Book Review: Small Spaces
By: Katherine Arden
Keeping on the creepy theme, this was a really good Middle Grade Horror. I read it with my oldest and he was super creeped out, but refused to give up until he knew how it ended.
A middle school field trip. A stalled bus home. A stifling fog and a warning from the odd bus driver: Avoid large spaces. Keep to the small.
Ollie and two of her classmates leave the bus behind and find themselves in the Smiling Man’s world. He only wants to play a game. If they win, they can go free. If they lose, they stay.
The first in a quartet, I thought it was the best of them. The three main characters are well developed and not cliche no matter their standard Middle Grade archetypes. The end is unresolved and leaves it open to all sorts of uncanny possibilities.
You can find more of Katherine Arden’s writing on her website and on all the socials.
My first book, Archer 887, is a 2022 Indies Today Awards Contest Finalist, and is on sale now through online book retailers. Pick up a copy, leave a review, and let me know what you think!
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Thanks for reading! Anna