Trapped!

by Arthur J. Roth

Jimmy hit the brakes the moment he spotted the deer in the headlights. He spun the steering wheel, and the nose of the car dipped as it went off the shoulder. When Jimmy lands in the wooded ravine below, he is slightly injured--and he is trapped inside his mangled car. For two weeks he keeps himself alive. He figures out how to haul in water from a nearby stream, how to pick berries, and how to signal for help. But help does not come. In the end, Jimmy knows he can depend on nobody but himself. Can he escape?

"Trapped!", an incredible story of survival, is based on a true incident.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

119 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Arthur Joseph Roth (Nina Hoy, Barney Mara, Slater McGurk, Pete Pomeroy)

Has worked as a bartender, carpenter, coalminer, factory worker, logger, farmer, high school teacher of Spanish, college instructor in writing, clerk-typist, and truck driver.

Two for Survival was selected as one of the children's books of the year, 1976, by the Children's Book Committee of the Child Study Association.

Under pseudonym Pete Pomeroy:
Wipeout! (1968)
The Mallory Burn (1971)
Crash at Salty Bay (1972)


Under pseudonym Barney Mara:
Forest Fire

Under pseudonym Nina Hoy:
The Runaway (1979)

Under pseudonym Slater McGurk:
The Grand Central Murders (1964)
The Denmark Bus (1966)
The Big Dig (1968)

Reviews

[Angie Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - not enjoying the story as much as anticipated; stopped for profanity halfway in

[Charlotte Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! In fact, I read it three times! It never got boring! It's about a boy who gets in a car crash and gets "Trapped!" inside his car! He can't call for help, he can't get out of the car because his foot is stuck, so he has to find a way to eat, drink and cure his wounds with just the stuff he already has in his car and what he can reach from outside. This is a must read for sure! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did three times!

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy, quick interesting read about survival for two weeks after a car crash.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onvan : Trapped! - Nevisande : Arthur J. Roth - ISBN : 0590326295 - ISBN13 : 9780590326292 - Dar 119 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1983

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was putting together a booklist of survival-type books for teens when I remembered this book I'd read a long time ago, about a kid who crashes his car and then is trapped in the car and has to somehow survive until people find him. He has to figure out how to get water and food without being able to leave the car (his legs are caught somehow). Luckily for me, someone in the "What's the Name of that Book??" group here on Goodreads found the title for me within 24 hours.

One of the most prominent details I remember is how the guy had glass shards embedded in his arm from the crash, and as his arm heals the glass is pushed out.

It was an interesting concept. I remember being a bit reluctant to read it (I'm not sure if I got this book at the library, or if I found it at a used bookstore) - but something about the idea of being trapped in a car for an entire book sounded both boring and interesting at the same time. The author did a good job of keeping the story going even though the character certainly wasn't going anywhere.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars because I enjoyed the suspense of Jimmy's situation-- was he going to get himself out of the wrecked car, and how, and before the flash flood overwhelmed him? At the beginning of my Scholastic copy, it says that the story is based on a true incident. The relationship between Jimmy and his dad could have been developed a little further, though. I also felt that there needed to be reference to hypothermia, which he surely would have suffered from. Also, eating so little, he should have felt the hunger much more acutely than he did. Nevertheless, I recommend this book to those who like a good survival story.

[Gene Quagmire · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a child. in retrospect, I've always been fascinated by stories of limited resources and thus survival. I'm not sure what that says about my personality... but I think we can agree my pessimism is probably no coincidence.

[waits4thebus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elementary school reading that I never forgot. This was probably the beginning of my obsession with crisis preparation. Great thinking game for my class at the time as we discussed the various methods for survival and eventual freedom on the playground.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book several times and I love it. Makes me wonder what I would do if I was in the same situation. Great book for young readers.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was younger and I enjoyed it so much that I read it twice, and I still remember some parts of the book. It's a great book and a quick read.

[Sean Evans]

Trapped! by Arthur Roth (1983)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the reason I got into survival/adventure style books. I think this book might be the reason I actually got so heavily into reading. Thank you to my primary school library.

[Charmaine Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, read this a few times as a teenager years ago. It stuck with me so i bought it again few years ago for the nostalgia & glad i did. Was as good as i remember! Very easy but interesting read. About a guy who has to survive trapped in his car after an accident for two weeks, surviving off what little he had in his car at the time. Highly recommend.

[Aurora Bondareff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book from back when I was a teen. I don’t exactly remember when but it had to be over a decade ago! I loved it so much! I started reading it one night and stayed up and finished the book in one sitting! Definitely worth the read.

[Arwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this book in the 5th grade, and then found it again for 10 cent at a junk store. It's a short, simple story about a guy who gets trapped in his car.

[Amanda Novak]

I read this book in elementary school and have never forgotten it, such an amazing story of survival!!

[Kristy Saurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great true story!!!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good read. It's short and sweet but definitely not up to par with Roth's other books. Still, it fits in nicely with all his books about being trapped, stranded, or lost.

[Ashtyn Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

picked it up at an antique mall and i actually really enjoyed it! certainly much better than hatchet, as far as survival in the woods stories go. seems pretty realistic too for the time

[Brian (Butters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book told in third person and it is about a Klutz named Jimmy who crashes on Gradiuation night and gets trapped in his car for two weeks and manages to survive only by raw potatoes and marshmellows that he was bring on a picnic the next day he gets water by casting a rag into the river and ringing out water.

[Joshua Nomen-Mutatio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to find this book for months and finally did. It's weirdly exhilarating when that happens with books I read so long ago that all I can remember are a few basic things about them. There are a number of young adult survival tales I read in grade school. Many of them I'm still trying to track down.

[Kristin Sprague efurd]

I read this book years ago as a tween and have never forgotten it. I have always enjoyed thinking about ways I would survive in similar circumstances and now it has become a favorite discussion and creative mind time between me and my daughter. I was thrilled to finally come across the book and plan to order and share with my daughter so she can know what inspired our many fun talks.

[Gable Roth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about as exciting as reading about someone who is trapped in a car for two weeks... Oh wait...

Honestly, I think if they just wrote about the actual event it would have been better. This is based on something that happened to John Vihtelic. It is a pretty incredible story but this book does not do it justice.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that you can isolate yourself from your friends, but in the end, they ALWAYS come to bother you. That is not the case with Trapped. A great book that exerts a sence of isolation. A story that starts at the end, likr the book "Five People you Meet in Heaven".

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was youngerand had to read it again. It kept me on my edge of my seat because I wanted to know what will he do next. To be trapped in a car for several days and what he went through to survive on what he had! Very good as I remember it.

[Meleah Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I didn't really like this book. It was kind of boring. There weren't a lot of parts that stuck out to me, and it all kind of blended together. I also didn't like how Jimmy (the main character) kept on giving up.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in middle school and really liked it.