Thursday, February 21, 2013

Trapped.

Title/Author: Trapped by Michael Northrop.

Genre: YA/Thriller

Publisher: Scholastic.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character: Scott

Synopsis:  The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive. . . .

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision. .~Goodreads.com.
My Thoughts:  With all the snowstorms and power outages we've been having lately, I thought this was an appropriate book to clear off my TBR shelf.  I enjoyed reading this.  It was kind of like The Breakfast Club gets stranded but without the moments of epic disclosure.  There was a little bit of music though.  Seven students are stuck in their high school during a mega blizzard.  Their power goes out - no heat, the pipes freeze - no water, they are cold, hungry and scared.  What would you do?  The answers may seem easy, but when you have obstacles, the solutions are not always workable.  It is interesting to see the teens try to work their way around them and come up with answers.

The story is told by main protagonist Scotty Weems in first person.  His voice is clear and consice as is the writing and it is easy to believe that a 15 year old boy is telling this story.  He is likeable and I liked him more when he was being honest with himself and his friends.  He doesn't want to get in trouble and lose his status on the basketball team, he wants to impress his crush who is stuck also.  His insight into himself doesn't always come fast, but it eventually comes making him more real for me.

There are definitely some dynamics of the different factions of students going on and it is interesting to see which kids come up with the best ideas, which ones take on a leadership role, which ones the other kids defer to.  And of course, in a stressful situation like being snowbound, tempers flare and emotions can run high.

I love seeing what people do in averse circumstances and the choices these kids make are not ones I would make, but I can't really remember what I'd do as a 15 year old.  However, I wondered why they didn't get gym mats like they mentioned in the beginning or go into the teacher's lounge where there might be couches.  Break into other lockers for extra clothes, etc.

The ending bothered me a bit because I found it sudden and also I didn't get to see what the aftermath was.  *Spoiler Alert* Even just a little bit would have been cool.  The kids congratulating Scott when they were picked up in the helicopter.  Visiting each other in the hospital. *End Spoiler Alert*  However, I also understand that the main gist of the story is the survival of the students in the hostile environment and the events that occured.

All in all: A very fast and entertaining read.

Other editions:
 

Challenges:












5 comments:

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

This was a book that was on my radar when it first came out and then I guess I forgot about it... :( Maybe one of these days, because I love the idea of a Breakfast Club kind of survival story. I agree on your point of why they didn't think of certain things, the first thing I would have done would have been to go through other people's lockers!

Christina said...

Oh man, I would be so much more excited if it were like The Breakfast Club with the disclosures. I'm still curious though. This Is Not a Test was sort of like that, if you add mind-crushing depression and zombies outside instead of snow.

Kimberly @ Midnight Book Girl said...

The Breakfast Club + a blizzard? Sounds awesome. It sucks that it had a sudden ending but I still really want to read it!

Bystander said...

Ummm, this book sounds amazing! I had never heard of it before, but now I wanna read it! Great review!

fakesteph said...

This sounds really fantastic and fun. It actually sounds like a great Made For TV movie to be honest. I'm glad you enjoyed it, although I, too, prefer more closure to my stories.

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