#48 in Middle grade
Small Spaces
- 224
- Pages
- about 4 h
- Reading time
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About the book
New York Times 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 who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who 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. Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "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 begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. 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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.0 across 93 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 38% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Middle grade average of 8.0. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 6 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 8.0 | 87 | 94% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“genuinely creepy, emotionally grounded, and full of perfect autumn vibes. every book in this four book series takes place in a different season which i find super charming and fun. the setting was so rich. this author knows how to create a vibe. queen of…”
“Deliciously scary. I'm a longtime fan of horror that also has a bit of humor and isn't JUST about the horror, and this hit the spot perfectly. SMALL SPACES deftly dangles the young reader above the dark before taking them back to a safe place…”
Frequently asked
What age is Small Spaces for?
Small Spaces sits on the Middle grade shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 8–12. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 224 pages — shorter than 66% of the ranked books in Middle grade.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Middle grade — with scores between 7.9 and 8.4, closest to this book.
