Small Spaces

By Katherine Arden.

4 Stars. Best enjoyed with a handful of trail mix on a chilly fall evening

Olivia—who prefers Ollie–was different a year ago before she lost her mom. Since then, she quit chess club and most social activities and has retreated into books. On her way home one day after an incident at school involving another girl being teased and a rock thrown well and true at one of the purported instigators by Ollie herself, she stumbles upon a distressed woman in the woods. As the woman holds a small black book over Lethe Creek, Ollie snatches the endangered tome from her and brings the mysterious book home. The story it tells is a strange one involving someone known as the Smiling Man, an entity that makes deals with those who are desperate in exchange for service. The fantastical tale seems to follow her on a class trip the next day, and when the bus breaks down on their way home and the world starts to turn sideways, Ollie, accompanied by her classmates Coco and Brian, needs to use all of her knowledge, wits, and cleverness to get her and the rest of her classmates back to their own world and out of the grip of an entity that seems to have jumped right from the pages of the book she rescued from a watery grave.

I truly loved Arden’s first foray into children’s fiction. I found the team of young preteens to have some serious moxie and I loved how they got to know one another and use their hidden strengths and talents to survive in a mysterious world where they were hunted by scarecrows that turned out to be more than that. It was a story of love and acceptance and moving forward through grief. The characters had depth and Ollie was my spirit animal and is exactly the kind of kid I hope for someday. Ollie’s dad was also such a cool character with his love of crafts, baking, color, and amazing and corny dad jokes.  I really grew to love Ollie’s companions, Coco and Brian, as well. Their adventures take them from being three very different acquaintances to three members of a survival team who grow to care for one another as friends. The alternate world that they slide into is interesting and well built, and the ending is very surprising. 

I truly recommend this book to all young girls as a reminder that being smart and brave can make all the difference and to never let anything take their spark or make them go against their moral compass.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Group in exchange for a fair and honest review.