Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field Series)
Gr 5-9–What does another book about volcanoes or natural disasters matter to a nonfiction section these days? In the case of this addition to the series, it matters a lot. This book gives tragic and terrifying volcanoes a sense of story that other books lack by talking about real-life crises and how individuals came together to keep millions of people safe. Young geology enthusiasts may not realize that there are so many volcanoes in the world, erupting constantly and posing threats to so many people, so the maps and personal narratives are eye-opening. The text is easy to understand but does not oversimplify the content, and the captions for the full-color photos give brief but valuable information about the images. In addition to telling the stories of specific, recent volcanic eruptions and how volcanologists reacted, there are also many pages with general information that help readers gain necessary vocabulary and see the big picture of volcanic activity. The book includes an extensive index, a helpful glossary, chapter notes citing sources, and a selected bibliography that is fairly lengthy, covering quite a breadth of sources. A great addition for all collections.–Trina Bolfing, Westbank Libraries, Austin, TXα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.