Book Review: Trapped

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Adventure

The novel Trapped by Michael Northrop is a quick, easy read that would have a lot of appeal for teens.  The entire action of the story takes place inside Tattawa Regional High School, a rural school in New England, during a snowstorm.  The central characters include, Scotty Weems, a sophomore who is also the narrator of the story, his long-time buddies Jason Gillispie and Pete Dubois, Krista O’Rea and Julie Enders, freshmen girls, and Les Goddard and Elijah James, both misfits at Tattawa but for different reasons, and the football coach Mr. Gossell.  This band of eight ends up stuck in their high school during what turns out to be the worst Nor’easter in the history of the U.S.  They endure cold, hunger, freezing pipes, and a collapsing roof.  Perhaps worst of all, they have no communication with the outside world and realize that no one knows where they are.  Even when help arrives, no one will know where to look for them.  From the beginning of the story, which is told as a flashback, the reader knows that not all of the party will survive the storm.  The novel is very suspenseful and teens can easily imagine themselves in similar situations as these characters, as they are forced to make decisions that could be deadly. 

Lauren Sprouse, Librarian