LOWER THE TRAP

Kerrin, author of the Martin Bridge chapter-book series, aims for a slightly older audience in this first installment of a planned trilogy.

Set in a fictional Nova Scotia fishing village, the books will examine, through the eyes of three separate boys, how their life changes with the capture of a gargantuan lobster. Graeme Swinimer’s father catches a gigantic lobster with antennae that resemble bicycle spokes. Later that day, obnoxious classmate Norris Fowler coerces Graeme into tracking down the person responsible for stealing their teacher’s prize cactus. In return, Norris promises that his father will pay top dollar for the behemoth, which will be auctioned to the highest bidder at the town’s annual lobster festival. Eager for the prize money, Graeme, a budding marine biologist, will finally be able to visit Big Fish Aquarium. When he discovers that 30 years ago another local lobsterman captured a huge lobster, Graeme wonders if it could be the same crustacean. Kerrin's writing will appeal to those who enjoy a more thoughtful, less action-packed story. She conveys a believable plot with minimal text that's driven by spot-on dialogue. Engaged readers will relate to Graeme’s inner struggle whether to let the crustacean be mounted or "lower the trap" to set it free.

A cast of colorful characters and a satisfying ending will leave readers wondering whose story is next.