Trapped

~~Reviewed by Toby Palevsky Smith of Toby's Nerd-Cave Library~~
A story featuring 7 high school students who are trapped in their high school during a massive historic snowstorm. The one teacher who was there with them at the beginning went outside that first night to ‘get help’ and never came back. They have no idea if he is dead in the snow or if he made it to shelter. That's when things get a bit tense between the remaining students in their bid to survive - and not all of them make it out alive.
I am reading this book while I am also snowed in during a historic snowstorm in my area so I think that has made this story a little more immersive and real for me. I am really enjoying the stream-of-consciousness narrative, the show more foreshadowing clues in the beginning and the way the main character narrates what's happening in both past and present tense. The realities of surviving in freezing temperatures with the very little supplies that can be found in a run-down public school building in the middle of open farmland are very compelling and interesting to think about. The plot itself seems to be missing, other than an “I survived” vibe throughout, and there is no clear cut resolution at the end. show less

Scotty and his friends begin a normal high school day, but it ends anything but normal as an unprecedented storm hits the area trapping him and six other students in the school under a blanket of snow that continues to grow. As morning comes and the students realize the snow continued to pile up all night and with no break in sight they settle into survival mode. The story, told by Scotty, shows us how he, his two best friends, a bully, an outsider and two popular girls face the tragic situation and pull together to survive days in a school under feet of snow with conditions going from bad to worse to unimaginable.

I found this very idea of this story very interesting and terrifying making it easy to turn page after page. The characters show more are very well developed, interesting and have a natural feel with the story. My only negative aspect of the read was, as many have already pointed out, the ending. For me, after suffering so long with these characters, I expected a bit more redemption instead of the abrupt ending that we received.

This is certainly worth picking up and reading…I just had to imagine a better ending for myself!!! show less

I first picked up 'Trapped' hoping it would provide a thrilling tale of survival against the elements ala 'Hatchet' or perhaps a study of social dynamics as in 'Lord of the Flies' or even 'The Breakfast Club'. Considering the setting the author chose (seven kids stranded in the mother of all snowstorms) it shouldn't have been difficult to come up with an engaging story. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.

The story fails to deliver for three reasons. First is that Northrop failed to develop the characters enough that I could connect with them and care what happened to them. Little effort is made to develop their personalities or to get the reader in touch with their thoughts and fears. It would make sense that the students would be show more concerned about what their families are going through but hardly anyone mentions them at all. They all came off as two-dimensional and, as such, it was difficult to work up any concern for what happens to them.

The second problem I have with the story is that I found a lot of what happens implausible. I don't have a problem the storm, mind you, although I doubt such a massive storm would have happened with no warning whatsoever. My concerns are with what the kids did or didn't do in their efforts to survive. In the story they burned 2x4s in a can to keep warm which seems unlikely as they never mentioned where they got the 2x4s or how they cut them up. It would have made more sense to light bunsen burners in the chemistry lab or acetylene torches in the shop to keep warm. If I were in such a situation I would have ransacked the lost-and-found and every room, desk drawer and closet trying to find extra clothing, cell phones, spare batteries, or anything else that might help keep them alive. Aside from some half-hearted searching on day one, though, very little is of that is done. Fortunately, though, they found a portable radio with a battery that never ran out, even though once they worry that it might. In the end, the author didn't put enough thought and effort into imagining what kids in that position would think about, worry about or do to stay alive.

The biggest reason that I was disappointed in this book though is because of its total lack of suspense. With all the challenges facing these characters the author should have had no trouble making us really worry about what would happen but he never quite pulled it off. I'm sorry because I really wanted to like this book but I didn't and I can't recommend it. show less

What would you do if you were stuck inside your high school in a deadly snowstorm?

This is the basic premise of Michael Northrup's Trapped, a fast-paced and gripping thriller about a group of seven high school students who are literally locked inside their school after several feet of snow are dumped on it. Seems like a pretty innocent and basic plot, but when you think about these mismatched group of teens trapped inside this school, you can imagine the fight for survival that ensues.

I found the main character and the story's hero, Scotty, to be a pretty realistic teen boy. From the moment the snow starts to fall, he doubts the brilliance of the plan to stay at the school, even though his friends are intent on doing so. When all of the show more students but the group of seven are gone, Scotty seems to be the first to step into survival mode and is often the voice of reason and calm throughout the story.

Even more than Scotty, I loved the suspense in this novel. I teach in an old high school (it's being renovated right now) and can just imagine the structural issues that would cause our school to come crashing down if this old building were asked to hold several feet of heavy snow. It wouldn't be long before our building collapsed. But, in Trapped, you never quite find out what ends up happening to all of the kids or the school building itself. I loved this. You know that not everyone made it out alive, which is alluded to in the first chapters of the book, but never know the true extent of the damage.

This would be a great read for a reluctant teen reader, particularly male readers. It's short but not without a whole lot of "what would you do" questions. There are easy parallels between this book and others like Lord of the Flies, although this story is not too similar to be a snow-induced knockoff. A perfect read for a snowy day! show less

I was prepared to absolutely adore Trapped. Getting stuck in an eighteen foot, week-long mother of all snowstorms ranks right up there with experiencing the zombie apocalypse for me. The synopsis called out to me, sounding like a very unique disaster novel.

I loved both the concept of this novel and the writing. Michael Northrop is very good with the details, making it easy to picture the scene the teens faced. A description of the endless piling up of snow may seem like it would be tedious, but it was very well done. Couple that with a very unique chapter page styling and the situation was perfectly set. I read an ARC and I very much hope they keep this design for the official publication. Each chapter had a darkened upper portion with show more snowflakes and the writing began where the pile of snow started. As the book progressed, the white snowed in portion would move higher and higher up the page, indicating the show piling up in the book. Kudos to whomever came up with the idea, because the effect is phenomenal.

Trapped was an engaging novel, but it never really brought the tension one looks for in a disaster situation such as this. The kids were in a life and death situation. They fully realized this and acted accordingly. Yet, even when death occurred, it never invoked the sense of trauma it should have. I never felt scared for the kids.

At one point later in the book, there is a definite Breakfast Club feel. The characters are trapped together and most of them are from different cliques. While not as clearly segregated as that 80's movie, as Scotty considered each character in turn thinking how they were more than just the stereotype he's originally assumed, all I could picture was Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy. While I don't believe this was the author's intended effect, I personally enjoyed the comparison - even if only in my own head.

Michael Northrop could have inflicted more pain and suffering on his characters in Trapped. The novel flowed well and the story worked, but I was left with the feeling that they were all getting off a bit to easy. show less

Seven teens are trapped at their high school in the country when the storm of the century hits their New England home. At first it just seems like a matter of time until someone comes to get them, but as time passes they realize that no one is coming anytime soon and they face one challenge after another.

I have to say that I just loved this book. I have read some reviews that said it was sort of boring, but I found the interactions of the kids and the way they solved their problems interesting. And there is always this creepy feeling that something is going to go wrong. The book is short enough that it did not get boring for me. I think boys and girls would both enjoy this book. I found myself saying, what would I do? And I think teen show more readers would do the same. show less

I'm a sucker for survival books. I seem to love them. I keep reading them, and I think I may learn a little from each one.

Trapped is a worse scenario book. Seven teens are left in their high school when it was let out early due to blizzard conditions. The teens were all expecting a ride to come and get them, but the driving conditions did not support vehicle rescue.

As they begin to realize that no one is coming for them, survival mode kicks in. They start to think and plan for a longer stay at the High School. It could be worse, they could have been stuck in a car with no way out and food.

The teens are a mixture of teen society. Not all of them get along, but they do learn to have respect for each other. It was interesting to see the show more different dynamics clash and compliment each other.

I enjoyed the book. I wish there could have been an epilogue to let us know what happened with all of the other kids, the teacher who left and was never heard from. Did all of the buses make it when they took students home?

There are many unanswered questions. Leaving me not feeling quite complete at the end. show less