Volcano! (Disaster) - Hardcover

Gr. 2-5. Packed with "disaster data" and color photos of the forces of destruction, this title in the Disaster series is science as thriller in a tabloid format and sensationalized style: "Some spew molten lava that buries houses and farms. Others belch car-size lumps of solid rock. Volcanoes can also blast out deadly mixtures of hot ash, rock, and gas or trigger wild floods of mud." Not all readers will be in the mood for the talk of "volcanic bombs" and the comparisons with sf monsters, but the information is compelling, whether it's about the Mount Vesuvius burial of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago, or about the Ruiz volcano that swept away the town of Armero, Colombia, and killed 25,000 people in a torrent of mud in 1985. The facts about the work of volcanologists and how they can save lives are also a significant part of the story. A glossary and one Web site address are appended, but there's no bibliography. Hazel Rochman
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Cynthia Pratt Nicolson's Volcano! blows the lid off of, among other things, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Pinatubo in this informative offering. Designed to look like a newspaper, headline-grabbing titles announce chapters bursting with information and photographs about these famous blasters. Experiments help kids understand the power of volcanic eruptions; an index and glossary conclude the volume.

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