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Tripwrecked!: Tempest Terror
Only a sensible, level head can save the day when disaster strikes on a school trip in this hilariously slapstick introduction to Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Frank and his drama club are off on a dream school trip to perform The Tempest at a festival. But it turns into a nightmare when their ferry is hit by a terrible storm! Half of the actors wash up on a sandy shore and they can't believe their eyes. Is this a desert island? Why is there strange music coming from the forest? Where are the rest of the cast? To Frank, it all sounds strangely like the plot of The Tempest and he hasn't got a clue how they're going to get out of this mess. One thing's for sure ... they've been tripwrecked!
Frank and his drama club are off on a dream school trip to perform The Tempest at a festival. But it turns into a nightmare when their ferry is hit by a terrible storm! Half of the actors wash up on a sandy shore and they can't believe their eyes. Is this a desert island? Why is there strange music coming from the forest? Where are the rest of the cast? To Frank, it all sounds strangely like the plot of The Tempest and he hasn't got a clue how they're going to get out of this mess. One thing's for sure ... they've been tripwrecked!
69 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2021
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Ross Montgomery
33 books295 followersRoss Montgomery has worked as a pig farmer, a postman and a primary school teacher, so writing books was the next logical step. He spent his childhood reading everything he could get his hands on, from Jacqueline Wilson to Beano annuals, and it taught him pretty much everything that's worth knowing. If you looked through his pockets you'd find empty crisp packets, lists of things to do, and a bottle of that stuff you put on your nails to stop you biting them. He lives in London with his girlfriend, a cat called Fun Bobby, and a cactus on every available surface.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 9, 2022
'Tripwrecked' by Ross Montgomery is an amusing tale of a school drama group who wind up stranded on a desert island, where a series of events occur which are alarmingly similar to Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.
From page one, this story grabbed my attention with its ironic wit, and for the most part, remained as amusing throughout the tale. Once it even drew an out-loud laugh from me. Props to Montgomery for the imaginative idea. The characters were ridiculous and the plot twists raucous, which I imagine is exactly what you'd want in a story for this age group. I can easily imagine young readers finding this an entertaining read.
Somewhere in the middle, and towards the end, I did find my interest lagging. At times the plot became mildly predictable and even dull, but this might not bother a younger reader. The introduction of multiple characters - very quickly - was also difficult for me to keep track of. The story aims to introduce young readers to 'The Tempest,' so an explanation of the play's plot was also worked into the story, but I found this explanation dense as an adult who isn't familiar with the play - perhaps this is down to the fact that, again, I needed to get to grips with several character names.
I would pitch this little book as suitable for children who are gaining confidence reading chapter books, or older children who'd like an easy and entertaining read.
From page one, this story grabbed my attention with its ironic wit, and for the most part, remained as amusing throughout the tale. Once it even drew an out-loud laugh from me. Props to Montgomery for the imaginative idea. The characters were ridiculous and the plot twists raucous, which I imagine is exactly what you'd want in a story for this age group. I can easily imagine young readers finding this an entertaining read.
Somewhere in the middle, and towards the end, I did find my interest lagging. At times the plot became mildly predictable and even dull, but this might not bother a younger reader. The introduction of multiple characters - very quickly - was also difficult for me to keep track of. The story aims to introduce young readers to 'The Tempest,' so an explanation of the play's plot was also worked into the story, but I found this explanation dense as an adult who isn't familiar with the play - perhaps this is down to the fact that, again, I needed to get to grips with several character names.
I would pitch this little book as suitable for children who are gaining confidence reading chapter books, or older children who'd like an easy and entertaining read.
September 30, 2021
This is the first Ross Montgomery book that I've read, but I can see why he's written so many kids books, and why he's such a beloved author, as Tripwrecked was a lot of fun.
The story follows Frank and several of his classmates as they set out on a school trip to Italy for a Shakespeare festival, where they'll be performing The Tempest in front of the assembled festival-goers. Unfortunately, their plans fall apart pretty quickly when their ferry, which has barely left Dover, ends up in a storm and begins to sink.
Climbing into the lifeboats, the students and their teacher are rocked around in the storm, and they even end up losing Mr Fortune as he's swept overboard by a wave. The rest of the students find themselves getting washed up on a tropical island, but seem to have lost half the group. Several of the students try to make plans to survive, with Frank and fellow quiet student Rianna putting forward some good ideas, but being overshadowed by the louder kids; who all seem to be arguing over who gets to be in charge.
Whilst trying to make shelter and find help the students begin to hear strange music coming out of the forest around them, and one of the students claims to have seen a huge monster. This is when Frank and Rianna realise that things seem strangely like their play, and begin to wonder if something strange might be going on.
When I first started Tripwrecked I thought it was just going to be a story about a group of kids getting stranded on an island and trying to survive, and whilst that is a big part of the story, the real highlight of the book is the way that Ross Montgomery seems to mess with both the characters and the readers. By bringing in strange and unusual things, by making the story strangely mirror the events of The Tempest the story has a whole new dynamic to play with.
Instead of just trying to find shelter, or searching for supplies the kids start to worry about their being a strange monster in the forest, and if it's even possible for them to find a way home. In some respects the book feels a little like Lord of the Flies thanks to the bickering and fights for leadership, with a dash of Lost thrown into the mix thanks to the mysteries and monster roaming the woods. And all of this is done in a way that incorporates Shakespeare. It's a fun and unusual little mix, but one that I think a lot of young readers will enjoy; especially if they're starting to learn about Shakespeare in school.
What really helped the book too is that it's not afraid to be a bit silly, to throw some jokes into the mix and make the reader laugh. There's a moment towards the end of the book where Frank and Rianna come back to camp to find one of the kids tied up, part of his Shakespeare costume shoved in his mouth as a gag, ready to be sacrificed to the monster by the new leader. It's a bit scary in a way, the kids turning on each other so viciously, but what makes this moment so great is how upon seeing this Rianna turns to Frank and says 'How on earth did they do this so quickly? We've only been gone ten minutes.'
It's a silly joke, but it instantly made a rather dark moment into genuine comedy, and even made me laugh out loud whilst reading the book. And this is far from the only time the book will do something like this. Montgomery knows when to deploy the humour, and does it to help sell the more unbelievable parts of the story, and to keep the tone from going too dark.
As well as being well written, the book also has some great illustrations from Mark Beech. The artwork is wonderful, and it instantly made me think of the art in Roald Dahl books by Quentin Blake thanks to it's exaggerated and almost messy style. It wasn't until I'd been looking at the book for a bit before I realised I'd definitely seen the work before, on my own bookshelves. Beech has illustrated books for Terry Pratchett (which I have), as well as authors such as Enid Blyton, and Jo Nesbo. It's the kind of art that lends itself perfectly to children's fiction; especially children's fiction that is unusual, and deals with themes of the extraordinary. The art and story blend together wonderfully.
Tripwrecked is a fantastic little story that was a genuine pleasure to read, one that had a lot of fun with telling its story. Seeing a tease in the back of the book for Ross' next Shakespeare inspired story book I can't wait to see what comes next.
The story follows Frank and several of his classmates as they set out on a school trip to Italy for a Shakespeare festival, where they'll be performing The Tempest in front of the assembled festival-goers. Unfortunately, their plans fall apart pretty quickly when their ferry, which has barely left Dover, ends up in a storm and begins to sink.
Climbing into the lifeboats, the students and their teacher are rocked around in the storm, and they even end up losing Mr Fortune as he's swept overboard by a wave. The rest of the students find themselves getting washed up on a tropical island, but seem to have lost half the group. Several of the students try to make plans to survive, with Frank and fellow quiet student Rianna putting forward some good ideas, but being overshadowed by the louder kids; who all seem to be arguing over who gets to be in charge.
Whilst trying to make shelter and find help the students begin to hear strange music coming out of the forest around them, and one of the students claims to have seen a huge monster. This is when Frank and Rianna realise that things seem strangely like their play, and begin to wonder if something strange might be going on.
When I first started Tripwrecked I thought it was just going to be a story about a group of kids getting stranded on an island and trying to survive, and whilst that is a big part of the story, the real highlight of the book is the way that Ross Montgomery seems to mess with both the characters and the readers. By bringing in strange and unusual things, by making the story strangely mirror the events of The Tempest the story has a whole new dynamic to play with.
Instead of just trying to find shelter, or searching for supplies the kids start to worry about their being a strange monster in the forest, and if it's even possible for them to find a way home. In some respects the book feels a little like Lord of the Flies thanks to the bickering and fights for leadership, with a dash of Lost thrown into the mix thanks to the mysteries and monster roaming the woods. And all of this is done in a way that incorporates Shakespeare. It's a fun and unusual little mix, but one that I think a lot of young readers will enjoy; especially if they're starting to learn about Shakespeare in school.
What really helped the book too is that it's not afraid to be a bit silly, to throw some jokes into the mix and make the reader laugh. There's a moment towards the end of the book where Frank and Rianna come back to camp to find one of the kids tied up, part of his Shakespeare costume shoved in his mouth as a gag, ready to be sacrificed to the monster by the new leader. It's a bit scary in a way, the kids turning on each other so viciously, but what makes this moment so great is how upon seeing this Rianna turns to Frank and says 'How on earth did they do this so quickly? We've only been gone ten minutes.'
It's a silly joke, but it instantly made a rather dark moment into genuine comedy, and even made me laugh out loud whilst reading the book. And this is far from the only time the book will do something like this. Montgomery knows when to deploy the humour, and does it to help sell the more unbelievable parts of the story, and to keep the tone from going too dark.
As well as being well written, the book also has some great illustrations from Mark Beech. The artwork is wonderful, and it instantly made me think of the art in Roald Dahl books by Quentin Blake thanks to it's exaggerated and almost messy style. It wasn't until I'd been looking at the book for a bit before I realised I'd definitely seen the work before, on my own bookshelves. Beech has illustrated books for Terry Pratchett (which I have), as well as authors such as Enid Blyton, and Jo Nesbo. It's the kind of art that lends itself perfectly to children's fiction; especially children's fiction that is unusual, and deals with themes of the extraordinary. The art and story blend together wonderfully.
Tripwrecked is a fantastic little story that was a genuine pleasure to read, one that had a lot of fun with telling its story. Seeing a tease in the back of the book for Ross' next Shakespeare inspired story book I can't wait to see what comes next.
August 26, 2021
Full review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews