leaves you on your toes. The fact that she brought this ghost story to life and my heart beat faster just reading it, was really fun. The characters all had elements that they could bring to the story and make it believable.
This story is set in Vermont, where Arden resides, as do I. It was a little spooky reading a story like this set in my home state, but it didn't deter me from soaking it all in. I liked that she made Ms. Webster seem more afraid of Mr. Jones, the bus driver, than of Seth, who ended up being the Smiling Man, even though it made me think that Seth was really the one to look out for. Ollie had an interesting story as well, since it was a bit of a mystery as to why she was different than she had been the year before. There were hints that something happened to her mother, but we didn't actually find out what it was until about halfway through the story. I also liked that we learned elements about Coco and Brian, since Ollie had kind of pegged them to be a certain way, and since she was the main character, that is kind of what the reader believes of them as well.
I do wish there had been a little bit more to the story when Ollie met the ghost of Beth Webster. I felt like that was kind of left a little flat, since she was the one who got Ollie into the history and story in the first place. I wish there had been a little more explanation for this part, a little more background information of what happened when Beth stopped writing Small Spaces. I wasn't even sure if Ollie ever finished the story, as it seemed like every time she read part of it she got interrupted.
I did really like that Ollie was able to outsmart the Smiling Man, as younger people usually have a better understanding of what is right for everyone instead of just themselves. She of course really did want her mother back, but she had faith that her mother's spirit never actually left her, and she knew that making a deal with the Smiling Man would only make things worse for her later on. She had the foresight to see what an adult, like Jonathan Webster and Linda Webster, could not see, which was the consequence of having to answer to him later.
This was a really fun book to read right around Halloween, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to read something quick and spooky. Arden's writing style is easy to follow and will keep you guessing at how Ollie, Brian, and Coco will solve the mystery around Misty Valley.