Into the Trap

by Craig Moodie

An action-packed adventure about thieves, fishing, and two boys who lay a trap that will save the day. Eddie's family has been trapping lobsters for generations. but lately someone has been stealing their catch. When Eddie happens across the thieves' trap, he knows it's up to him to bring in the culprits. With the unlikely help of a boy who has run away from sailing camp, Eddie embarks on an adventure that puts his very life at risk.

Genres: Adventure, Middle Grade

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2011

About the author

Craig Moodie is a writer with a sailing habit. He has worked as a deckhand on commercial fishing vessels in the waters off Cape Cod and as an advertising copywriter in agencies in New York City and Boston. He now toils as a creative director and promotional writer to support his family and his vocation as a fiction writer—and to keep a small catboat in varnish and paint.
He is the author of The Sea Singer, Seaborn, and Into the Trap, as well as several works of adult fiction.
He lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, children's book, adventure, sea

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't get invested in lobster traps, apparently

[Thomas Boardman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will they be caught? In the book Into the Trap by Craig Moodie Eddie the main character is on a hunt to find the missing lobsters. On his journey he runs into a kid on the run from sailing camp named Briggs. The adventure to the missing lobsters takes place on Fog Island. Will the real thieves be caught?

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

MOODIE, Craig. Into the Trap. 208p. Roaring Brook. 2011. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-585-8. LC number unavailable.
Gr 5-7–Eddie Atwell’s family has been trapping lobsters for years on Fog Island, MA. Lately someone has been stealing their catch. The whole book takes place in 24 hours. While fishing one morning at 5:01 a.m., the 12-year-old comes across the lobster thief’s trap. Before he knows it, the culprits see his boat and take off with it. Unbeknown to them, Eddie happens to see who they are. He starts to wonder how he is going to bring them down, but first he needs to figure out how to get back to land. Lucky for him, Briggs Fairchild, a 13-year-old runaway from a sailing camp nearby, shows up. He is being bullied by one of the counselors, who happens to be one of the thieves. Together the boys embark on a wild adventure and almost risk their lives, all in the name of saving lobsters. Into the Trap is unbelievable at times, because some of the situations seem too far-fetched. However, it is an action-packed tale with boat chases that may appeal to some boys.–Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA

Source Citation
Seglin, Shannon. "Moodie, Craig. Into the Trap." School Library Journal Aug. 2011: 113. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 5 Aug. 2011.

[Carrie Dye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twelve year-old Eddie Atwell’s family has been trapping lobsters for generations. Eddie knows the waters around Fog Island, Massachusetts better than the local roadways. This way of life is threatened when thieves raid his father’s lobster traps. Eddie knows his family will soon be out of business if the thieves are not caught. One morning early he heads out in his boat to fish for bass. After getting his lines snagged, he decides to stash his boat and walk on the nearby Island and accidently stumbles upon the stolen lobsters in a lagoon! Eddie observes the thieves return to check on the lobsters. They spot his boat, hook on it and leaving Eddie stranded. After spending a night in the cold, he spots a sailing boat in distress and ends up helping a runaway from a local sailing camp. Together they decide to catch the thieves, and along the way become suspects themselves and risk their own lives in a wild pursuit of the thieves. All this happens in a fast-paced 24 hour period that is pretty far-fetched! You can pass on this one! Grade 5-7.

[Jody Bachelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-paced action in a unique setting -- an island lobstering community off the coast of New England -- will make this novel appealing to young teens who crave adventure stories. Eddie is a lobsterman in the making, and when his father's lobsters are stolen he can't sit idly by. Briggs is a rich kid sent to summer camp to learn how to sail, but he's hopeless at it. Thrown together they spend one hair raising day in the pursuit of the burglars while testing the limits of their skills and bravery. Author Moodie has accurately captured the feel of a lobstering community: how their lives revolve around the sea; how they prefer to handle problems on their own rather than trust the authorities; and how a lack of economic opportunities can sometimes lead to a deep diviseness between natives and outsiders. There are a lot of technical references to boats and fishing, and if one is not familiar with the coastal environment it may be a bit difficult to visualize some of the scenes, but libraries in coastal regions should find a readership.

[Beth/Sr. Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

fast-paced, exciting adventure!