ABOUT TRAPPED
Senior year is off to a disastrous start for Ethan Olsen. His brother is gone, a friend is dead, and someone’s dumped rotten bait on the front doorstep. Not only that, but his family is the target of nonstop harassment that threatens their lobstering livelihood in a small town on the coast of Maine.
As Ethan attempts to make sense of these events, he teams up with Britney Campbell, self-proclaimed research geek and potential girlfriend, if only Ethan can make the next move. In the face of mounting incidents and rumors that his brother is a murderer, Ethan feels increasingly helpless. But all that changes when he comes to terms with a lingering childhood trauma.
Trapped, a coming-of-age mystery that touches on themes of identity and belonging, will keep you guessing to the end.
PRAISE FOR TRAPPED
I kept reading this beautifully written novel well into the wee hours. With moments that made me laugh, interspersed with moments that made me cry, I fell in love with Ethan and Britney and the entire town of Punch Harbor.
JANET FOX,
AUTHOR OF
CARRY ME HOME
Place is an important character in this superbly written coming-of-age story, and Punch Harbor is that place. I grew to love its coves and quarries as much as I did Ethan and Britney and Ben and the rest of the community.
ROBIN MACCREADY,
AUTHOR OF BURIED, WINNER, EDGAR AWARD FOR YA
Brook Merrow’s TRAPPED probes the depths of a seaside town rife with secrets, as well as the fathoms of our most private selves. Ethan’s journey of self realization underscores the risks of denial and the importance of communication with those we hold most dear. A warm and moving coming-of-age tale.
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GILLIAN FRENCH,
AUTHOR OF
SUGARING OFF AND
THE LIES THEY TELL
ABOUT BROOK
Fun Facts
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I like words. I like doing stuff outdoors and writing about it.
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Stoked about writing my first book ever—Trapped! A YA mystery/coming-of-age novel set in a lobstering village on the coast of Maine. A brother vanishes. A friend dies at the local quarry. Someone dumps rotten bait on the doorstep. And all Ethan Olsen wanted to do was skate through senior year without a hassle.
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Best job ever? Teaching middle-school writing/reading: Great books. Crazy kids. Hands-on projects. What more could one ask for?
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Favorite YA books: One of Us is Lying (I love mysteries); The Hate U Give (inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement); The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. (A funny and poignant National Book Award winner that often makes banned books lists. My eighth-graders loved it.)
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Freak the Mighty from way back has been speaking to me lately: “Books are like truth serum – if you don’t read, you can’t figure out what is real.” Right?
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My obsession? Crossword puzzles. I know, nerdish.
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Poetry? Yes! Check out Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb.”
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Likes: Hiking, skiing, biking, swimming, reading, photography, DQ chocolate shakes, Ted Lasso, and tasteless movies.
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My family = 2 amazing boys + 1 incredible husband + 1 bird dog with the cutest little beard and a tuft of hair on top of her head.
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Where I live: Sometimes in an airplane hangar in Idaho and sometimes in Maine.
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Funnest fact: My family owned two summer hotels on the coast of Maine. For a kid, magical: elevator mischief, spacious games of hide-and-seek, and ice cream—lots of it.
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My Official Bio
A former middle school teacher, Maine native Brook Merrow loves irreverent humor, tasteless movies, exercise of any kind, and precious animal videos. She enjoys writing somewhat wry accounts for magazines and journals about adventuring in the outdoors. Trapped is her first novel.
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