Review: Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch

Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch. A Scientists in the Field Book.

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: June 2013
List Price: $18.99
ISBN-13: 9780547503509

Review: It begins when a deadly sleeping volcano finally awakes, causing fatalities of over 20,000 victims. Scientists around the globe know something could have been done to warn people. Something has to be done. Elizabeth Rusch provides descriptive wording and text in Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives - an informative book in which two daring scientists develop an organization designed to evacuate a town when eruptions are imminent. Tom Uhlman brings the book to life with his intriguing photos.

Sleeping giants and lofty volcanoes are dotted all over the world, capable of wiping out businesses and entire towns and villages. VDAP, a small group of scientists, work 24/7 to protect lives and people from the colossal volcanoes on islands, continents, and other large bodies of land. They must be decisive. A mistake can mean death. Andy, a curious and brave volcanologist, must work with the other scientists to study volcanoes, and save lives if an eruption happens. To do this, they must be risky. They risk placing seismographs on the volcano. Evacuation holds it's own risk; the stress on the people may be too much. With all the danger and fear, entire cities are in their hands, now, and it will be their responsibility save them before the volcanoes destroy them.

Although this sounds like a fascinating book, some readers may not be enticed by Eruption!. It's disappointing how the author tries to make a story merge with the nonfiction information. It could have been engaging, but it detracts from the nonfiction. For some readers, however, the story might make the book more engaging. Something that is appealing is how Tom Uhlman's pictures bring the book to life. Andy and John are brave for studying the volcanoes, and their work can certainly be respected. The best audience for this book would range from 9 through 15. Overall, Eruption! is good for people who don't expect much action, but this book won't captivate others who want a lot of information about volcanoes or for students needing some research.

Review written by Vincent (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin for providing a copy of Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives for this review.

Have you read Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives? How would you rate it?