Like "I Shouldn't Be Alive" but with kids?
August 23, 2013 7:59 PM Subscribe
My pediatrician's office had a book in the waiting room--true stories of terrible accidents told by the kids and teens who managed to survive them. Anyone know the title?
I was recently reminded of one of the stories in the book, or maybe series: a boy was at Yellowstone and went off the path for whatever reason, and fell into a very hot vent. I think he was relieved in the end that his shoes fell off because otherwise the rubber would have melted on his skin (or perhaps it did, I don't remember). Moral of the story: stay on the path & wear socks. Another story was of a father and son who set up camp for the night too close to the edge of a cliff... the kid rolled off in his sleep and was lucky to survive at all. Other stories I remember even more vaguely involve bike crashes, a chainsaw accident, and a teen throwing something flammable into a bonfire. I think it also included one about a kid cracking their head open while near or getting out of the family car--their younger sibling tried to put oreos in the crack (??) to make it better.
I was in elementary school when I read these, and I'd imagine based on content that they were aimed at young teens. I'd love to know the title, but as googling turned up nothing for me, I'd be very grateful for any reassurance that the book(s) do exist and aren't a disturbingly vivid figment of my imagination!
I was recently reminded of one of the stories in the book, or maybe series: a boy was at Yellowstone and went off the path for whatever reason, and fell into a very hot vent. I think he was relieved in the end that his shoes fell off because otherwise the rubber would have melted on his skin (or perhaps it did, I don't remember). Moral of the story: stay on the path & wear socks. Another story was of a father and son who set up camp for the night too close to the edge of a cliff... the kid rolled off in his sleep and was lucky to survive at all. Other stories I remember even more vaguely involve bike crashes, a chainsaw accident, and a teen throwing something flammable into a bonfire. I think it also included one about a kid cracking their head open while near or getting out of the family car--their younger sibling tried to put oreos in the crack (??) to make it better.
I was in elementary school when I read these, and I'd imagine based on content that they were aimed at young teens. I'd love to know the title, but as googling turned up nothing for me, I'd be very grateful for any reassurance that the book(s) do exist and aren't a disturbingly vivid figment of my imagination!
The previous answer was my first thought as well. I don't remember them specifically being directed at kids and teens but I do remember reading them in a dentist's office.
posted by desjardins at 9:57 PM on August 23, 2013
posted by desjardins at 9:57 PM on August 23, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestion! I don't think it was Survival Stories though--I couldn't find any collections mainly dealing with kids (I'm pretty sure the book(s) only featured kids). They also weren't all crazy survival situations, I think a number of them were simply nasty accidents...the overall idea was maybe that bad things happen to regular kids who are just like you even when their parents are right there, but they got through it so you could too.
I probably read these 12 to 16 years ago.
posted by Baethan at 5:46 AM on August 24, 2013
I probably read these 12 to 16 years ago.
posted by Baethan at 5:46 AM on August 24, 2013
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posted by procrastination at 9:04 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]