ALA Booklist

In the latest entry in the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series, Rusch and Uhlman bring the power of volcanoes to life, though their focus is on how modern scientists predict eruptions. Following the death of 23,000 people in the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, members of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program believed they'd learned enough from earlier eruptions to help prevent future tragedies.Because the VDAP scientists cannot always be on site when disasters occur, they hosted and trained native volcanologists to measure volcanic pressure and develop early evacuation warnings. This book focuses on two extreme challenges, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Mount Merapi in Indonesia. Despite the training, advances in modern detection equipment, and satellite images, Mount Merapi proved a nail-biting experience. Because Rusch and Uhlman saw the Merapi destruction first-hand when they accompanied VDAP scientists on a follow-up trip to Indonesia, their deep research, educational graphics, and breathtaking photos are all the more compelling.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Rusch (Mighty Mars Rovers, 2012) cranks up the pressure as she portrays scientists whose work requires getting entirely too close to active or soon-to-be-active volcanoes. This entry in the Scientists in the Field series is highlighted by dramatic accounts of three massive modern eruptions: Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz in 1985, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines (1991) and Mount Merapi (2010) in Indonesia. Rusch follows members of the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, the "first and only international volcano crisis team," to those and other sites, providing plenty of maps, subterranean diagrams and photos of team members working both in labs and on site with local scientists for visual aids. She explains how volcanologists have learned to identify and evaluate the often ambiguous warning signs of impending disaster in time to make informed decisions about when and how far to evacuate nearby residents (not to mention themselves). Her descriptions, as well as Uhlman's before-and-after photos will leave readers with vivid impressions of the massive destruction that lava bombs, pyroclastic flows and heavy rains of ash can, do and inevitably will wreak. High-stakes science, portrayed in one of the scarier entries in this bar-setting series. (glossary, notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Rusch (Mighty Mars Rovers, 2012) cranks up the pressure as she portrays scientists whose work requires getting entirely too close to active or soon-to-be-active volcanoes. This entry in the Scientists in the Field series is highlighted by dramatic accounts of three massive modern eruptions: Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz in 1985, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines (1991) and Mount Merapi (2010) in Indonesia. Rusch follows members of the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, the "first and only international volcano crisis team," to those and other sites, providing plenty of maps, subterranean diagrams and photos of team members working both in labs and on site with local scientists for visual aids. She explains how volcanologists have learned to identify and evaluate the often ambiguous warning signs of impending disaster in time to make informed decisions about when and how far to evacuate nearby residents (not to mention themselves). Her descriptions, as well as Uhlman's before-and-after photos will leave readers with vivid impressions of the massive destruction that lava bombs, pyroclastic flows and heavy rains of ash can, do and inevitably will wreak. High-stakes science, portrayed in one of the scarier entries in this bar-setting series. (glossary, notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

School Library Journal Starred Review

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, TX