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. ( )

Not bad. Smart kids from UK go to US summer camp to do active things. There is a story about 3 campers going missing a few years before and never found. The camp organizers go to great efforts to hush this up. Then they start finding coded clues to a hidden treasure. Who's sending the clues and are they in danger from whoever got the missing campers. ( )

Opening Sentence: "...I'm Running for my life..."

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. ( )

This is a teenage horror novel in the vein of "I know what you did last Summer" which was very enjoyable despite the fact that I guessed who was behind the notes/disappearnce of Star about half way through the novel! Luke is an English boy who travels to Camp Hope in America as part of a program that encourages high intelligence teens (i.e. Nerds) to participate in outdoor activities and make new friends. In the group of British teens he makes friends with a kid called Matt, meets the bully Mark and runs into an old friend Natalie. Once at the camp, Luke falls for Star, a vibrant American girl and discovers that Camp Hope was where 3 teenagers disappeared 3 years ago. Does his creepy Cabin leader Drew have anything to do with their disappearance , and what of Captain Bud the cheerful camp director who turns extremely nasty if anyone mentions the missing kids. Luke is having the time of his life as someone keeps leaving notes around that once you decipher the codes, all seem to point to a treasure but then Star goes missing and the notes look decidedly sinister. What if it is all a trap?
p.100 -104 Luke agrees to go look in the woods for Star.

The Trap by Northern Ireland’s Sarah Wray is written for young adults and pays homage to all those American horror films set in remote ‘summer camp’ sites – but excluding the gratuitous sex and violence.

Intellectually gifted pupil Luke Sheldon and a group of his fellow academic high scorers from the UK are sent to Camp Hope in the US to develop their physical prowess: Luke reunites with his childhood friend Natalie and all seems good.

When he receives a series of coded clues, Luke and his friends consider it a game but eventually, and too late, he realizes it is actually a deadly trap. A thrilling tale, without any explicit nastiness, The Trap is highly recommended. ( )