Trapped

Content levels

Trigger warnings

Positive tags

Heroine archetypes

Protagonist archetypes

Tropes

Themes

Synopsis

Ava’s got brains, bravery . . . and a party-hat-wearing magic chicken. Good thing, too, because she'll need all three. When eleven-year-old inventor Ava takes a wrong turn after school, she stumbles into a mysterious building that just happens to be run by an evil (and deeply odd) scientist named Dr. Heynis. Before she can say “bacon and cheese,” Ava is locked in a cage, surrounded by strange traps, creepy clones, and a whole lot of questionable artifacts. To escape, she’ll have to outwit Dr. Heynis and his trio of not-so-bright henchmen using nothing but her imagination, her emergency BLT sandwich, and the lessons her parents taught her. Luckily, she is not alone. With the help of two new friends and Rocco, a magic chicken with great dance moves, Ava tries to make her way out of the facility filled with riddles, laser traps, time machines, a vicious puppy, and the occasional shark pool. Fast-paced, hilarious, and packed with imagination, Trapped is the debut novel from eleven-year-old Bella Olson. Along the way, readers will find valuable lessons that parents will love and kids will enjoy—like how bravery doesn’t always mean being fearless, how doing things while scared still counts, and best of all that weird is the new cool. Ava’s not just fighting for her freedom. She is discovering that being herself, quirks and all, is the most powerful escape of all.

Is Trapped appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 9 and up.

A lighthearted middle grade adventure with mild peril (cages, traps, shark pools) played for humor rather than genuine threat. Positive messages about courage, creativity, and self-acceptance dominate.

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