The Columbus Metropolitan Library offers recommendations by the librarians on its web site and that was how I heard of The Trap.

The chapters alternate between Albert and Johnny. Johnny is around seventeen years old and is faced with the dilemma of trusting his instincts and listening to his elders. He recognizes he will have to decide whether or not to use his instincts later when deciding what to do about his future but the cold winter dictates a quick decision.

The reader gets caught up in the story and wants a happy ending. Details make it easy for the reader to imagine how cold it is. It can get quite cold in Ohio but never -60. Smelcer uses many interesting facts throughout the story such as different coping methods for getting transportation to start when it’s cold. Though the novel is geared towards a teenage audience, it’s appropriate for adults too.

Full review available at http://www.amberstults.com/?p=1444. ( )

Thought this was an excellent read.

This is the story of Johnny Least-Weasel and his grandfather Albert who are Native Americans living in Alaska. When Albert doesn't come home from checking his traplines, the responsibility of finding him falls on Johnny. The characters in this book are multifaceted and the situations are very dramatic. This book is the perfect subject for a book discussion on themes such as survival in the wild, family relationships and responsibilities, Native American culture, and tradition versus change. ( )

I am fine with depressing books, but this book is not only depressing but tedious and boring. The characters were dull and uninteresting and the constantly falling temperatures just wasn't enough to make this book suspenseful and gripping. ( )

Hard Arctic life dooms

man in steel trap. Can grandson

free him? Slow-moving.