Nor'easter

Trapped
by Michael Northrop
Scholastic Press
2011
240 pages
ISBN:  0545210127


A nor'easter, a blizzard that can last days, is like a hurricane with snow.  Seven teenagers are Trapped in their rural New England high school by the worst nor'easter on record.  The snowstorm closes the school early, but Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason decide to skip the buses and work on a project in shop while they wait for Jason's father to pick them up.  Jason's father never arrives; the three discover that four other students and one teacher are stranded in the building with them.

When they see the lights of a truck out in the snow-covered parking lot, the teacher ventures out into the blizzard...never to return.  It is apparent no one is coming for them, and the night turns into days.  None of their cell phones are picking up signals, and the school's phones aren't working.  The power goes off and with it the heat.  The water pipes freeze.  Part of the roof collapses.  How are they going to survive the deadliest nor'easter their corner of the world has ever seen?

Trapped is a chilling page turner, but you never forget you're dealing with high school students.  Jason, the basketball player, is bummed that his game has been cancelled, and he's sweating talking to the beautiful Krista.  Pete is making "moonie faces" at Julie.  Jason is hellbent on finishing his go cart in shop before they are rescued.  Les, the bad boy, is terrifying Pete, and Elijah, the weird kid, is, well, weird and strangely prophetic.  Elijah knows--and so does the reader--that they all aren't going to make it; you're sure hoping that somebody does.