The Trap

This very moving story of life in the Alaskan wilderness alternates each chapter between the grandfather and the grandson and the very different struggles that each goes through during the four days that pass during the course of the story.

Albert Least-Weasel is an old, very stubborn man, he has lived his whole life in the cold Alaskan wilderness and insists on continuing to live his life on his own terms. He checks his own fur trapping line alone--even though most men his age had given that up long ago. He set out as usual to check his traps, but that day turned out to be anything but usual. He accidently caught himself in his own trap. The story weaves back and forth between Albert stuck out in the open in the freezing wilderness and his grandson Johnny back in the village. Albert's fight for survival is well-presented as is Johnny's plight caught between his worry about his grandfather and others feeling he should wait and his own commitments.

Nice segueway for 6 graders as they should have had US History covering Alaska and Canada as part of their 5th grade social studies. Great boy book as an upper grade next step from Paulsen's work.

An area of concern is the mention of the pervasive alcoholism of the tribal peoples while not glamorized, it is not ignored either.

Grades 6-12

I have a copy of my own if anyone needs to read it.