MMGM: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
ABOUT THE BOOK
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
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.
REVIEW
It can be a bit tricky figuring out what to say about a book like this one without giving away too much. As the story begins, eleven-year-old Ollie is friendless and angry at the world. The reader doesn't realize why until it becomes clear that Ollie has lost her beloved mother and it's led her to become withdrawn and angry. Even her father, who she adores, can't seem to bring her out of it. When she runs into a strange woman down by the creek who is about to dispose of a book in the creek, Ollie swipes the book to save it from destruction. She has no idea that this book is about to take her on an unforgettable journey and may even save her life.
The book pulls Ollie into the story of a woman named Beth and her husband, Jonathan. Jonathan made a deal with someone called "the smiling man" in order to save his brother, but agreed to serve the smiling man when called upon to do so. According to what Ollie reads in the book, the bargain made by Jonathan came back to haunt him in a big way when he and his brother disappeared years later. Ollie starts to get nervous though when she realizes the farm she and the rest of the 6th grade are visiting on their field trip may be the same place where all the creepy things she's reading about happened. The new bus driver doesn't seem quite human and adds to her growing sense that something is very wrong.
When the bus gets stranded on the way from the farm and the teacher leaves the students alone on the bus with the bus driver, Ollie senses that things have gone from bad to worse. The bus driver confirms it when he warns her that "they will be coming" and she needs to run. A confirming message on her mother's broken wristwatch pushes Ollie to flee. Two students join her on the run, Coco and Brian, who aren't exactly Ollie's friends, but go with her despite how crazy she sounds. Something horrible happens to the rest of their classmates and it's up to them to find a way to save their classmates and themselves before things become permanent.
Arden has written an intriguing story with plenty of creepiness to it. I enjoyed reading about how Coco, Ollie, and Brian overcome their differences to work together and become friends. The way the book Ollie has plays into the story piece by piece adds nicely to the atmosphere of the story. I also loved Ollie's dad who keeps trying to be a good parent despite his own grief and Ollie's obnoxious behavior. A great new scary books are always wanted in my library and I think the middle grade students will enjoy this one. And I enjoyed this one as well, especially since Ollie and her new found friends have to find a solution using the information they have rather than just escape the danger.
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