Author: Katherine Arden
Rating: 5/5
BOOK DESCRIPTION
After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she
just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both 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.
Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "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, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. 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."
Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "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, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. 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.
AUTHOR BIO:
Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent a year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrollment for a year in order
to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature. After receiving her BA, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crêpes to guiding horse trips. Currently
she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know.
SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE
September 17 – Books and Blends – Review
September 18 – Read Forevermore – Creative Instagram Picture
September 19 –
Adventures thru Wonderland – Review
September 20 –
Bookish Realm Reviews – Playlist
September 21 –
Thindbooks – Creative Instagram Picture
WEEK TWO
September 24 –
Polish & Paperbacks – Book Inspired: Nails
September 25 – Lacey Does Lit – Review
September 26 –
Inkandpaperwanderlust – Book Aesthetic
September 27 – YA and Wine – Review + Listicle
September 28 – Because Reading is Better than Real Life – Review
WEEK THREE
October 1 – Elegancess – Review
October 2 – Teachers Who Read – Playlist
October 3 – Fyrekatz Blog – Review
My Review: This is the most spookiest Middle Grade book I've ever read. But the story and characters were so good that I couldn't out it down or stop reading it. Thank you to the publishers for sending me an arc and I will definitely be reading more of Katherine Arden's books! Like read soon. I don't think I have anything negative to say about this book. The story moved pretty good and there weren't any slow parts and characters did learn from things so I give this a 5/5 stars. Yes I loved it.
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