Do not read this one before bedtime, or in a cornfield at sunset, or most definitely  not in SMALL SPACES.

This well spun tale begins as a mystery of sorts for about the first hundred pages. The rest of the way can only be described as TERRIFYING. A busload of sixth graders and their teacher are on a field trip to a farm. (By the way, I doubt the bus driver was ever employed by the school district.) For young Ollie, things seem eerily familiar to the book she’s been reading also called Small Spaces.

The bus gets stuck on a misty dark road. Ollie discovers the scarecrows are alive but can only get you at night. Yikes. The tension put forth is at an all time high. I’m talking Goosebumps to the tenth power. But what great writing! You’ll savor the twists and turns. The middle grade audience will enjoy every minute spent with Ollie and her creepy adventure. I for one will be reading this  again every Halloween.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2018   PAGE COUNT: 224

THE OFFICIAL BLURB (From Putnam and Penguin Young Readers Group)

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT:

SMALL SPACES

1. Ollie is a fantastic heroine. Her decisions and eventual understanding of classmates bring her character full circle.
2. There may be a run on scarecrow costumes this Halloween, although the ones in
   Small Spaces aren’t looking to fill their bag with candy.
3. You might get the chills reading this one, but it’s a good kind of chill knowing you’ve read a great story.
4. Some may call this short, but at 224 pages it is just right for middle graders.
5. The story matches the attention grabbing cover. So many elements to entice readers.

FAVORITE CREEPY LINE

The driver looked all around and then whispered so that she could barely hear, “They are strong at night, remember? They have clever, grabbing hands, but stiff. and they can’t grab you if they can’t reach you. At night!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent a year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrollment for a year in order to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature. After receiving her BA, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crêpes to guiding horse trips. Currently she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know.

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I received a copy of the book for my honest review. Today’s post is a part of Penguin Teen/Kids #wickedreads campaign. Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.