Book Review: Small Spaces

Katherine Arden takes readers on an eerie journey full of chills and cheers -

and your garden-variety scarecrow army.

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Publisher’s Summary

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

Small Spaces is fantastically creepy. This, in part, is due to the book’s vivid atmosphere. It was 90+ degrees outside while I was reading it, and every sentence surrounded me with the chill of mid-autumn. I frequently found myself stumbling outside into the Georgia sun, only to wonder where all the Halloween costumes and apple cider were.

In addition to being transportive, the book features a cast of likable and interesting characters. Too often, stories that begin in a school setting lean too far into social tropes. (Don’t get me wrong - this is not exclusively a middle-grades problem.) While this can provide writers of fantastical books room to move quickly through more “mundane” bits of plot, it can also unnecessarily flatten characters.

Arden doesn’t do this. From the very beginning, her characters defy the tropes I expected them to fit. Fierce Ollie stands up for new girl Coco, who has an eccentric and dainty reputation. Brian, the handsome athlete who accompanies Ollie and Coco into the woods, is kind and helpful throughout the journey. We see three kids who run in very different circles develop a deep understanding for one another.

And this is just the main trio. There are many exciting twists regarding good guys and bad guys. Some characters, perhaps more interestingly, turn out to be neutral.

The world Arden builds around this story is high-stakes and eerie, just unexplored enough to keep a grasp on readers’ interests. Spooky cornfields, old farms, and journals of those long dead all pitch in to create Arden’s masterpiece of an atmosphere.

Naturally, scarecrow armies come next.

The brilliance of the scarecrows is that they’re not just spooky space-fillers. Small Spaces deals with pretty heavy ideas like death, grief, and family, ideas that call into question what it means to be a human interacting with other humans, ideas that might seem scary and monstrous to kids (and really, everyone). When themes like this are set against strange, humanoid, inanimate-but-animate monsters, well . . . no spoilers, but it goes to interesting places.

And ultimately, those places are optimistic. Small Spaces is about adventure and fantasy and creepy autumn ambiance, but it’s also about the role we can play in our own grief. We don’t have to remain imprisoned by our emotions, so long as we are determined to love, in the same way that our diverse protagonists insist on loving each other. Love can bring us out of grief, and maybe - just maybe - save us from armies of super-spooky, semi-sentient scarecrows.

Get your copy from our online store here:

Happy reading!

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S.D. Smith at The Story Shop: UPDATE!

We have some great news about S.D. Smith’s upcoming author event with us: It’s now free!

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Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we were able to waive the event fee. We are so grateful and excited!

There will now be just one event, still on October 2, beginning at 5:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet followed by a signing.

Books will be available for purchase at the event while supplies last.

We do suggest that you purchase a copy from us in advance, so you can bring it to the signing. You can get it here:

To learn more about S.D. Smith and The Green Ember books, check out our previous blog post about this event (but note that the above information will apply instead):

If you haven’t read the series, checkout our party coordinator Lisa’s great review here:

As always, happy reading!

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Book Review: The Green Ember

My place beside you
My blood for yours
Till the Green Ember rises
or the end of the world

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Where are the all books about heroic acts and brave deeds? Why have we stopped feeding our children stories of brave knights and daring princesses? Few tales have been produced since the days of Tolkien, Lewis, & MacDonald that reveal the endurance of the human (or rabbit) spirit, tales that demonstrate the strength that always arises from a fallen people and a broken nation.

In S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember, I am shown a world that is broken and in need of mending. A world where many are fighting for a freedom which only their parents once knew. The book opens with brother and sister, Heather and Picket, playing a sweet game in the meadow, but events quickly unfold, and Heather and Picket are entangled in a fight for a world - a warren - that they barely knew existed. Their bravery is tested and their loyalties questioned.

Author S.D. Smith takes Watership Down and The Lord of the Rings, two enthralling tales of bravery and triumph, and weaves them into a single masterpiece that is an entity all its own. Smith has given us a tale that will make us cry, cheer, and fist pump when events turn and battles are won. The Green Ember is such a refreshing story where the outcome is not straightforward. The story constantly tugs between good and evil and who will triumph. Your heart will soar one moment and shatter the next. Though there are times when darkness seems to envelop the world, no matter how much light is snuffed out, there is always a faint ember glowing in the depths.

For those who have not yet ventured into the marvelous world of S.D. Smith, you are missing a tale, a community, and a practice that isn’t appreciated anymore in this world . . . chivalry, bravery, acts of mercy and of love.

Read, marvel, and most importantly . . . hope.

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S.D. Smith at The Story Shop

S.D. Smith, author of The Green Ember series, will be at The Story Shop on Tuesday, October 2. Keep reading for more details!

S. D. Smith lives with his wife and four kids in West Virginia, because it would be weird to live with someone else’s wife and four kids in West Virginia (or anywhere else, right?).

S. D. Smith lives with his wife and four kids in West Virginia, because it would be weird to live with someone else’s wife and four kids in West Virginia (or anywhere else, right?).

Summary from the publisher: 

The Green Ember is a new adventure with an old soul. #RABBITSWITHSWORDS

"A captivating story with sword-bearing rabbits, daring quests, and moments of poignant beauty, The Green Ember is a tale that will delight and inspire young readers to courage and creativity and would make a perfect book for a family to read aloud."

- Sarah Clarkson, author of Read for the Heart and Caught Up in a Story

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About The Green Ember

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world. 

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend. 

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

 

We will have two separate ticketed events:

1. An intimate presentation, followed by a Q&A and book signing

2. A public book signing.

Click the descriptions below to register!

We can't wait to see you there! 

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Staff Picks: Lauren and Andie

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to the wide world of children’s literature, we’ve got your back! Reading staff picks a great way to find a variety of books curated by devoted bookworms. This week, manager Lauren and bookseller Andie share some of their favorites!

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Lauren's Favorites

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Little Leaders: Bold women in black history

I love how this book showcases important people we probably didn't learn about in history class (at least we didn't in mine). And those illustrations! Such a delightful little book. I can't wait for the others in this series to be released (coming in October).

 
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The Serpent's secret

Typical teenager who wants to fit in trope meets snot covered demon. What's a girl to do to get her parent's back from an inter-dimensional prison? Kick some monster butt! 

 
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The jackaby series: the dire king (#4)

This series is fun right from the get-go and ends with one of the best books ever. Seriously, if I could only read one book for the rest of my life it would be The Dire King. It has everything you could ever want in a book. 

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Andie's favorites

Moby-dick: a babylit storybook

Moby-Dick is one of my all-time favorites, and now little ones can embark on the adventure, too! With fun and beautiful illustrations, this book is begging to be taken off the shelf for story time - or to be put back up for display.

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The digger and the flower

This story's tenderness is perfect for a book aimed at boys. It teaches kids to notice beauty and cultivate love, and to let their vulnerabilities show, even if it might feel silly sometimes.

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goldeline

This book has so much of what I love: fierce girls, magic, and a Southern Gothic feel. It's a story about commitment to what is true. (If the word "Hawthornian" doesn't scare you off, it has notes of The Scarlet Letter. If it does scare you, then this is nothing like Hawthorne, and you should definitely read it.)

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