School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-A companion volume to the National Geographic film of the same title, this book presents the basics of these phenomena with a focus on the work of four scientists who study them: Richard Herd, Marie Edmonds, Ross Stein, and Joshua Wurman. Grace describes how volcanoes develop and the efforts to predict their behavior, highlighting the eruption of Soufriere Hills on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Focusing on the seismically active region that includes the North Anatolian Fault near Istanbul, Turkey, she details attempts at earthquake prediction and what is being learned about safer buildings by studying Hagia Sophia, a structure that has survived numerous quakes. The author presents the Midwest's "Tornado Alley" as a prime example of a breeding ground for these storms, and reveals how and why they are formed. Survival tips are included, as are sidebars with factual data and statistics. Outstanding color and black-and-white photos and diagrams augment the very readable text. Lin Sutherland's Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Reader's Digest, 2000) is similar in style, but lacks the focus on the work of specific scientists. Grace's book is an attractive presentation about a popular subject.-Jeffrey A. French, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
This three-course meal of natural disasters is filling but inevitably unsatisfying, with each chapter superficially including the basic science of the phenomenon, famous historical occurrences, emergency instructions, and profiles of one or two scientists in the field. The spreads are busy, but the photographs are frequently spectacular. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Illustrated with stunning, sharply detailed stills from a documentary film of the same name, this introduction to scientists studying an active volcano on Montserrat Island, in the eastern Caribbean; earthquakes near Istanbul; and tornadoes in the tornado alley in the central part of the U.S. imparts not only basic information about the causes of such phenomena but also vivid impressions of their immense scale and capacity for destruction. Based in part on personal interviews, and including safety advice, fact boxes, notes on similar catastrophes in history, and useful lists of print and Web resources, the oversize volume will attract browsers and also serve students as an authoritative source about natural disasters. --John Peters Copyright 2004 Booklist
