Trapped at TRIUMF

by Sandra Price-Hosie

On her first day at a new middle school in Vancouver, Cindy makes friends with her lab partners: Peter, Lincoln, Katy, and Ali. They quickly bond over their shared love of science and form a secret club, the Thunderbirds, named for Cindy’s Indigenous heritage. Then, a mishap with their science experiment causes an explosion in the school lab, and the group gets suspended for a month!

Faced with an abundance of free time, the new friends spend their evenings camping out in the woods near the TRIUMF science centre. One night, they overhear thieves plotting to steal TRIUMF’s extremely powerful atomic battery. Suddenly, these science nerds must use all the tools in their arsenal to stop the threat! With the help of a trusted RCMP ally, the Thunderbirds race to save the day. But will they catch the bandits in time?

TRAPPED AT TRIUMF is an exciting story about friendship, culture, and community. During their adventures, Cindy and her friends must develop the courage to be different, the strength to be independent, and the verve to be adventurous. As they learn to try new things, they understand the importance of doing the right thing. Most of all, they learn that bunch of science nerds can triumph over evil!

68 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2022

Reviews

[Riley Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a different kind of book that highlights indigenous beliefs and different cultures. It consists of diverse representations in terms of making a school that supports the differences of every nation around the world. So, the book also represents a positive role model to our children by teaching them to be aware of such things like this. Also, it never talks about violence and foul language even though it has something to do with crimes, such as the book’s rising actions. Wrapping it all up, I am telling all of you that this book is really a child-friendly book that can be one’s best read of the year. And if you will ask about the story’s positive messages, it has a lot — starting from the very beginning depicting cultural beliefs until the end, wherein they got what they deserved by saving the Triumf. Everything about this book is the best indication of why it is a good read. The book screams by itself.

[Nora Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Trapped at Triumf” is made of valuable representation of diversity, followed by its kind words and good story construction. Not only was it a children's book, but this story also presented a challenge to the readers to embrace the diversity they witnessed. And it was painful to read that our tribes experienced terrible days at the hands of higher educators who always wanted to exploit them against their customs and beliefs while making them believe that it was for the greater good. Even though we are already in the 21st century, the trauma is still there in any tribal or indigenous communities, making them live far from their normality. They are sacrificing their life just to preserve what their ancestors told them. They are living their whole life just to continue what they have started. So we haven’t acquired any right to dissolve them and destroy their society, and we will never be.

[Bailey Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers a wide variety and endless possibilities for a student's creativity and potential. All they need is proper guidance that will never stop them from learning because, by this age, children cannot fully decide on their own. It is a universal fact that most of the time, elders do make the decision for their children and decide what path they should take. That is the reason why when children grow up, some of them go through difficulties. It is not entirely their fault when they are put in a place where they are not happy, to begin with. After reading the book, the part wherein the elders decided whether or not Cindy should study for higher education also mirrors the reality of building the future of our children. Therefore if a child does have the proper guidance they need, the future will be blurry for them. It is a reminder for elders here that the future of our children will always depend on our hands.

[Wyatt Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always knew that this book would be appreciated by a lot of people. I thought that I was the only one who imagined things clearly on how the scenes smoothly submerged in the book. The story is like a bomb that will make us wait before it blows our minds away. From the first until the middle part, it focuses on introducing the diversity and situation of the children as well as how they brought themselves into the thrilling part. I liked it when the book gave us the problem and then quickly made a way to solve it and complete the task of the characters. Truly, it completely surpassed my expectations. In addition to that, the book does not create so many problems, which makes the book a quick read. Indeed, it’s just like a dropping bomb that fades away after doing its job. Personally, I love the writing style of the author because it is not lacking, and it is not too much – just a way to tickle our minds.

[Beau Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so much love this book for pertaining country origins’ differences in forming friendships. It is like telling everyone that having a solid and healthy relationship means accepting each other’s differences and making them a factor in uniqueness. At the end of the day, we need those special people in our lives that can help us achieve a better version of ourselves, those people that we can call our ‘friends’. Just like in the story, Cindy does not know that she has something bigger inside her. She has no idea how she can survive in a different environment apart from her tribe. At first, she just goes with the flow of her new adventurous life, not minding what waits for her. But in the end, she achieved something unexpected – that thing that she would never attain if she never tried and without the entire Thunderbirds' help.

[Evan Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is beautiful, isn't it? Just how simple we can form memories with some experiences that we never tried before. As much as there are failures, there is still goodness in every decision that we make in life. And I know that even though this book does not directly tell us that we may have a fear of taking a risk, there is still what we call a beautiful mess. It is not that hard to make a change in our life. As long as we are ready to be someone we have never seen before, then everything will be fine. It was like when the story made Cindy find out that she can still be greater in terms of science and math, and how she is great at forming good relationships with other people she had just met. We may not also see our strength today, but by going forward, we could learn that we still have something we are yet to discover inside ourselves.

[Sofia Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting to make a path in your life without you knowing about the outcome or consequences is a huge challenge to take. At a young age, Cindy managed so perfectly to carry her entire life. I believe that she cannot do this without the elders' teachings in their tribe. She took those teachings seriously and wholeheartedly, for she knew that she represented their tribe at that particular place she needed to be. It was such a brave act to consider everything as a new adventure aside from dealing with the new life as a burden. I like how Cindy ended up with those children that are similar to her in terms of brains and all. It is due to the fact that they also carry the same pressure of being genius and the expectations vested by their community or families. Indeed, it makes her feel that she is never alone in this life.

[Hazel Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The direct and uncomplicated way of writing structure in this book makes it more understandable to read by its target audience, the young ones. And it serves as the way to be a worthy book to read. It successfully provides a glimpse of a children's world that starts their adventures in their own creative way. It is proof that children can still be better from their current state. I do not know how it happened, but this book is very inviting to read. Maybe because it has the energy that a parent must comprehend in order to bring out the best in their children. I am sure that everyone can reflect on this book utilizing how to raise children with good eyes in creating friendships and opening to the world. This is a great read for all ages because it offers lessons to children and to adults that can provide a path for their development.

[Abigail Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I offer this book positive feedback where families can talk about this story without building any harm and hate speech for any other races. It can teach children and the elders the importance of knowing the differences between letting a child be independent and depriving them of the chance of self-discovery. As it has been made, the decision of the elders in Tit’quet Band is a wise decision to be made. Though they have their uncertainty that maybe Cindy will forget where she truly belongs, they still insist on letting Cindy grow. And their decision was the best thing that happened to Cindy. Growing out of their comfort zone is not a factor in forgetting their origin. It is a way that the readers must also learn that to be out of the shell is also to use the values we obtained and make them a way to be our strength.

[Rylee Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Sandra Price-Hosie does an outstanding job of bringing this book with a children's vibe by illustrating each chapter's highlights using a children’s drawing. It is such an incredible way to let the children feel at home by reading the book. It is a way to communicate with other children by means of providing visual illustrations that children can fully understand. I really love how the author manages to insert children's drawings that are not full of colors and excellent cartooning illustrations. This is a type of narration that’s not only in the form of words but also in the form of children to children interaction. Indeed, it is a wise way to provide a door for all of our young readers out there to understand where the story is going and what highlights it provides in each chapter. It will set them as their bridge in entering the world of imagination.

[Hadley Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book reveals the expanded and outreached version of building the life of the youth. It also shows that it is really relevant to push the youth to move further and discover their own skills that can define them as an individual. In our society, may it be intellectual children or not, cultural children or not, everyone must be accountable to offer an equal path for children’s development. This is the only time in their life wherein they will encounter a lot of situations that will surely unlock their strengths and weaknesses in life. It is where potential starts to peak and is very inviting to try. If children are provided with different paths, it might overwhelm them. They cannot excel alone. We better provide them the same opportunity to grow. For it is a must to never give up on our children. If we give up now, then who will help our children to have a good fight in life, right?

[Austin Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is moving to know that the story shows us the importance of giving our hundred percent trust to our children. If our children feel that adults are neither scary nor threatening, then they will be more transparent. We can properly translate our actions based on their wants and needs. Those things are the kinds of things that will surely benefit them and not only us. From there, we can create a healthy space for our children. We can understand what they truly aspire to have and who they always wanted to be. So I liked it best when the police officer offered guidance to the kids without frightening them with his badge. In fact, he guides them even without the kids knowing. His simple gestures build trust among the kids, so when something dangerous happens, he is the first person they contact. Because according to the kids, they know that they can trust him. I really love it!

[Remi Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I've read in a while. Somehow, this book is one that a child can read and take until they grow up. It's one of those that will stick to them and make them appreciate the world more. I hope we can see more of the Thunderbirds, for they are amusing to follow and their adventures really make me reminisce about the good old days with my friends. This book made me reminisce a lot about my memories while growing up. I love how this book just shows kids having fun and being cheery and not putting them through so much. It's so refreshing to read. My feelings for this book are insurmountable, and I hope there will be more of it!