Rage Of Fire (Mysteries in Our National Park, 2)
Gr 4-6-While vacationing in Hawaii, Jack, Ashley, and their parents are asked to accompany Danny, a young Vietnamese boy, back to Wyoming, where he will live with his American grandfather, a man whom he has never met. Danny quickly bonds with Jack, while Ashley has difficulty overcoming his overbearing personality. The suspense begins when the children try to escape from a mysterious pursuer whom they believe to be the Goddess Pele. What begins as a promising adventure story set in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park quickly fizzles into a disappointing tale. The underlying plot involving Danny and his shadowed past is intriguing and heightened by references he makes about men with guns, a helicopter search for prisoners, and an internment camp, but this information is overshadowed by the endless pursuit of the trio through the park. The characters are superficially drawn and the historical and geographical tidbits about the Goddess Pele, Hawaii, and the national park, while interesting, fail to jump-start the story. Full-color photos of Hawaii's flora and fauna, and of the volcano itself are beautiful, but the story lacks credibility.-Janet Gillen, Great Neck Public Library, NYCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.