The House in the Snow [Paperback]

M. J. Engh (Author), Leslie W. Bowman (Illustrator)

Book Description

When Benjamin meets Mackie in the woods, he discovers Mackie is one of eight boys enslaved in a hideaway to serve robbers. Can nine young boys outwit 20 invisible robbers with guns and knives? 10 halftones.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 This fantasy adventure is set in a long-ago time, when travelers rode on horseback through forests infested with robbers. To escape his hard life as a servant at an inn, orphaned Benjamin runs away into the forest, although he knows that the only dwelling there is the mysterious House, supposed to be haunted by ghosts or demons. Meeting a boy who has run away from the House, he learns that it is inhabited by robbers who can make themselves invisible; they keep a group of stolen boys as servants. Faced with starvation in the forest, the two sneak into the House, discover the robbers' cloaks of invisibility, and using them, manage to enlist the other boys and subdue the robbers. Benjamin persuades the boys not to become robbers themselves, but to turn the robbers over to the villagers and run the House as an inn. The first pages of the story are invitingly eerie, written in a flowing rhythm which has a folk-tale quality. This tone is not sustained once the action begins, as the language then becomes simplified and choppy as the boys struggle with the robbers, a battle which takes up half the book. There is plenty of action, but the expected mystery and suspense are lacking. Characters are not developed, and the setting is left only sketchily described. For fantasy with a folk-tale flavor for this age group, better choices are Lindgren's Ronia, the Robber's Daughter (Viking, 1983) or Singer's The Fearsome Inn (Macmillan, 1984). Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Pub . Lib .
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590426583
• ISBN-13: 978-0590426589
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,813,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read-aloud book, August 29, 2001

By 

jane kinsel (Heber City, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House in the Snow (Paperback)

Some books are good for independent/silent reading but they do not make good read-alouds. The House in the Snow is both. It is interesting to both boys and girls and is packed with exciting situations. My favorite extension is to have my 4th grade students draw the "invisible" fight scene. Because this book is out of print, I have been looking for used copies! I bought 3! Because it is out of print, most students have never heard the story which makes reading it to them more interesting.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, August 30, 2009

By 

Meagan Haar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House in the Snow (Paperback)

I still have my original copy from when I was a kid. It's one of my favorites. Long before Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, I used to pretend I was invisible thanks to The House in the Snow. Really stood out as one of my childhood favorites. I kept a bunch of those good ones... I even still read them!

5.0 out of 5 stars House in the Snow, January 3, 2009

By 

H. J. Jaentsch "Lil" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The House in the Snow (Paperback)

I was a kid when I first read this book and it quickly became a favorite of mine. I rebought the book at a used book store recently and have saved it to give to my son when he is old enough to read it. Wonderful story.