Small Spaces
A spine tinglingly spooky horror, perfect for kids aged 10-12
Published on 4. September 2025
224 pages
978-0-241-79508-8 (ISBN)
Description
The spellbindingly creepy middle-grade debut from the bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale.
'Terrifying and fun.' - R L Stine, author of Goosebumps
After rescuing a book from the river, eleven-year-old Ollie discovers a creepy ghost story about the Smiling Man, a fiendish trickster who can grant any wish - for a price. Luckily, it's just a story ...
But when Ollie finds the characters' names carved into gravestones on a school trip to a farm, the story begins to feel terrifyingly real. And then the bus breaks down on the way home, under the watchful eyes of the scarecrows. And darkness starts to fall. 'Best get moving,' the bus driver warns the schoolchildren. 'At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you.'
As Ollie and two new friends work to unravel a hundred-year-old mystery and save their classmates from the Smiling Man, they'll need quick thinking and even quicker feet if they're going to survive.
Full of slow-burning tension, gloriously creepy writing and fantastically realised characters, this is horror at its best: a perfect read for fans of R L Stine, Jennifer Killick and Phil Hickes.
'Terrifying and fun.' - R L Stine, author of Goosebumps
After rescuing a book from the river, eleven-year-old Ollie discovers a creepy ghost story about the Smiling Man, a fiendish trickster who can grant any wish - for a price. Luckily, it's just a story ...
But when Ollie finds the characters' names carved into gravestones on a school trip to a farm, the story begins to feel terrifyingly real. And then the bus breaks down on the way home, under the watchful eyes of the scarecrows. And darkness starts to fall. 'Best get moving,' the bus driver warns the schoolchildren. 'At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you.'
As Ollie and two new friends work to unravel a hundred-year-old mystery and save their classmates from the Smiling Man, they'll need quick thinking and even quicker feet if they're going to survive.
Full of slow-burning tension, gloriously creepy writing and fantastically realised characters, this is horror at its best: a perfect read for fans of R L Stine, Jennifer Killick and Phil Hickes.
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Random House Children's UK
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 10 to 12 years
Edition type
New edition
File size
1,29 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-241-79508-8 (9780241795088)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Katherine Arden is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of the Winternight Trilogy for adults and the Small Spaces Quartet for children. Her latest book for adults, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, is her eighth novel. In addition to writing, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables and running wild through the woods with her dog, Moose. She lives in Vermont, USA.
