Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

How I Heard About It:  Many of twitter reader friends have been "chatting" about this novel for the last few weeks or so.  I listened to it on Audible.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  

1.  *Ollie lives with her father.  She is mourning the loss of her mother.  She finds peace and comfort in the books she reads.

2.  *One day she stumbles across a woman by the river.  She is about to throw a book in the river.  Ollie saves both the woman and the book.  The book goes home with her. She begins to read the story and her life is changed.  

3.  *The book is called Small Spaces and includes the story of a women, two brothers, and a mysterious man named "Smiling Man".  There lives include a spell or two.  

4.  Ollie's class takes a field trip to a historical farm that has a history all its own.  On the return trip, the bus breaks down, the teacher goes to get help, and the children are left with a mysterious bus driver.  

5.  Ollie and two classmates depart the bus to get their own help.  Once they are away from the bus, Ollie shares the book with the other two children and they begin to encounter their own mystery that is tied to the story in the book Ollie has been reading.  


What I Thought Of It:  The beginning was a bit slow and I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.  Once the class went on the field trip and the bus broke down, then I became more interested and curious about the story.  The plot turned into a turn page-turn and contained many elements of a horror and/or ghost story.  The creepy factor was top-notch and I could see young readers being drawn into the scary aspect of the story.  This would be the perfect book to read during the month of October.  


Who Should Read It:  The story can be a bit scary so I'm thinking readers would be in grades four or above.  Because of the mystery, suspense, and horror; the book could make for a strong class read aloud.  I also think middle-school readers would enjoy the adventures that Ollie has to face.  Happy Reading!  



Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars



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