Personal Review of Book
Summary:
“Trapped” by Michael Northrop is a survival fiction book intended for the 9-12 grade level reader. The purpose of this piece of work is to entertain the reader, coinciding with a very well done visualizing aspect. Northrop has written three other books (“Gentlemen”, “Plunked”, “Rotten”), and is about to release his fourth, “Surrounded by Sharks.” The authors’ style varies, but Trapped and Surrounded by Sharks use a similar premise of survival and mystery together.
The title of the book parallels with the entire book, in that the main characters of the book have been trapped inside the school because of a catastrophic blizzard for an extended period of time, lacking main utilities and necessities for survival. The main character, Scotty Weems, is also the narrator of the work. The entire story is told through is first-person point of view. He recollects everything through his eyes and his memory, though some points may be vague because of his lack of survival necessities, along with partial insanity through the duration of this event. Along with the change of his mindset from making it out dead alive, Weems encounters a fight or flight decision in saving a friend at the end of the book, which showed great leadership and perseverance on his part. However, it does cause him to be knocked unconscious in the freezing cold weather, and forces him to be airlifted and revived at a local hospital.
The story takes place in only one location, being Tattawa High School. This is not only where Weems and his friends attend school, but also, it is the location at which they are trapped during the entire story. The story culminates over several days, and also reveals that not everyone that was trapped in the school made it out alive. Sleep-, food-, water-, and heat-deprived, the students (and one teacher) had to stay relentless and figure out ways to survive the blizzard that was taking place. They had no way of communication to the outside, as well as no power about an hour into the event. These kids were trapped in the storm mainly due to the fact that their parents were unable to get to them because of the weather, and ended up costing some of the members involved their lives.
Evaluation:
The main themes that stuck out during the culmination of the book were that teamwork and leadership are necessary to continue getting to the main goal, which, in this case, was living. Scotty had to do everything in his power as the leader of the group to think of ideas and help everyone get out alive. Scotty made the ultimate sacrifice in helping his friends and teachers when the time called for it, insofar that he almost lost his own life.
Northrop’s strategy in writing this book was intelligently done. Northrop’s use of 10th grade jargon and typical communication skills were prevalent in this work. The use of “like” and other words such as this when describing the event sound like any normal 10th grade would have recounted the scenario, not like a professional, educated writer such as himself, making it easier to understand the situation for the intended audience.
In summarization, this book was well written and grabbed my attention. I like the overall suspense of this book. There was a mix of high and low suspense throughout the book, in unison with a flux of emotion as well. The reader can really begin to see where the action kicks in, as the narrators’ speed of talking and description begins to change, making it seem like the reader is involved and trapped in the school with the narrator.
Overall, if I was a professional reviewer, I would give this book 4.5/5 stars. It gives a high school student everything they would want in a survival book. Though it may seem like a traditional topic, Northrop incorporates many aspects very well into this book while also keeping in mind the age of the narrator and the intended audience.
Scholastic Press
$14.04 (Hardcover) $8.16 (Paperback)
Published in 2011
ISBN: 970-0-545-21012-6
Summary:
“Trapped” by Michael Northrop is a survival fiction book intended for the 9-12 grade level reader. The purpose of this piece of work is to entertain the reader, coinciding with a very well done visualizing aspect. Northrop has written three other books (“Gentlemen”, “Plunked”, “Rotten”), and is about to release his fourth, “Surrounded by Sharks.” The authors’ style varies, but Trapped and Surrounded by Sharks use a similar premise of survival and mystery together.
The title of the book parallels with the entire book, in that the main characters of the book have been trapped inside the school because of a catastrophic blizzard for an extended period of time, lacking main utilities and necessities for survival. The main character, Scotty Weems, is also the narrator of the work. The entire story is told through is first-person point of view. He recollects everything through his eyes and his memory, though some points may be vague because of his lack of survival necessities, along with partial insanity through the duration of this event. Along with the change of his mindset from making it out dead alive, Weems encounters a fight or flight decision in saving a friend at the end of the book, which showed great leadership and perseverance on his part. However, it does cause him to be knocked unconscious in the freezing cold weather, and forces him to be airlifted and revived at a local hospital.
The story takes place in only one location, being Tattawa High School. This is not only where Weems and his friends attend school, but also, it is the location at which they are trapped during the entire story. The story culminates over several days, and also reveals that not everyone that was trapped in the school made it out alive. Sleep-, food-, water-, and heat-deprived, the students (and one teacher) had to stay relentless and figure out ways to survive the blizzard that was taking place. They had no way of communication to the outside, as well as no power about an hour into the event. These kids were trapped in the storm mainly due to the fact that their parents were unable to get to them because of the weather, and ended up costing some of the members involved their lives.
Evaluation:
The main themes that stuck out during the culmination of the book were that teamwork and leadership are necessary to continue getting to the main goal, which, in this case, was living. Scotty had to do everything in his power as the leader of the group to think of ideas and help everyone get out alive. Scotty made the ultimate sacrifice in helping his friends and teachers when the time called for it, insofar that he almost lost his own life.
Northrop’s strategy in writing this book was intelligently done. Northrop’s use of 10th grade jargon and typical communication skills were prevalent in this work. The use of “like” and other words such as this when describing the event sound like any normal 10th grade would have recounted the scenario, not like a professional, educated writer such as himself, making it easier to understand the situation for the intended audience.
In summarization, this book was well written and grabbed my attention. I like the overall suspense of this book. There was a mix of high and low suspense throughout the book, in unison with a flux of emotion as well. The reader can really begin to see where the action kicks in, as the narrators’ speed of talking and description begins to change, making it seem like the reader is involved and trapped in the school with the narrator.
Overall, if I was a professional reviewer, I would give this book 4.5/5 stars. It gives a high school student everything they would want in a survival book. Though it may seem like a traditional topic, Northrop incorporates many aspects very well into this book while also keeping in mind the age of the narrator and the intended audience.
Scholastic Press
$14.04 (Hardcover) $8.16 (Paperback)
Published in 2011
ISBN: 970-0-545-21012-6