What does it mean to be trapped -- physically, emotionally, or psychologically? Thirteen prominent young adult authors have been given free rein to interpret the term, and the results are electrifying, revealing the best and the worst of the human spirit. In settings fantastic, mythological, and contemporary, and with tones humorous, introspective, and thrilling, these touted authors' explorations of being trapped produce gripping results. Includes:
"Minimum Wage" / Apollo "Pancakes" / Joan Bauer "The Box" / Francesca Lia Block "Tunnel Rat Dreaming" / Gary Crew "Trapped" / Lois Duncan "A Matter of Getting Out" / Lois Lowry "Athlete" / Gregory Maguire "The Escape" / Walter Dean Myers "And Still the Birds Keep Circling" / Gloria Rubinstein "The Woeful Princess" / David Skinner "Fountain of Youth" / Marc Talbert "Sheep" / Rob Thomas "Cross Over" / Rita Williams-Garcia
Lois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Trapped! Cages of the Mind and Body is a collection of short stories by authors such as Rob Thomas, Marc Talbert, and Lois Duncan. Pancakes, by Joan Bauer, was a great story about a young, perfect girl that is flabbergasted by an experience she has as a waitress. She realizes how not-to-be-trapped by her own perfectionism. In Lois Lowery’s story, A Matter of Getting Out, two teen boys learn that they can’t outrun a mistake and have to pay the consequences of their actions; trapped. Tunnel Rat Dreaming also shows how experiences throughout life can easily leave one trapped in their own mind.
Trapped! Cages of the Mind and Body was a great collection of short stories; however, a young teen may not understand the meanings in all of the stories. An older young adult will enjoy this collection. Of course, there were a couple not-so-exciting stories, but this may actually motivate the reader to continue for the next story!
This is one of my all-time favorite short story collections, and my favorite story from the book is "Pancakes" by Joan Bauer. I refer people to this story all the time because it is so good. The narrator in the story is a girl who works as a waitress in a pancake restaurant. She is in total control of her life, or so she thinks, and she has no time for those who can't seem to do the same. It's a great story - you should read it!
This book is one of the BEST BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVER READ!!!! I absolutely love this book because this book is about feeling trapped, whatever and wherever it may be. This book can help people do things to change their lives and their lifestyles. But, I wouldn't really go past that. This book will be one of the best book a person will ever read, if they are ten or eighty. ☺
The short storys in this book were orignal some written very unique, I recieved this book for a christmas gift a very long time ago and its still a part of my collection, Some of the short storys are better then others some just plain strange but it was ok
I like Lois' especially. This book is enlightening for someone who might not remember very well what it is like to be at the break just past innocence but before enough experience to know 'this too shall pass'
Out of all the short stories in the book, the only one that I liked was Pancakes. All the others are a hit-over-the-head and are on topics that have been discussed many, many, many, many, many times.
It amazes me to think that this collection was made in the 1990s, and many of the stories are still holding up now and 2019. Some of the stories are very exciting others are funny and some are just plain weird. But all of them I've appreciated for their diverse voices and the common theme of trapped.