Trapped - Michael Northrop

Report Card
Characters - B+
Plot - B
Setting - C

 

Characters
Our MC is Scotty . He's a typical teenager. He has crushes and zit issues (OMG! the zit issues! How many times did he have to bring it up???). He plays basketball, and he's pretty much the All-American kid. Normally, I don't like this. It feels generic to me, like there's nothing special about him. However, it works here. He isn't bias or have a skewed perception of what's happening around him. And he isn't a walking cliche.
The supporting cast takes the form of six other high school students. They all come off as pretty pigeon-holed at the beginning, if that makes sense. They all have a role, and it reminds me of The Breakfast Club . However, as the story progresses, they branch out quite a bit and we learn they aren't quite what Scotty initially thinks.

Plot
When I picked up this book, I didn't think I would like it. It's not my usual style. There are no ghosts and goblins here, but just some All-American teens stuck in a school and riding out a nor'easter.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. Being as short as it is, there isn't much room for the story to drag, and it didn't. The tension mounts well, and I think the characters made good choices for the most part when dealing with new dilemmas.

Setting
There really isn't much to say about the setting. I mean, it's a traditional high school. There's really nothing special about it.

Writing
The prose is none too complicated, which I think worked well with this narrator. It's smooth and easy to follow.