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Trapper Boy
Set in a 1920s coal-mining town, Trapper Boy is the story of 13-year-old JW Donaldson, a good student with a bright future. As school ended for the year in 1926, JW was looking forward to summer. Sure, he would have chores – feeding the horse and milking the goat, tending the garden, that kind of thing – but he would also have lots of time for fishing, building his cabin and reading. Lots of reading.
But there is something worrying his parents. His father works in the mine, and there is a lot of talk around town about the mines. JW doesn’t know the details – Adults had a lot to worry about, and he was in no hurry to become one.
Slowly, JW’s parents reveal the truth: his father’s hours at the mine have been reduced and they face difficult decisions to try to make ends meet. One such decision will have a previously unimagined impact on the young man’s life.
But there is something worrying his parents. His father works in the mine, and there is a lot of talk around town about the mines. JW doesn’t know the details – Adults had a lot to worry about, and he was in no hurry to become one.
Slowly, JW’s parents reveal the truth: his father’s hours at the mine have been reduced and they face difficult decisions to try to make ends meet. One such decision will have a previously unimagined impact on the young man’s life.
158 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2012
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 5, 2012
With clean writing, a well-paced plot and realistic characters, Trapper Boy reads like a classic.
MacDonald somehow makes the darkness of the mine vivid. With each distant scrape of a shovel, or shuffling of boots, or squeak of the hinges on the trap door, we feel we are in the dark with JW. When he peers into the tunnel and waits for approaching miners to become visible in the dim light of his helmet lamp, there is an irrational hope as a reader that it will be the coal-blackened face of your own grandfather that will come into focus on the page.
MacDonald somehow makes the darkness of the mine vivid. With each distant scrape of a shovel, or shuffling of boots, or squeak of the hinges on the trap door, we feel we are in the dark with JW. When he peers into the tunnel and waits for approaching miners to become visible in the dim light of his helmet lamp, there is an irrational hope as a reader that it will be the coal-blackened face of your own grandfather that will come into focus on the page.
February 23, 2013
Trapper Boy tells the story of J.W., a kid in the 20's who only wants to study hard, get a good education and see the world. Instead, economic hardships make it necessary for him to go to work as a trapper boy in the mines of Cape Breton. The book illustrates only-too-well the nightmarish scenario of the main character having to deal with being alone underground in the dark with only rats for company. In this book, written for kids, author Hugh MacDonald brings to life a time that children today can't imagine. We think of child labour as something that happens elsewhere, but it wasn't so long ago that it was routine everywhere. Recommended!
June 19, 2013
Trapper Boy - Hugh R. MacDonald
This 1920's story paints a vivid picture of a young boy being forced to try to balance his life as a student while having to work in a coal mine to help support his family. This story likely took place in many small coal mining towns, but MacDonald chose his own town of Sydney Mines and local knowledge to tell the story. Historically accurate in time and place, the story captures some of the key events of the coal mining industry in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia at that time. It provides the reader with a visual of the small town and how big business tried to rule as well as giving a great insight of a young boy growing up too quickly. Trapper Boy is a well written book that would be enjoyed by readers both young and old.
This 1920's story paints a vivid picture of a young boy being forced to try to balance his life as a student while having to work in a coal mine to help support his family. This story likely took place in many small coal mining towns, but MacDonald chose his own town of Sydney Mines and local knowledge to tell the story. Historically accurate in time and place, the story captures some of the key events of the coal mining industry in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia at that time. It provides the reader with a visual of the small town and how big business tried to rule as well as giving a great insight of a young boy growing up too quickly. Trapper Boy is a well written book that would be enjoyed by readers both young and old.
July 7, 2013
Trapper Boy is a beautifully crafted story that takes place in a tiny town in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. The setting could be any place in the world that relies principally upon the extraction industries for jobs (both natural gas/oil and coal). As I read the book my mind took me back to holding a prayer vigil watching the men from the 2010 Copiapó mining accident await rescue. Those men started in the mines at young ages too, following the tradition that mining families embrace. Miners share a culture that unites them regardless of where they live - a true brotherhood.
In Trapper Boy I read about the agonizing choice the parents had to make in sending their son to the darkness of the mines and knew I wanted to purchase more copies to give to my grandchildren who take education and their quality of life for granted. My 14 year old grandson actually put away his electronic gadgets and read the book. He is using this novel in his English class. UPDATE: My grandson got an A and we had a great talk about life then and now. Needless to say he is happy he wasn't born back in the days when children were not allowed to be children unless born to affluent parents.
This book will not bore the young readers as it's not filled with pages of dry historical information. I truly enjoyed the beautifully drawn well-placed sketches that help bring to life the hardships of underground life for the boys and men that toiled there. It has a wonderful plot that drew me and my grandson in and gave us common ground to share. Don't just purchase the book; read it and talk about it to your children, grandchildren and have them imagine what life once was for children their age.
In Trapper Boy I read about the agonizing choice the parents had to make in sending their son to the darkness of the mines and knew I wanted to purchase more copies to give to my grandchildren who take education and their quality of life for granted. My 14 year old grandson actually put away his electronic gadgets and read the book. He is using this novel in his English class. UPDATE: My grandson got an A and we had a great talk about life then and now. Needless to say he is happy he wasn't born back in the days when children were not allowed to be children unless born to affluent parents.
This book will not bore the young readers as it's not filled with pages of dry historical information. I truly enjoyed the beautifully drawn well-placed sketches that help bring to life the hardships of underground life for the boys and men that toiled there. It has a wonderful plot that drew me and my grandson in and gave us common ground to share. Don't just purchase the book; read it and talk about it to your children, grandchildren and have them imagine what life once was for children their age.
February 3, 2015
A great read for youth, Trapper Boy tells a story that was all too familiar to Cape Breton children less than a century ago. MacDonald's story focuses on a passionate student who loves reading but is forced to take a job in the coal mines to support his family. As he struggles to balance work, school, and sleep, the reader gains appreciation for privileges that we now take for granted.
Beautifully written and incredibly moving, I enjoyed every page of this book, especially some of the more emotive scenes which were flawlessly crafted by the author. Reading this book with children is a great way to start conversations about what life was like for youth in the past and the importance of education. I recommend it to all parents and educators.
Beautifully written and incredibly moving, I enjoyed every page of this book, especially some of the more emotive scenes which were flawlessly crafted by the author. Reading this book with children is a great way to start conversations about what life was like for youth in the past and the importance of education. I recommend it to all parents and educators.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews