Synopsis from Goodreads: “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…”

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Wow!  This is a fantastic read!  While it reminded me a little of Lord of the Flies in that young adults are alone together trying to survive, this novel takes on a story of its own.  It is a truly scary look into the wrath of Mother Nature and the human ability to cope in unfathomable situations.  I am a teacher, and the entire time I read this, I kept trying to put myself in the students’ shoes.  What would I do?  Would I have tried to go for help, like Mr. Gossell, or would I have stayed and tried to protect the students to the best of my ability?  Would I risk a fire to keep everyone warm?  Is the food that easy to find in the café after hours? (I’m going to talk to the café staff about that last one). 

Last year we had a huge snowstorm, not a nor’easter, not even close, but it did shut down everything for a full week.  Luckily, I was at home when it started, and not at school, as the situation was quickly declared a statewide emergency.  Like the students in the book, we thought it would be a quick storm, and it would tapper off within a day or so.  While the really heavy snow only lasted two days, it took a full week to clean up the disasters that ensued.  No one was allowed out on the roads, not even to walk (though I don’t know how we could have been fined seeing as the police we’re even out).  As I read, I kept comparing last year’s situation to Trapped, and it is frightening to think about—I am truly grateful we did not have any situations like those in the book.

This novel is told from the viewpoint of one of the surviving seven students, Scotty Weams.  I’m not going to give anything else away, but Weam’s account of his five days locked in a school, while over 18 feet of snow falls around him, is breathtaking.  Northrop is a wonderful storyteller, really capturing the voice of the characters.  As the story unfolds, and the situation goes from bad to worse, Northrop continues to flesh out his characters, and although Weams is telling the story, he does not focus solely on himself, but adds in vital information about the other characters, allowing the reader to identify with them all, as they fight to survive through this dire situation.  This is a very powerful novel, and I highly recommend it!  Five stars. 

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