The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Snow

The Magic School Bus Science Readers

by Joanna Cole, Carolyn Bracken (Illustrator)

[Scholastic Reader Level 2]

Based upon the bestselling book series and the award-winning TV show, Magic School Bus Scholastic Readers make learning an adventure!

Ms. Frizzle's class is on its way to learn how snow is made. They take a wild ride into the clouds and get to float down on snowflakes. But how will they get back to the Magic School Bus?

Climb on the Magic School Bus and learn about snow, ice crystals, and much, much more.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Science, School, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Joanna Cole, who also wrote under the pseudonym B. J. Barnet, was an author of children’s books who teaches science.

She is most famous as the author of The Magic School Bus series of children's books. Joanna Cole wrote over 250 books ranging from her first book Cockroach to her famous series Magic School Bus.

Cole was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby East Orange. She loved science as a child, and had a teacher she says was a little like Ms. Frizzle. She attended the University of Massachusetts and Indiana University before graduating from the City College of New York with a B.A. in psychology. After some graduate education courses, she spent a year as a librarian in a Brooklyn elementary school. Cole subsequently became a letters correspondent at Newsweek, and then a senior editor for Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Reviews

[kd]

I want to meet my reading challenge.

[Amara Tanith]

Lost in the Snow is a Level 2 Scholastic Reader (featuring "vocabulary and sentence length for beginning readers) that ties in to the Magic School Bus television show (and the books upon which it was based). In it, Ms. Frizzle and her familiar class of eight students--Arnold, Keisha, Wanda, Tim, Ralphie, Dorothy Ann, Phoebe, and Carlos--learn about snow.

Compared to other books in this series, there isn't much information presented, mostly because snow is a far simpler subject than, say, the paleontology and the connect between dinosaurs and birds. It's still a short, educational read suited toward young children, though, so I'd recommend it to anyone with with toddlers, especially those who are about to see (or play in!) their first snowfall.

[Melissa Namba]

very educational and insightful. the kids shrink to droplet size and snowflakes are well described. some content might be too much for a kid, but still very good.

[K Morlando]

We love the magic school bus series of books, they are very educational!

[Greg S]

Decent but needs more science. My five year old wasn’t interested.

[Dolly]

This is another fun, and short book in the Magic School Bus Chapter Books and Readers series by Joanna Cole. I like them because they are short, so our girls can help me read them. I also like that I don't have to read as much dialogue and there isn't quite as much detail. Our youngest loves them because they have all of the familiar characters we've come to know and love especially, of course, that wacky Ms. Frizzle. These stories are perfect for children who are progressing past easy readers but who have not yet gotten to chapter books yet. And since each discusses a scientific principle or topic, I love the educational component. Since we've read most of the original stories, we will see how many of these chapter books and readers we can find at our local library.

[Little Miss and the Legomeister]

I love the Magic School Bus books. Legomeister loved these for years, and now Little Miss is starting to request them.

The Scholastic Readers are nice for bedtime stories because they're shorter, and of course, they're great for early readers. They're more difficult than some easy readers, a little longer with more challenging words. The writing feels choppy; that's a side effect of simplifying it. But I think they do a good job of keeping the story fun and informative. They definitely hold the interest of my Magic School Bus Fans.

[Jan]

The lessons are always entertaining when you're in Mrs. Frizzle's class. This time the class is studying snow, but there is no snow outside. Time for a trip in the Magic School Bus! In the cold north air, the students have exciting adventures in the snow, then return to the bus for hot chocolate.

Since most of the Magic School Bus series is written for 3rd to 5th graders, it is nice to see that they have written for the younger reader, also. This is a Level 2 reader, and even pre-readers would enjoy hearing the story read to them. Ages 4-8.

[Heather]

This is a chapter book so we read it over several days. I'm thinking beginning readers could tackle it as well.

My kids like to listen to these, but they prefer the illustrated books.

As with all things Magic School Bus, the information is clear and understandable. It's also riddled with puns!

[Kandice]

I love this entire series of books. It's such a fun way to expose children to scientific facts. Entertaining enough that the knowledge stays in their sweet, little heads with little effort!!!! Hooray Ms. Frizzle!

[Anna]

I love the Magic School Bus books!!! This one is no exception. The perfect way to learn about the different types of snow.

[Tamara Stallins]

This book is a fiction book that packed with information snow. The children go on adventure with their teacher on the magic school bus. This book would be good second through third grade.