Book Review: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

 

This was the third book I have read for #SpookyReadsOctober, where I decided all through October I am going to read only scary books!! Going great so far!

I saw this book on the “to-be-cataloged” shelf at the library where I work and asked if I could borrow it for the weekend before it went through processing. Best decision ever! I give this book 5/5 stars and will definitely be recommending it to my library kiddos who ask for scary books. (and they will a lot in the coming weeks)

Ollie is a strong and brave protagonist in the midst of a terrifying situation, and still coping with the loss of her mother. She is reserved and had withdrawn from many of her favorite activities, and finds her solace in books. When a mysterious (and sort of stolen) book opens Ollie’s eyes to a sinister secret, she must save her friends and herself from the Smiling Man.

I thought this book was positively creepy. There are some scary scenes, but I think most middle grade readers can handle it. I will say, it makes scarecrows scary and that is something I found really refreshing and sort of terrifying. I’m used to scary ghosts or dolls or people but scarecrows was a new one for me!

I would recommend this book to children, teens and adults! I thought it was fantastic and was so glad I got to read it before it hit my library shelves. Great book!

 

Buy the book here!

(Will link to our library catalog once the book is processed!)

Book Review: The Collector by K.R. Alexander

I would give this book 5/5 stars, hands down!

This book was featured on my Scholastic Book Fair promo video for middle grade and my kids FLIPPED out. They all wanted to read it and told me they were going to buy it from the Book Fair, so I ordered it on Amazon so I wouldn’t take a Book Fair copy that could belong to a student. It was out of stock on Amazon too! I finally got it on Saturday and I couldn’t wait to start reading.

I read the whole thing yesterday. It was just the right amount of creepy for middle grade readers, and I made sure to request a copy to be cataloged for the library so that I can recommend it to kids who want scary books. Technically in my library it will belong in the 3-5 grade section, but I think some 3rd graders might be a little young. It’s so new that there isn’t a lot of information on it yet (AR points or reviews from parents), so if you are considering this book for your child, my best advice is to take the couple of hours and read it yourself first. It isn’t super scary, and reading is always different than watching it happen, but if you aren’t sure about your child’s tolerance for scary stuff, I recommend reading it first. (It’s also great so I would recommend it to adults even if you aren’t gauging for a child)!

Dolls are creepy enough but THESE dolls are on a whole other level. Pair that with a seemingly-senile grandmother, a mysterious new friend, whispering winds and a dark woods, and you have Josie and Anna’s new life. Find out what happens to the girls by reading this awesome book!

This was my first book of #SpookyReadsOctober and I can’t wait to read more spooky books!