The Trap

by Sarah Wray

When 15-year-old Luke Sheldon is offered a place at an American summer camp for smart kids, he thinks he's in for the trip of a lifetime. Surrounded by forests and built above a labyrinth of underground tunnels, there is more to Camp Hope than meets the eye. Are the rumours true that three campers disappeared a few years earlier?

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2008

Reviews

[ItzSmashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Had a good time with this one,deffo for the young adult market but it had a great mystery and satisfying reveal. I'm always sucker for a kids in camp story aswel :')
When luke and his campmates receive cryptic codes whilst at summer camp. They begin to wonder if they are related to 3 campers going missing several years earlier. What does the sender want from them and will they survive.

[Fiona Ingram · Rating 4 out of 5]

When fifteen-year-old British teen Luke Sheldon wins a place at an American summer camp for smart kids, he thinks he's in for the trip of a lifetime. He’s also glad to get away from his snarky older brother for the holidays. It sounds like a dream vacation, with courses in cool stuff like archery, fire building, horse riding, and survival techniques. Surrounded by forests and built above a labyrinth of underground tunnels, there is more to Camp Hope than meets the eye. Why do some of the kids suggest the place should be called Camp No Hope? Is it true that three campers disappeared a few years earlier? And why does camp leader Captain Budd as well as the course trainers refuse to talk about it? When Luke starts to find coded messages in his dorm, he thinks it is a silly game until disaster strikes. Too late, he discovers he has been lured into a terrifying trap that could cost him his life.

The adrenalin starts pumping on page one as we find Luke running down an underground tunnel, running for his life! Flashback to when it all begins at camp where Luke meets up with a bunch of teens just like him. There is the usual gaggle of types: the bully, the sidekick, the nerd, the good friend, the joker, and of course, the GIRLS! In an amazing coincidence, Luke bumps into Natalie, his best friend in junior school. At the time, they were inseparable, until Natalie’s parents died and she moved away. Luke is happy to renew his connection with Natalie and even imagines things could go further until…the beautiful Kathryn (aka Star) arrives. She’s totally gorgeous, confident, popular, and she chooses Luke as her camp boyfriend. Although he’s no slouch, Luke hasn’t much confidence when it comes to girls. Star’s friendship with him is like a dream come true, except that it seems to alienate Natalie. His friendship with Natalie also causes tension between Luke and his best camp buddy, Matt. Added to this swirling mix of emotional pressure and excitement at decoding each new clue is Luke’s weird dorm leader (adult) Drew, who has all the characteristics of someone who could kill and not bat an eyelid. Drew also likes knives… Things are never quite what they seem, and it’s up to Luke to solve this mystery without ending up dead!

This is an action-packed teen adventure certain to keep young readers glued to the pages. The characters are well rounded, and Luke is a very likable teen. The events unfold through his eyes, and in the process, Luke makes discoveries about himself and his relationships with others around him. By the end of this riveting read he has matured, and come to an understanding about life. The message of the book is one of forgiveness and hope, and the meaning of friendship.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic horror about a group of teenagers spending the summer at a school camp with a very bad reputation. Ok, Jason Vorhees isn’t going to make an appearance, but it’s still a punchy short read with some good twists and will have you pining for the slasher movie pomp of the 1980s. I was also a fan of “The Forbidden Room” but the author hasn’t published anything since 2008. Really deserves to be better known.

[Can`t_Stop.Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good , good plot and was a nice quick read. Loved the characters and really loved the twist near the end of the book. Exceeded my expectations ^_^

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing! My first ever thriller book and I really enjoyed it !

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this and just as good as the first!

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE TRAP opens with fifteen-year-old Luke running for his life underground; terrified that he could be killed any moment. As he sinks to the ground and pauses for breath he starts to tell the readers how he got into this predicament. Earlier in the year Luke is over the moon when he is offered a place at an American summer camp for kids with high IQ kids. Flying from England to New York State, he finds that Camp Hope is surrounded by mountains and forests. But there is more to Camp Hope than meets the eye. Soon rumours run through the camp that three campers disappeared a few years earlier? The Camp leaders refuse to talk about it. Then Luke finds a coded message in his dorm. He and his friends think it is just a treasure hunt thought up by one of the Camp leaders – then one of his friends is attacked. Too late he discovers that he has been drawn into a horrific trap that could cost him his life.

The plot is quite complex, and the different teen characters are very realistic. I really enjoyed this book, it was amazing, I just didn’t know what to expect next, and the ending really shocked me. I didn’t expect it at all. I couldn’t put this book down.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by far got to be one of the best books I have read , I never read the same book twice without skimming pages I don't find interesting , but this book I read every page again , it's just so brilliant I loved the story it was a few months ago since I read it last but I want to read it again I've kinda forgotten some things BEST BOOK!!!!

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this about 5 years ago and couldn't remember who it was by, and now I finally found it ^-^ I remember finding this book so amazing and the plot twists surprised me so much (for a 9/10 year old anyway)

[Aisling Mc daid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from the very start as it was easy to get into. It always leaves you wanting to read the next page and has so many twists!

[Mhairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG was not expecting the ending !

[Yvette Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but the writing was quite immature. The narrator is a 15yo so it's somewhat forgivable... I think teenagers would love this.

[Kaat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book. The ending held me in suspense, did not suspect it at all.