The Tar Pit

by Tor Seidler

Shy Edward Small has only one real friend, a loving and brave dinosaur, with whom he finds adventure at the edge of a curious pond full of dark, oily goo and daydreams.

153 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1987

Reviews

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom got this one for me in 2004, when I was 9 years old, but I never got around to reading it until now -- 21 years later -- and I'm not sure if my third-grade self would've liked it much. There's a dinosaur on the cover, which was why my mom picked it out for me, but there aren't any real dinosaurs in the story; they're all imaginary. It's actually just a standard slice-of-life about a teen working out his problems in the 1980s rust belt, and I suspect the dinosaur stuff was there to market the book to kids like me who'd (rightfully, imo) have no interest in such a story. Still, I guess it's not the worst.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some truly frightening passages