Due out just in time to hit the shelves heading into the Halloween season, this book starts out strong, with the makings of a really good, age-appropriate, ghost story, but then it seems to rush to a rather anti-climatic ending way too quickly. There just really isn't a "middle" to this story and it desperately needs one. I would like to see the author go back and flesh out the story and all of the characters just a little better and add a bit more excitment to the ending.

I would still suggest this to young readers looking for a scary, but not too scary, story, but it did fall a little flat for me.

Thankyou to NetGalley, North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and Thomas Kingsley Troupe for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Trapped In Room 217.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked right from the start. It was spine-tingling short story. I can't wait to read more in this series.
If you enjoy a good ghost story, you will enjoy this book.

This book is part of a new series called The Haunted States of America series that will focus on "haunted locals" in the different states. I loved that this story centered on the infamous Stanley Hotel in Colorado. Stephen King wrote The Shining after staying there in 1974. So, right there the atmosphere gets a thumbs up. It's labeled MG horror, but between you and me it's more like MG creepy. Unless you've got a sensitive reader, this one won't inspire nightmares.

The main characters in the story are staying at the hotel with their Dad while he works nearby for the week. That leaves two kids wandering around a "haunted" hotel on their own. They see a ghost and then investigate who it might be.

I'm looking forward to reading more of the books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Trapped in Room 217 is a fun, easy read with little spine-chilling and mystery elements that is based in an actual haunted hotel in real life.

The story is about a family who happened to stay at the famous Stanley Hotel’s room 217 for a week. Then the two children, Jayla and Dion, started to investigate the “ghost sighting” when they had an uninvented visitor in their room on the first night of their stay.

The plot is really short and faced paced. In fact, I only read this in one sitting while I was on my way home from work. I didn’t expect to be spooked so much since this book’s primary audience is younger readers. However, there is one scene towards the end of the story that creeped me out. How I wish the book were a little longer because I want to know more about the other paranormal things that are mentioned in the book. These things left me hanging in midair. Lastly, I think the finished copies have illustrations, but the arc that I got didn’t have it, so I am not in the position to comment how the illustrations look like and add a more entertaining factor to the story.

The two main characters, Jayla and Dion, are very likable characters. They bond really well even when they have different personalities. Jayla seems like the extroverted one, while Dion is kind of introverted. I like the scenes where Jayla becomes protective of Dion whenever they have their “little” adventures inside the hotel.

Overall, Trapped in Room 217 is a short, delightful read youngers readers will like as well as adults who have young hearts.

I gave this book 4/5 stars!

This is a GREAT book! Yes, it's for younger children, but it's a great adventure story & I would have loved to have had books like this when my kids were in middle school. This would be a fun, adventurous book to read with younger kids.
Other reviewers commented that they didn't know or was for young children. I don't know if the description was changed before u found the book, but I felt that it was very clearly a younger children's book. Others complained about the dad leaving his kifs on their own - but I think that is the norm for books for kids - it's exciting to explore on their own, independent. Even Nancy Drew was very unsupervised for her time. As for lack of character development - it's a kids book. They aren't well known for back story!

Read this book for what it is - a middle school age adventure ghost story set in a historic place. It's amazing! Except with this age level, how can an author introduce such a well known area? These kifs are learning all about the Stanley for the first time. I really feel that the story is well done & will recommend it to everyone I know with younger children!

When you find out that this is a real hotel and a real haunted room and was so spooky that even Stephen King was inspired to write his classic The Shining, you just know this is going to be spooky.

I am fascinated with things like this but tend not to read them as I have such an active imagination that I can dream about things for weeks. But it’s for middle grade I thought so isn’t going to be that bad is it?

Well, it is spooky and chilling and I can only say that middle grade kids today are less nervous that I was or my friends were! It’s a fascinating story and nicely told through fictional characters who come to stay.

It’s the actual hotel in the Shining though so if you’ve seen that and then read this....

Author Thomas Kingsley Troupe brings readers a fictionalized story based on a very real hotel in Estes Park, CO that has a long history of hauntings of various types. In Troupe’s tale, siblings Jayla and Dion must accompany their father to the hotel as he does repair work on snow ravaged trails. While there, both Jayla and Dion see the ghost of a young maid from the turn of the century and set out to discover why Elizabeth is haunting only room 217 and what they can do to free her from her century of roaming Hotel Stanley. Readers in grades 3-6 who want to read ghost themed books but really don’t want to be terrified will find that this fits the bill nicely. With its realitively short page count and quick pace, even the more reluctant reader will likely finish this one and may ask for others in Troupe’s Haunted States of America series.

Creepy and atmospheric. Really draws you in. I do love a good ghost story that this didn't disappoint. Great writing

This is a Haunted States of America book. A young adult story of siblings Jayla and Dion. Their father has a job for a week in Colorado and he checks the family in The Stanley Hotel not knowing it is haunted. Jayla and Dion soon find out outherwise.
If your young reader likes ghost stories then they will enjoy this story. It is not overly scary but just enough for them to be intrigued.

Trapped In Room 217 is a really good ghost story that is perfectly fit for kids ages 8 through 12. It is even a great read for young adults and older adults like myself! (I definitely plan on checking out the Haunted States of America series.)

Trapped in Room 217 is about a twelve-year-old girl named Jayla Walters who has to stay in the famous Stanley Hotel with her father and brother Dion. Jayla has a paranormal encounter and begins to learn more about the ghostly maid and the history of The Stanley Hotel.

I read this book in two days. It was really fun and kept me wanting to know more. I would have liked it much more if the story was more thrilling and scary, but hey, it's a kids book.

I recommend this book! It is perfect for Halloween.

This book is for a younger reader. Admittedly I was expecting a spookier story, but this lovely short story would have been something I read as a little girl.

Not super scary as such, but enjoyed this quick little read.

The Stanley Hotel is a real place and the author wrote this book out of their own experience. Which I loved more!

I did enjoy this short story and would read more, it was nice to read a little book and take a break from adult fiction for a day.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for a review.

Trapped in Room 217 was a great, quick read. I love ghost stories and The Stanley Hotel has always fascinated me. It's not really scary, but there are parts of the story that might be a little creepy for some kids. I will be buying this series of books for my stepdaughter, as she likes to read books about ghosts. It'll be interesting to sit with her and show her the real stories behind each of the locations in the different books.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This felt very Goosebumpsesque to me, but lacking what those books had that pulled myself and many others in. It was an interesting premise, especially given the fact that many of us have read The Shining and know about the Stanley Hotel from King's fictional Overlook. This one follows two children and their father who moves into the hotel while the father is there for work. They quickly find out that the hotel is indeed haunted and try to find out more about the mysterious spirit of a maid that visits their room... Room 217. I personally wouldn't read this one again, but would absolutely recommend to kids who enjoy the horror genre but aren't yet old enough to read adult books yet. It was a fun and short read but just wasn't for me.

First let me say thank you so so much to Netgalley and the author/publisher for giving me the access to read this novel so that I could give an honest review!

I do not normally read novels that are in the YA genre however, this one appealed to me because I love true ghost stories. I also have 2 nieces who love to read and this book would be one they would really enjoy.

This book is about 2 siblings who are told after a late night telephone call, that they will be going on a trip with their father for his job. Once they arrive at the hotel and are settled in, Jayla, starts seeing a ghostly figure of a woman coming close to her bed at night. The writer does a great job at captivating the reader and keeping their attention throughout the story. There are situations between the siblings that could not be more real and before I knew it, I was remembering how it was with my sister growing up. The fact that this is based on a true story with fictional characters made me really want to read this. I feel that this book would definitely be appropriate for the age group that it is intended for as well as older readers as well. I would love for Thomas Troupe to write novels such as this that are geared more for adults. Overall, I would give this book a 4,5 out of 5 but certainly wanted to round up for the writer.

Trapped In Room 217 by Thomas Kingsley Troupe is a middle grade book that resides in the Haunted States of America series. It takes place at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (which is the main reason I was drawn to checking it out in the first place). We have two kids who are staying here indefinitely with their father while he is in the area on a work assignment. They start experiencing strange things, seeing ghosts, etc and they are determined to resolve whatever issue is happening.

Troupe does a good job at keeping the reader entertained while also throwing in some local legend/folklore. I stayed at The Stanley for my honeymoon last year and I heard of the woman that is the focus of this book when I was on my haunted tour! For those who do not know, this is the hotel that King stayed at that inspired him to write The Shining and it is also the same hotel where the TV miniseries (the non-Kubrick adaptation) was actually filmed. In the book, THE room of focus is Room 217 (as opposed to Room 237 in the film adaptation). So having all this connection and fascination to the premise of the story also helped keep me engaged as well.

I fed off the dynamics between the two siblings in this book. It totally threw me back to my youth and to the days that my older brother and I would get ourselves in situations like this from time to time. It was a nice view of the give-and-take relationship between siblings and made me smile with all kinds of nostalgia vibes.

I highly recommend this book to young readers or parents/teachers who are excited to get their kids or students into reading. I, for one, will be super excited if my kids are interested in reading horror like I am, and this is a great book for them without being overly scary, profane, etc. 4 out of 5 stars for me and I am already trying to get my hands on a couple more books in Troupe’s Haunted States of America series! Thank you to NetGalley and Jolly Fish Press for this advanced copy! The book releases 9/1/18!

Although this ARC is lacking the illustrations, the story was fairly solid. I'll definitely pick up another copy in September to re-read with the artwork. Overall, 3 Stars (so far).

This is a quick, easy, very well written ghost story geared for the younger set. I am not sure how I happened to request this book to read and review, but I read it and I did enjoy it. It is an excellent book for the middle school and/or junior high age group. This book is part of the Haunted States of America series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I had to just review this book - horror for middle-grade. Um, yes, please! I love how this series is based on real-life places and events. This was a fun read and I think it's perfect for that age group. I do wish the story would've been longer because I enjoyed it so much. Of course, it could've been scarier, too, but I realize that might not be appropriate for middle-grade. So, what I am trying to ask is, Thomas Kingsley Troupe, could you please write some adult horror? Wouldn't the Haunted States Series be perfect for that? You could have the middle-grade version and the adult version! I'd read both.

But back to this book. The Walters family temporarily moves in The Stanley Hotel and of course, get assigned room 217 - unbeknownst to them one of the most haunted rooms in America. Soon, Jayla and Dion noticed odd ongoings and start to explore the hotel. Both kids especially get attached to the female ghost appearing every night in their room. Why is she there? What does she want from them? With those questions in mind, the adventure begins and we learn the woman's story throughout the book. It's spooky and would be a perfect Halloween read - I am even thinking it would be great for reading it aloud during family time.

Trapped in Room 217 has me intrigued to check out the rest of the series and I hope you do, too.

Kayla and Dion are going to Estes Park. They will be staying at the Stanley Hotel, while their father is working. They are intrigued with the richness and historical feel of the hotel. Little do they know that this THE Stanley Hotel, one of the most haunted places. Even less so they know that the room they are staying in, number 217, an extremely haunted room. Tonight they will meet Elizabeth Wilson, a maid that worked in the Stanley Hotel, many, many years ago!
This is a fun story that tells a little of the history of the Stanley Hotel, and the haunting adventures two siblings have.

Das Stanley Hotel gilt vermutlich offiziell als eines der meistheimgesuchten Hotels der Welt; dass es Stephen King als Inspiration für das Overlook Hotel, den Schauplatz in seinem Roman „Shining“, angibt, hat den Bekanntheitsgrad wahrscheinlich noch um ein Vielfaches erhöht: Auch der englischsprachige Kinder-/Jugendroman „Trapped in Room 217“ spielt nun also in jenem realen Hotel und erzählt von zwei Geschwistern, die ihren alleinerziehenden Vater zu einem kurzfristigen Arbeitsauftrag nach Colorado begleiten, wo jener die Familie ausgerechnet im berüchtigten Zimmer 217 eingemietet hat. Jenes Zimmer gilt tatsächlich als „das“ Geisterzimmer des Hotels, da hier weilende Gäste schon sehr häufig den Geist eines früheren Zimmermädchens gesehen zu haben behaupteten.
Damit ist „Trapped in Room 217“, sofern das auf Wiedergaben von paranormalen Erlebnissen zutreffen kann, also auf einer realen Basis fußend: Natürlich sehen die Kinder hier nachts auch den Geist des Zimmermädchens und schwanken zwischen Schock und Neugier; vor Allem die Abenteuerlust der großen Schwester ist geweckt, die nun unbedingt mit ihrem Bruder herausfinden will, was der Geist eigentlich will, was der da ständig sucht, und die dem Geist ggf. auch gerne helfen würde, es zu finden.

Der kleine Dion ist erst 7 Jahre alt, die große Schwester nur ein paar wenige Jahre älter; das Buch wird von 8-12 empfohlen, womit die Altersspanne der Zielgruppe im selben Rahmen wie die der beiden kindlichen Hauptfiguren ist. Das Englisch ist auch entsprechend einfach gehalten; ich denke, Fremdsprachler werden ab dem dritten Jahr regulären Englischunterrichts absolut ohne Probleme mit der Geschichte klarkommen.
Ansonsten halte ich persönlich 10 Jahre für das ideale Alter für dieses Buch; ich weiß nicht, ob ich die Geschichte einem 8Jährigen bereits in die Hand drücken würde (wenn dann vermutlich nur zum gemeinsamen Lesen): Das ist halt eine Gruselgeschichte und die Gruselelemente sind hier sehr intensiv dargestellt; es ist eine sehr atmosphärische Erzählung, die, wie ich finde, als Sage auch Erwachsene noch ansprechen kann; das Stanley Hotel mit seinen Geistergeschichten ist hier sehr realitätsgetreu abgebildet und ich denke einfach, einige der Schilderungen könnten jüngere Kinder doch noch komplett verängstigen. Ich hatte da auch so meine Momente, wo ich mir automatisch wieder ins Gedächtnis rief, dass dies ein Buch für Kinder ist und dass diese oder jene Szene darum garantiert nicht zu fürchterlich ausgehen würde; da gab es halt doch gewisse Gänsehaut-Gefühle.

Mit 136 Seiten ist das Buch auch nicht zu lang; ich denke, damit kommen Kinder in jedem Fall sehr gut klar und die Kürze finde ich hier zudem insofern gut als dass dies klar ein Roman ist, der dazu einlädt, ihn nicht aus den Fingern legen zu wollen und über den sich Kinder nicht über zwei Wochen hinweg ängstigen müssen; das Ende ist auch schlüssig und so hinzunehmen. Mit meinen Erwachsenenaugen betrachtet fand ich das Geheimnis hinter der Geistersuche ein bisschen fragwürdig; ich würde ja davon ausgehen, dass in den letzten Jahrzehnten dort doch auch mal renoviert wurde, aber dieses Thema des suchenden Geists wurde für Kinder definitiv voll verständlich erklärt.
Letztlich passiert auch nichts Böses; das ist absolut nicht wie in den „Erwachsenengruselbüchern“, wo letztlich kaum wer (wenn überhaupt) überlebt; aber diese ja völlig unbekannten, fremden Geschehnisse sind doch, grad für Kinder, wohl auch etwas furchteinflößend. Toll ist aber: Regelmäßig ist das Buch von sehr schön gemachten Illustrationen unterbrochen; das Cover ist da exemplarisch; die jeweils auch etwas Beruhigendes ausstrahlen. Da liest man eben grade einen besonders gruselig klingenden Teil der Geschichte, malt ihn sich selbst in seiner Fantasie überaus schrecklich aus, und da kommt da eine Illustration jener Szene, auf der die gar nicht so böse wirkt. Das ist einfach sehr schön gestaltet.

Für mich ist das einfach ein klasse Schauerroman für Kinder, welcher denen durchaus das Gefühl geben kann, jetzt schon „Grusel für Große“ lesen zu können bzw. zu dürfen; besonders passend auch zur Zeit um Halloween. Aber wie gesagt: ein besonders ängstliches Kind würde ich überhaupt nicht mit diesem Buch konfrontieren und mit einem minderängstlichen Kind würde ich das Buch noch zusammen lesen. Aber sobald ein Kind in dem Alter, und Zustand, angekommen ist, in dem es sich für Geistergeschichten vollauf begeistern kann und sich mit Freunden flüsternd abstruse Spukgeschichten zuraunt: Dann ist die Geschichte von „Trapped in Room 217“ definitiv perfekt!