Winter Thunder

This short book, based on a true story, describes how a young teacher and her pupils survive for eight days in a blizzard in the 1940s. The characters are vividly portrayed. It reminded me of Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading accounts of pioneer hardships and courage.

As a rural school teacher, I have read this short book to many classes on days when our schoolbus was late or stalled in the snow. The young Nebraska teacher and her brave students in this story survived a terrible blizzard by relying on each other; the memoir has become a read-aloud classic for me on the first winter storm of the year.

I enjoyed reading Winter Thunder Thunder by Mari Sandoz. This book was about a school bus of children that is on a field trip and their bus is stranded for miles from any rescue service after a fierce blizzard. The children get out of the bus and set up a tent for everyone to stay in. The teacher and the bus driver take care of the children. Their only food is a few lunches. They were protected from the cold with regular clothes for a typical winter day. Each character has to survive the freezing cold for eight days before any rescue aids come for help. This book delivers many brave characters and a problem that has to stretch the limits of human stamina. The best part of the book is that it is based on a true story. I recommend this book to a reader who likes adventure.