Lower the Trap (Book 1)
3 stars
This short chapter book tells the story of a giant lobster caught by Graeme's dad. We see the story through Graeme's eyes as he deals with classmates and decides what really is best in regards to the lobster. It's a cute book, but not a lot of depth and it has a lonely feel. Early to middle elementary kids probably won't mind the lack of depth.
A Narrow Escape (Book 2)
3 stars (barely)
The same story, but this time from Norris' perspective. It was interesting to see another take on things. I thought that seeing things through Norris' eyes would help me to understand and like him more but.... let's just say that knowing why a kid acts the way they do doesn't actually make them more likeable. My least favorite of the three, but it does help round out the story.
Spit Feathers (Book 3)
3.5 stars
My favorite of the three, and the one with the most depth in terms of emotion and relationships. Once again we go through the now-familiar story, but this time it is from Ferguson's point of view and focusing on his relationship with his grandpa.
While you don't need to read the first two first (or even at all), I do think this is a sweeter story as the final perspective in the trilogy than it would be standing alone.
Overall, these are short, fairly easy reads. They do have some vocabulary and dialect that might confuse children unfamiliar with the area. (They take place in a Canadian fishing village.)
I didn't end up giving them to MeiMei, mostly because it's just not the kind of story she's interested in.
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