Snow Bound [Hardcover]

Harry Mazer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1986

At fifteen, Tony Laporte is what many people would call a throughly spoiled kid. He gets away with a lot because his parents want him to have all the things they never had. But when they surprise him by refusing to let him keep a stray dog he has found, Tony decides to teach them a lesson by running off in his mother's old Plymouth. Driving without a license in the middle of a severe snowstorm, he picks up a hitchhiker named Cindy Reichert, an aloof girl who has always had difficulty forming friendships. To impress Cindy, Tony tries to show off his driving skills and ends up wrecking the car in a very desolated area far from the main highway. After spending precious days bickering with each other and waiting for rescue that never comes, they finally realize that their lives are at stake and they must cooperate to survive. The question is--can they survive?

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

At fifteen, Tony Laporte is what many people would call a throughly spoiled kid. He gets away with a lot because his parents want him to have all the things they never had. But when they surprise him by refusing to let him keep a stray dog he has found, Tony decides to teach them a lesson by running off in his mother's old Plymouth. Driving without a license in the middle of a severe snowstorm, he picks up a hitchhiker named Cindy Reichert, an aloof girl who has always had difficulty forming friendships. To impress Cindy, Tony tries to show off his driving skills and ends up wrecking the car in a very desolated area far from the main highway. After spending precious days bickering with each other and waiting for rescue that never comes, they finally realize that their lives are at stake and they must cooperate to survive. The question is--can they survive? --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

At fifteen, Tony Laporte is what many people would call a throughly spoiled kid. He gets away with a lot because his parents want him to have all the things they never had. But when they surprise him by refusing to let him keep a stray dog he has found, Tony decides to teach them a lesson by running off in his mother's old Plymouth. Driving without a license in the middle of a severe snowstorm, he picks up a hitchhiker named Cindy Reichert, an aloof girl who has always had difficulty forming friendships. To impress Cindy, Tony tries to show off his driving skills and ends up wrecking the car in a very desolated area far from the main highway. After spending precious days bickering with each other and waiting for rescue that never comes, they finally realize that their lives are at stake and they must cooperate to survive. The question is--can they survive? --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844662402
• ISBN-13: 978-0844662404
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,589,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harry Mazer is the author of many books for young readers, including A Boy at War and A Boy No More, which introduced Adam Pelko; The Wild Kid; and Snow Bound. His books have won numerous honors, including the Horn Book Honor List and the ALA Best Books for Young Adults citations. He is the recipient of the ALAN Award. Harry Mazer lives in New York City and Montpelier, Vermont.

Harry Mazer says, "After I finished A Boy at War, I wanted to write about Adam Pelko again, but what was the story to be? It wasn't until after the tragedies of September eleventh that I found the focus I needed to continue his story." Periods of war and national emergency have never been kind to personal liberties. In the aftermath of September eleventh many Arab and Muslim Americans find themselves under suspicion and their rights jeopardized. In some ways this is what happened after Pearl Harbor, when Japanese Americans were demonized and their rights were trampled. I know that history never simply repeats itself, but I hope that through Adam and Davi's story readers will recognize the parallels--and the perils."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Story of Survival, November 5, 2004

By 

fra7299 "fra7299" (California, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snow Bound (Paperback)

Snowbound centers around the story of two isolated teens, Cindy Reichert and Tony Laporte, who happen to find each other and become stuck in the snow after a storm hits. Tony is a spoiled kid who is a little conceited and feels as though he should have things his way. Cindy is a little self-concious about her self worth, and does not seem to understand the right way to feel better about who she is. When Tony gets upset with his parents for not letting him keep a dog that he found, he decides to skip school and "steal" the family car to look for the dog. Along the way, he picks up Cindy, who is hitchhiking because her bus is late. From there the clashing of their personalities becomes apparent, and eventually, after they get stuck, they have to learn how to get along to survive in the snow.

Although a bit simplistic, the major essense of Mazer's work is to show how important cooperation is to the element of survival. Will Tony and Cindy use each other's skills to get out of their delimma? Or will they just fight?

Another significant asepct of the book is the issue of self identity and change. Cindy and Tony must figure out their own strengths and personal weaknesses and come to another realization about themselves.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Snow Bound - Harry Mazer, May 8, 2002

By 

Kurt (Pepin, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snow Bound (Paperback)

This book is about a spoiled boy, Tony, and how hw gets himself and a hitchiker, Cindy , into trouble. The story starts with Tony wanting a dog but his parents won't let him because of the responsibilities. He brings home a stray but soon it is kicked out and that makes Tony upset. He decides to go after his dog instead of going to school. He is so upset he decides to get even and takes his mothers car. Meanwhile Cindy is at a bus station and decides she could get where she wants by hitchhiking. She gets picked up by a guy and she is unsure of him so she gets out on the highway. Tony is heading down the highway and sees her. He picks her up and go. They are heading to Tony's uncle. The snow is getting worse and soon they are driving lost. They panic and end up in field unable to drive out. They rely on each other to survive for a few days and then Tony leaves to find help. Instead he finds a cabin and there is food there. He returns to Cindy at the car. They decide to move from the car to the cabin. Cindy has frostbite and they have to move slowly. They take the hood of the car and use it for a sled. They get moving too fast and Tony breaks his leg. They hobble along and they have to ward off wild dogs. They come across a park. They follow the road and a lady, Mrs. Littlejohn, sees them. The story ends with Tony at the hospital and Cindy back at home.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Forced to mature and survive, August 10, 2001

By 

Dexter (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snow Bound (Paperback)

This story i found intreasting but not compared to mazer's other ones. The story begins with Tony Laporte, a spoiled brat child who goes off into a mad rage. When his parents refuse to keep a stray he found, he steals his mothers car driving off to his uncle's when he picks up a hitchiker, cindy, cindy is appalled at tony's selfish and spoiled behavior when tony takes a wrong turn into the deep dark lonesome forest how will he survive how will these two strangers get along what happens when two strangers who dont like eachother are put in bad circumstances forced together? will they survive?