The Tar Pit (Paperback)

by Tor Seidler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
According to PW , "This is a thoughtful, well-constructed novel of a boy leading a life of quiet desperation. He is empowered . . . by locating his own compassionate core that allows him, and those around him, to be human." Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"The pacing is sure and deft; Edward's many problems aren't resolved artificially, all at once, but gradually, one by one." -- New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy (October 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064410463
• ISBN-13: 978-0064410465
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,709,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Read, September 24, 2008

By	James Bond "A.J." (VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tar Pit (Hardcover)

The Tar Pit is a magnificent book for all ages. It was one if the best books I have ever read! The book has an excellent plot, colorful language and difficult challenges.

The Tar Pit is about a kid named Edward Small Jr. who has problems in school with his classes and a bully named Billy Gritch, who is the school's best baseball pitcher. Edward has one imaginary friend, who is an Allosaurus named Alexander. Life was a challenge for Edward until Alexander becomes surprisingly real.

Tor Seidler's language is so outstanding and vivid that Edward seems like he is a real person. Get this, I made a list of interesting words and found almost 200!! The language helped make it a remarkable read.

Also, the challenges make this book thought-provoking. At first, Edward feels very cheerless about his life. Later he finds a grown Allosaurus jaw bone that makes life exciting. Also, Billy Gritch stops being such a bully. Then, he has a horrific nightmare that makes his life miserable. In the end, there is a big secret in the book waiting for you to discover.

The appeal of this book is its exciting plot and outstanding language which makes it 168 pages of gold.

4.0 out of 5 stars Cam's review , November 1, 2006

A Kid's Review

I liked this book because of its exciting theme, imagination turning
into reality, and adventure through the mind and then out into reality. I also liked
this book because the little boy in this story reminds me of when I was younger.
I was so fascinated by dinosaurs that my friends and I had an imaginary friend named Rex. It is similar, because the boy in the book has an imaginary friend who was an allosaurus named Alexander. And that is the reason why I liked this book.
Edward Small Jr. had a pretty tough life. He was always being picked on, and never had any friends. Except for one. An imaginary friend named Alexander. And let me tell you, Alexander is no person. He is an allosaurus, who does whatever his master ( Edward) tells him to do. But when he finds a jaw bone in the tar pit where his imaginary friend Alex lives Edward starts to think, " Can this jaw bone be part of Alex?" He starts to get more and more suspicious about the bone and decides to talk to his father about it. When his father finally believes Edward, he decides to ask a professional. So scientists then go to Edwards house and examine the bone and found out that it came from an allosaurus . So then after that the scientists start looking in the tar pit, and soon enough find a whole skeleton of an allosaurus. And since Edward was the one who found the jaw bone,he finally gets noticed, gets new friends, and gets a whole new start for a whole new life.



I would recommend this book to any one who is interested in dinosaurs, mystery, adventure, and imagination gone wild. So if you like all of this, then you had better start reading "THE TAR PIT!!!"

4.0 out of 5 stars best friends, February 18, 2004

By A Customer

I enjoyed this book because it had adventure and imagination. It was a pretty funny book, to me, because I could relate to some of the things that happened in the story. It was also easy to understand.
This book is about a boy named Edward Small Jr. who was not smart, popular, or even good at sports. His best friend is an Allosaurus named Alexander who lives at the tar pit and does everything that Edward tells him to do. But he is only a dream. One day at the tar pit Edward makes a discovery that changes his life and everyone else's in the town of Molebury.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and adventure. If you like surprises then this would be a good book because it is full of surprises.