"Not for one moment do we doubt or cease to sympathize with Edward . . . The pacing is sure and deft, Edward’s many problems aren’t resolved artificially, all at once, but gradually, one by one."
The Tar Pit
Published by HarperCollins
Synopsis
Edward Small might not be very good at schoolwork or at baseball or be very popular, but he was a truly amazing best friend: an enormous Allosaurus who obeys his every command and can crush his enemies in a heartbeat. There is no place Edward is happier than on the bank of the tar pit where his fantastical friend lives—but little does he know that something remarkably real is about to emerge from the tarry depths and change his life forever.
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Reviews
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- The New York Times Book Review
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"This story combines real-life childhood problems with real-life childhood imagination."- School Library Journal
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"Edward’s misery is authentically detailed, along with his daydreams, nightmares, and triumphant shift in attitude toward life as it humbly is. This offers a lot to think about and a lot to enjoy."- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
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"This is a thoughtful, well-constructed novel of a boy leading a life of quiet desperation. Seidler poignantly reveals that Edward is empowered, not by the convenient discovery of a miraculous talent, but by locating his own compassionate core that allows him, and those around him, to be human."- Publishers Weekly
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"Seidler faithfully re-creates the disturbing quality of a nightmare . . . The novel is an interesting study of fear, courage, and caring in the familiar setting of home and classroom."- ALA Booklist
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