Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Happy Halloween season everyone! A great way to kick it off is with Katherine Arden's Small Spaces that just released last week.

 This is a story for the middle grade reader, but can be enjoyed by parents as well.

 This is a creepy book about death and the bargains we make to overcame our sadness. Young Olivia has to face the sudden, tragic loss of her mother. Instead she decides to find solace in books and ignore reality. But she bit off a little more than she could chew with Small Spaces.

 This is seriously a great book to be reading during Halloween season. I was appropriately freaked out. It has that perfect Halloween ick factor that makes your skin crawl while you read it. Yet I couldn't put the book down.

 The main characters are a little flat and become overshadowed by some truly creepy background characters, like the smiling man and his henchmen. But I was okay with that as the villains seemed to be the most important part of the story.

 The conclusion is a great way to explore how kids deal with loss in their life and build a new world around them. I highly recommend this novel.

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