REVIEW: True Fright - Trapped Beneath the Ice!

True Fright: Trapped Beneath the Ice! and Other Stories
Scarier than Fiction
Author: Ted Pedersen

I read a lot of children's fiction. A middle grade book with a good story is an excellent palate cleanser in between heavier adult fiction. Some of my favorite go-to kids books are collections of stories about strange/weird occurrences.  After reading one of Ted Pedersen's other books, I found this one in a thrift store and it just had to come home with me! I read it last night while cooking supper. So entertaining!

True Fright - Trapped Beneath the Ice is a collection of 15 short tales of (supposedly) true scary or strange happenings. From a skater falling through thin ice to a tale about a cursed ship, the stories are varied and interesting. Are they all true? Nah....but still fun to read!

These stories are very short....just a couple of pages each. They are definitely written for children. Nothing graphic or traumatic. A couple are lightly scary, but not overly so. Age appropriate, and easy to read. I could see this book being used to coax a reluctant reader to enjoy a book. Or for supplemental reading in a classroom. Or just for fun reading at home. For me, it was a bit of a nostalgia read. I remember buying books like these from the order forms they gave us at school. My friends and I would order different books....read them....then trade. Books like this one fostered my life-long love of reading!

The tales are all entertaining. They are well written, but obviously geared for young readers. There are no illustrations. The stories are short. Perfect for kids who might have a bit of trouble with longer chapters,but also entertaining for those who just like to read. As an adult, I enjoyed this book. It was a nice break from the heavier fiction/non-fiction I usually read. It made for a nice, relaxing, easy bit of reading!