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Into the Volcano
Don Wood, bestselling Caldecott artist, rocks the graphic-novel world with his new paperback!
The volcano is erupting, and brothers Sumo and Duffy are trapped inside a deep lava tube--almost certain death. How did they get here? A vacation "hike" turned out to be a cut-throat search for their missing family fortune.
In a wildly dangerous twist of events, the boys try to escape--but rivers of lava are blocking their exit! The remote island of Kocalaha is threatening to explode at any minute. Will the boys survive?
Don Wood's rip-roaring adventure keeps readers hooked and turning the pages in this cinematic graphic novel that garnered outstanding critical acclaim. As one reviewer wrote about this book, "the American Library Association will either have to start handing Caldecott Medals over to comic books or create an entirely new award for them."
Into the Volcano is a rollercoaster read for all ages by an internationally acclaimed artist who has created scores of bestselling picture books published in more than twenty languages around the globe.
The volcano is erupting, and brothers Sumo and Duffy are trapped inside a deep lava tube--almost certain death. How did they get here? A vacation "hike" turned out to be a cut-throat search for their missing family fortune.
In a wildly dangerous twist of events, the boys try to escape--but rivers of lava are blocking their exit! The remote island of Kocalaha is threatening to explode at any minute. Will the boys survive?
Don Wood's rip-roaring adventure keeps readers hooked and turning the pages in this cinematic graphic novel that garnered outstanding critical acclaim. As one reviewer wrote about this book, "the American Library Association will either have to start handing Caldecott Medals over to comic books or create an entirely new award for them."
Into the Volcano is a rollercoaster read for all ages by an internationally acclaimed artist who has created scores of bestselling picture books published in more than twenty languages around the globe.
176 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Don Wood
54 books42 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
November 4, 2008
The starred review in School Library Journal captured my eye: here was a graphic novel that didn't look comic-booky and that would appeal to the male reluctant readers in my school.
That appeal may hold true, but there are so many problems with the story, its plot, and the illustrations, that it's hardly something I could recommend with enthusiasm.
First of all, the story is paper-thin and, in the spirit of most treasure-hunting tales, the plot mechanizations exist only to propel the characters closer to a central mystery that only barely makes sense. (In the case of Into the Volcano, the "mystery" involves green, magma-produced gems that will either make you very rich or be extremely helpful in pointless experiments - one of which alters your taste buds. If you're scratching your head, welcome to the club.)
The Pugg boys (stuck with the insipid names Sumo and Duffy) are pulled from school to join their estranged aunt on a Pacific Island nation. Their father, who delivers this news, doesn't seem terribly concerned about leaving his boys in the hands of their meaty, vaguely dangerous-looking cousin, Mr. Come-and-Go. (Again, with the asinine names.) Upon arriving, the boys are almost immediately put in harm's way by being plopped in the middle of an expedition into an active volcano, neither of them aware that they're being used as bait to lure their mother out of the volcano's bowels. (Are you scratching your head again? Good. It gets better.) Turns out the boys' mother has been looking for the aforementioned green magma gems in order to conduct experiments... but it's never really revealed why, and the experiments are so unbelievable that it winds up not even mattering. The tension that exists between mother and the expedition never materializes - in fact, it seems neither have any particular animosity toward each other, which completely obviates the story. In the end, everything comes together with mushy sentimentality.
Married to this absurd plot are the illustrations, which, while colored beautifully, are busy and confusing. Action sequences are blurred with splashes of color and distracting text (e.g. ROARRRROARRRR!, EEEEEEEEEE!) that meld panels together in nightmarish washes that obscure meaning and comprehension (p. 66 is an excellent example of this). The characters themselves are doughy, and their lack of vibrancy make them less believable. Because of this, the reader gets very little sense of who these people are and why this adventure is so important to their livelihood. Wood's only incredible illustrative sequence involves the specter of death visiting one of the Pugg boys as he descends into an abyss.
Into the Volcano was clearly a labor of love for Wood, who worked on it for five years, but its sloppy details and pointless storyline will not send it into the annals of brilliant graphic novels. Pity.
That appeal may hold true, but there are so many problems with the story, its plot, and the illustrations, that it's hardly something I could recommend with enthusiasm.
First of all, the story is paper-thin and, in the spirit of most treasure-hunting tales, the plot mechanizations exist only to propel the characters closer to a central mystery that only barely makes sense. (In the case of Into the Volcano, the "mystery" involves green, magma-produced gems that will either make you very rich or be extremely helpful in pointless experiments - one of which alters your taste buds. If you're scratching your head, welcome to the club.)
The Pugg boys (stuck with the insipid names Sumo and Duffy) are pulled from school to join their estranged aunt on a Pacific Island nation. Their father, who delivers this news, doesn't seem terribly concerned about leaving his boys in the hands of their meaty, vaguely dangerous-looking cousin, Mr. Come-and-Go. (Again, with the asinine names.) Upon arriving, the boys are almost immediately put in harm's way by being plopped in the middle of an expedition into an active volcano, neither of them aware that they're being used as bait to lure their mother out of the volcano's bowels. (Are you scratching your head again? Good. It gets better.) Turns out the boys' mother has been looking for the aforementioned green magma gems in order to conduct experiments... but it's never really revealed why, and the experiments are so unbelievable that it winds up not even mattering. The tension that exists between mother and the expedition never materializes - in fact, it seems neither have any particular animosity toward each other, which completely obviates the story. In the end, everything comes together with mushy sentimentality.
Married to this absurd plot are the illustrations, which, while colored beautifully, are busy and confusing. Action sequences are blurred with splashes of color and distracting text (e.g. ROARRRROARRRR!, EEEEEEEEEE!) that meld panels together in nightmarish washes that obscure meaning and comprehension (p. 66 is an excellent example of this). The characters themselves are doughy, and their lack of vibrancy make them less believable. Because of this, the reader gets very little sense of who these people are and why this adventure is so important to their livelihood. Wood's only incredible illustrative sequence involves the specter of death visiting one of the Pugg boys as he descends into an abyss.
Into the Volcano was clearly a labor of love for Wood, who worked on it for five years, but its sloppy details and pointless storyline will not send it into the annals of brilliant graphic novels. Pity.
August 6, 2008
Look, I hate to burst your bubble but not every picture book illustrator born is necessarily cut out to write his or her own graphic novel. It’s an entirely different set of muscles, after all. Melding text and image well enough to sustain a story means having a firm grasp of what does and does not work as a comic. So I know you might have gotten all excited when you heard that Don Wood had written a graphic novel, but don’t be happy because a great Caldecott-winning illustrator has dipped his toe in a new format. Be happy because the man is good at it. Crazy good. He may have amused you with King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub or entertained your children with his The Napping House but sister you ain’t seen anything like to compare to his breathtakingly beautiful Into the Volcano. The past ten years have seen incredible strides in graphic novels for children. Into the Volcano appears to be the next logical step in the process. A full-color adventure with double crosses, death-defying escapes, and personal growth, it has no equal.
The Pugg brothers Duffy and Sumno are just sitting in their classroom in the dead of winter one moment and the next they’re being whisked off to the island nation of Kocalaha. It seems their Aunt Lulu has been longing for a visit from her nephews and Duffy, for one, is thrilled. Sumo’s far more reticent and likely to complain, a quality that doesn’t serve a person well in Kocalaha. Soon they meet their cousin Mister Come-and-Go who disappears and reappears without a warning. They meet the beautiful Pulina, her boyfriend Kaleo, and Mango Joe, a fellow in the witness protection program. But not all is right on this beautiful island. Why won’t Auntie let the boys talk to their dad on the phone? Why is everyone so gung-ho certain that the boys should go on this “expedition” that they're told is done for all the tourists but seems to mask a sinister plan. Before Duffy and Sumno know it they’re dodging lava streams and spelunking in dangerous territory. But in a world where no one is what they seem, people of seeming weakness can find the strength to do what must be done.
I’ve been saying for a while that at some point an artist is going to create a graphic novel so visually stunning that the American Library Association will either have to start handing Caldecott Medals over to comic books or create an entirely new award for them. We’ve come close in the past. Mouse Guard was beautiful, but the story didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. The Arrival would have been ideal, but the book wasn’t originally published in America. Into the Volcano, though... now here’s a title with potential. The entire enterprise is so lush you find yourself just poring over the images for long periods of time. Honestly, I could see a real push put to have this considered as the very first graphic novel worthy of a major children’s award. Yet in many ways, it may come down to the way in which it was drawn. According to Scholastic’s press material, Mr. Wood drew AND colored this entire enterprise on the computer. No fully computer created children’s book has ever won a Caldecott, and perhaps none ever will. If there was a candidate, however, this would be it.
At the beginning I found Wood’s boy heroes off-putting. With their snub noses and blunt faces, they resemble nothing so much as a pair of kids that could have jumped out of a Maurice Sendak book. Maybe We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy. Wood utilizes the grotesque in a variety of ways. Sumno is a dislikeable character in a lot of ways so the book makes him the more unattractive of the two, both personally and physically. Aunt Lulu’s sheer mass, weight, and injured foot will focus on her entirely one moment and then close in on her long grotesque toenails. Yet everything that I initially found off-putting in this book eventually grew on me. My resistance must have fallen apart entirely when I got to Chapter Seven: Lava in the Water. Trust me.
It takes skill to build the kind of excitement and tension Wood conjures up here. I wish I could get a sense of what comics Mr. Wood looked at before writing Into the Volcano. He's said in the past that he's a Carl Barks fan, but that doesn't explain what I see here. How did he learn to draw these action sequences? Who were his other influences? His references? Because when push comes to shove and people are fighting nature (lava, earthquakes, tides, and waves) you can’t help but be sucked in. Reading Into the Volcano you have no sense that this is the man’s first book of this kind. Clearly there are years and years of work in this pup. The biography in the back says five. It shows.
And take a close look at Wood's style here too. The sheer range of artistic styles and impressions... I mean this man has scope. There’s a weight and a breadth to his art that we just haven’t seen in graphic novels for young readers before. And just look at his ability to play with light and textures. As one of a million examples, take a close look at the sequences where the small boat is trying to navigate the rapids past streams of hot lava. Wood has managed to draw or illustrate the effect of hot orange light beneath water and steam. Now look at Aunt Lulu in all her full fleshy glory. You can practically feel her sweat and smell her moist possibly perfumed body. I mean this woman has a physical presence that seems to extend beyond the page. And look at how he changes angles in his panels. We’re constantly looking at each scene from every possible viewpoint. It’s as if Wood had a camera and he’s using it to swing around his action, now below in the water, now up above.
I should probably talk about the story too, eh? Certainly Into the Volcano hits on all cylinders in terms of visuals but how does the writing itself stand up? Well, it’s complicated. The story concerns the boys Sumo and Duffy and we watch as Duffy accepts and enjoys everything new while Sumo cowers and questions. For much of the first half Duffy is clearly the stronger, braver kid but as time goes on Sumo’s suspicions appear to be well founded. Some younger kids may have a hard time figuring out who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy from moment to moment. Sometimes you think you’re rooting for the heroes and the next minute they appear to be villains. The plot requires a close reading, but it holds up (particularly on subsequent re-readings, which is crucial). In a way, this title is perfectly positioned to appeal to younger kids in terms of its danger and heroes and to older kids who need a complex story to bite into.
I’m the kind of person who wants to label everything. To slot every book into a neat little category, even if I didn’t know the category existed before I read the book. For example, name me the greatest children’s book out there about volcanoes. They exist. I know they do. But until now I’ve not seen or read a book that really worked factual information with a breakneck plot as seamlessly as Into the Volcano. And more to the point, I’ve never seen a graphic novel written with a child audience in mind that was as out-and-out beautiful and gripping as this puppy here. Read it cover to cover and you will find a title like no other that is sure to make a few waves when it hits bookstore and library shelves. A true original.
Ages 9 and up.
The Pugg brothers Duffy and Sumno are just sitting in their classroom in the dead of winter one moment and the next they’re being whisked off to the island nation of Kocalaha. It seems their Aunt Lulu has been longing for a visit from her nephews and Duffy, for one, is thrilled. Sumo’s far more reticent and likely to complain, a quality that doesn’t serve a person well in Kocalaha. Soon they meet their cousin Mister Come-and-Go who disappears and reappears without a warning. They meet the beautiful Pulina, her boyfriend Kaleo, and Mango Joe, a fellow in the witness protection program. But not all is right on this beautiful island. Why won’t Auntie let the boys talk to their dad on the phone? Why is everyone so gung-ho certain that the boys should go on this “expedition” that they're told is done for all the tourists but seems to mask a sinister plan. Before Duffy and Sumno know it they’re dodging lava streams and spelunking in dangerous territory. But in a world where no one is what they seem, people of seeming weakness can find the strength to do what must be done.
I’ve been saying for a while that at some point an artist is going to create a graphic novel so visually stunning that the American Library Association will either have to start handing Caldecott Medals over to comic books or create an entirely new award for them. We’ve come close in the past. Mouse Guard was beautiful, but the story didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. The Arrival would have been ideal, but the book wasn’t originally published in America. Into the Volcano, though... now here’s a title with potential. The entire enterprise is so lush you find yourself just poring over the images for long periods of time. Honestly, I could see a real push put to have this considered as the very first graphic novel worthy of a major children’s award. Yet in many ways, it may come down to the way in which it was drawn. According to Scholastic’s press material, Mr. Wood drew AND colored this entire enterprise on the computer. No fully computer created children’s book has ever won a Caldecott, and perhaps none ever will. If there was a candidate, however, this would be it.
At the beginning I found Wood’s boy heroes off-putting. With their snub noses and blunt faces, they resemble nothing so much as a pair of kids that could have jumped out of a Maurice Sendak book. Maybe We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy. Wood utilizes the grotesque in a variety of ways. Sumno is a dislikeable character in a lot of ways so the book makes him the more unattractive of the two, both personally and physically. Aunt Lulu’s sheer mass, weight, and injured foot will focus on her entirely one moment and then close in on her long grotesque toenails. Yet everything that I initially found off-putting in this book eventually grew on me. My resistance must have fallen apart entirely when I got to Chapter Seven: Lava in the Water. Trust me.
It takes skill to build the kind of excitement and tension Wood conjures up here. I wish I could get a sense of what comics Mr. Wood looked at before writing Into the Volcano. He's said in the past that he's a Carl Barks fan, but that doesn't explain what I see here. How did he learn to draw these action sequences? Who were his other influences? His references? Because when push comes to shove and people are fighting nature (lava, earthquakes, tides, and waves) you can’t help but be sucked in. Reading Into the Volcano you have no sense that this is the man’s first book of this kind. Clearly there are years and years of work in this pup. The biography in the back says five. It shows.
And take a close look at Wood's style here too. The sheer range of artistic styles and impressions... I mean this man has scope. There’s a weight and a breadth to his art that we just haven’t seen in graphic novels for young readers before. And just look at his ability to play with light and textures. As one of a million examples, take a close look at the sequences where the small boat is trying to navigate the rapids past streams of hot lava. Wood has managed to draw or illustrate the effect of hot orange light beneath water and steam. Now look at Aunt Lulu in all her full fleshy glory. You can practically feel her sweat and smell her moist possibly perfumed body. I mean this woman has a physical presence that seems to extend beyond the page. And look at how he changes angles in his panels. We’re constantly looking at each scene from every possible viewpoint. It’s as if Wood had a camera and he’s using it to swing around his action, now below in the water, now up above.
I should probably talk about the story too, eh? Certainly Into the Volcano hits on all cylinders in terms of visuals but how does the writing itself stand up? Well, it’s complicated. The story concerns the boys Sumo and Duffy and we watch as Duffy accepts and enjoys everything new while Sumo cowers and questions. For much of the first half Duffy is clearly the stronger, braver kid but as time goes on Sumo’s suspicions appear to be well founded. Some younger kids may have a hard time figuring out who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy from moment to moment. Sometimes you think you’re rooting for the heroes and the next minute they appear to be villains. The plot requires a close reading, but it holds up (particularly on subsequent re-readings, which is crucial). In a way, this title is perfectly positioned to appeal to younger kids in terms of its danger and heroes and to older kids who need a complex story to bite into.
I’m the kind of person who wants to label everything. To slot every book into a neat little category, even if I didn’t know the category existed before I read the book. For example, name me the greatest children’s book out there about volcanoes. They exist. I know they do. But until now I’ve not seen or read a book that really worked factual information with a breakneck plot as seamlessly as Into the Volcano. And more to the point, I’ve never seen a graphic novel written with a child audience in mind that was as out-and-out beautiful and gripping as this puppy here. Read it cover to cover and you will find a title like no other that is sure to make a few waves when it hits bookstore and library shelves. A true original.
Ages 9 and up.
June 4, 2019
I didn't really like the book. I think it was fine, and had a good plot line. I liked that it was a graphic novel, and a easy read, but I would never read it again.
November 18, 2008
Brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg are a little confused when they’re sent to stay with Aunt Lulu and their cousin Come-and-Go (that's really his name) for 10 days while their parents are away on business, but that’s nothing compared to how confused they’ll be later on. Amid earthquakes and volcano eruptions, the boys are forced to evacuate with trusted family guides into the maze of tunnels under the volcano itself. It’s soon evident, though, that the guides are looking for something… and the boys are the bait they need to find it. With the volcano about to blow any minute, it’s a terrible time for the boys to get separated from the group—but how else will they find out for themselves what their family is searching for?
The art is nice to look at, and the story could be interesting, but it jumps around too much. Parts of the narrative are disjointed, leading this reader to wonder if pages or panels had been edited out and the information not replaced. Chapter transitions are weak—the beginning of a chapter is the same scene and conversation as the end of the previous chapter, or there’s an unexplained shift from one place to another so the reader spends several panels trying to catch up on the action. The brothers are twins, presumably (they’re in the same class at school), but one is written far younger than the other.
Wood has won several illustration awards, but the ability to illustrate a story is not necessarily related to the ability to tell a story in pictures. Wood’s author bio says that he was “fascinated by the possibilities of the graphic novel” and that he worked on this book for five years—but his strength is not in sequential art narrative. Had he collaborated with a writer instead of doing it all himself, it could have been a much stronger book. It’s pretty to look at and the adventure can be compelling, but overall the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Recommended for collections where boys are clamoring for more adventure books.
The art is nice to look at, and the story could be interesting, but it jumps around too much. Parts of the narrative are disjointed, leading this reader to wonder if pages or panels had been edited out and the information not replaced. Chapter transitions are weak—the beginning of a chapter is the same scene and conversation as the end of the previous chapter, or there’s an unexplained shift from one place to another so the reader spends several panels trying to catch up on the action. The brothers are twins, presumably (they’re in the same class at school), but one is written far younger than the other.
Wood has won several illustration awards, but the ability to illustrate a story is not necessarily related to the ability to tell a story in pictures. Wood’s author bio says that he was “fascinated by the possibilities of the graphic novel” and that he worked on this book for five years—but his strength is not in sequential art narrative. Had he collaborated with a writer instead of doing it all himself, it could have been a much stronger book. It’s pretty to look at and the adventure can be compelling, but overall the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Recommended for collections where boys are clamoring for more adventure books.
June 7, 2008
Just rewrote this for my blog.
Wow. Don Wood’s Into the Volcano is one powerhouse of a graphic novel that you won’t want to miss. In fact, as far as missing goes, I almost missed my bus stop so engrossed was I in this totally wild adventure in and under and around an erupting volcano. The word gripping is completely apt for this (here comes another trite but accurate word) roller coaster of a read. Wood grabs you on the first page as brothers Duffy and Sumo are called out of their classroom to meet their father who immediately turns them over to a cousin they have never met before, the burly Come-And-Go. Before any of us can take a breath, the two boys (who appear to be between 8 and 12 years of age) are flying off to their just-learned-about mother’s home island of Kocalaha. Once there they and we are thrown into an extraordinary adventure involving questionable people (are they good or bad?), an erupting volcano, secrets (of every sort), life and death circumstances, heart-stopping moments (many of them!), and family ties. A truly brilliant work. It is due out in October; be sure to look out for it!
Wow. Don Wood’s Into the Volcano is one powerhouse of a graphic novel that you won’t want to miss. In fact, as far as missing goes, I almost missed my bus stop so engrossed was I in this totally wild adventure in and under and around an erupting volcano. The word gripping is completely apt for this (here comes another trite but accurate word) roller coaster of a read. Wood grabs you on the first page as brothers Duffy and Sumo are called out of their classroom to meet their father who immediately turns them over to a cousin they have never met before, the burly Come-And-Go. Before any of us can take a breath, the two boys (who appear to be between 8 and 12 years of age) are flying off to their just-learned-about mother’s home island of Kocalaha. Once there they and we are thrown into an extraordinary adventure involving questionable people (are they good or bad?), an erupting volcano, secrets (of every sort), life and death circumstances, heart-stopping moments (many of them!), and family ties. A truly brilliant work. It is due out in October; be sure to look out for it!
September 9, 2010
A powerful kids' graphic novel that adults will enjoy, too. Beyond the full color panels that often carry the impact and excitement of an action movie, Don Wood has concocted a complex and involving story with multiple themes.
Two brothers are pulled out of their dreary classroom in a dreary American suburban school on a dreary winter's day by their father. One boy, Duffy Pugg, is a small, wiry, and ready for adventure. His brother Sumo is larger, bulkier, cynical, and worried.
Both have darkish skin, due to their mother, a native of the Hawaii-like Pacific island of Kocalaha. She is supposed to be in Borneo, and their father is off on a mysterious mission to Norway. So he is sending the boys off for ten days to Kocahala with their cousin Come-and-Go, by way of limo and private jet.
Hey, if that set-up doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will. Maybe motor boats battling surf and lava flows to land inside a volcano, underground cities, an encounter with death himself? A crazy old aunt? A beautiful surfer girl? Surprising reserves of personality and resilience in the unassuming Sumo?
Lots to look at and talk about for fourth graders on up as they read this thrilling adventure.
Highly recommended.
Two brothers are pulled out of their dreary classroom in a dreary American suburban school on a dreary winter's day by their father. One boy, Duffy Pugg, is a small, wiry, and ready for adventure. His brother Sumo is larger, bulkier, cynical, and worried.
Both have darkish skin, due to their mother, a native of the Hawaii-like Pacific island of Kocalaha. She is supposed to be in Borneo, and their father is off on a mysterious mission to Norway. So he is sending the boys off for ten days to Kocahala with their cousin Come-and-Go, by way of limo and private jet.
Hey, if that set-up doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will. Maybe motor boats battling surf and lava flows to land inside a volcano, underground cities, an encounter with death himself? A crazy old aunt? A beautiful surfer girl? Surprising reserves of personality and resilience in the unassuming Sumo?
Lots to look at and talk about for fourth graders on up as they read this thrilling adventure.
Highly recommended.
February 4, 2014
This started off pretty rough and I almost put it down but since the author is a Caldecott winner I decided to keep going. The dialogue is pretty bad, unrealistic and painful to read at the beginning. Sumo is such a whiny, moany, lazy crybaby that he is a painful character at first also. However, as the story gets over its initial hump the action starts and it is pretty much non-stop from that point on. The point of the story is that Sumo's character changes; he gains more confidence in himself as he faces life & death situations and finds he is able to rise to the occasion changing his whole outlook. Belief needs to be suspended as the outlandish adventure unfolds but danger and action keep the story quite riveting and fast paced. While the island and volcano setting/theme ends up imparting quite interesting information along the way too. For a Caldecott winner I thought the art was just ok. Fast-paced, action adventure.
Read
May 6, 2012Alyssa Peters
Graphic Novel
This book is 22 chapters of wonderful graphics! It is about two brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg. The two boys are pulled from their classroom and introduced to their cousin Mister Come-And-Go. The boys cousin came to invite the boys back to the island of Kocalaha to visit their Aunt Lulu while their mom finishes her research. The boys then find themselves on this island with their crazy Aunt, her Winnebago ,and a treehouse that may have stiging centipedes lurking in it. The boys then embark on an island adventure. They go snorkling, get caught in a flood, and travel through a volcano! This novel is really interesting. It is the first graphic novel I have ever read and I did enjoy it! It is ideal for young adults!
Graphic Novel
This book is 22 chapters of wonderful graphics! It is about two brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg. The two boys are pulled from their classroom and introduced to their cousin Mister Come-And-Go. The boys cousin came to invite the boys back to the island of Kocalaha to visit their Aunt Lulu while their mom finishes her research. The boys then find themselves on this island with their crazy Aunt, her Winnebago ,and a treehouse that may have stiging centipedes lurking in it. The boys then embark on an island adventure. They go snorkling, get caught in a flood, and travel through a volcano! This novel is really interesting. It is the first graphic novel I have ever read and I did enjoy it! It is ideal for young adults!
December 31, 2014
I read this because it got good reviews, but it disappointed me, as most graphic novels do, in that the pictures didn't adequately support the dialogue for me. I just couldn't tell sometimes what was going on. Why were the boys sent to the island in the first place? that was never explained. I wasn't clear about what was really going on on the island, on who the good guys and the bad guys were, or the relationship between the "auntie" and the "mother". I'd rather have written descriptions rather than illustrations, frankly. I'm sure others might find this a satisfying adventure take, but I didn't.
April 24, 2013
I love this book because I love adventure and mystery books. My favorite part of this book is when the kids find their mom and see the glowing green pearls because it got me more interested in what happens.
August 17, 2024
OK, I didn't hate this book, but it really doesn't make a lot of sense. I read a lot of juvenile and YA graphic novels for my job and even when the art isn't great or the characterizations are shallow, it can still be enjoyable. The only good thing about this one is the character growth of Sumo, who goes from whiny and suspicious to brave and resourceful. Especially beautiful is his hallucination of Death, which is when he pulls himself together to save his himself and his brother's body (in his mind at least). All the rest of the book, including the panic-inducing layouts, were worth it to see that part. I really wish there had been more to that part of the story; I wish there could have been a moment when Come-and-Go and Sumo really have a battle of some kind so that in the end when Sumo proves his mettle, it really feels like he earns his cousin's respect. Also, we really need to have some kind of understanding of their feeble father - he just let his kids go off with this guy, knowing that his wife and sister are estranged? Why did you even have kids?? Anyway, it's a weird book, but not terrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 5, 2024How? Kiddo picked this up from a shelf; it took us two checkouts to read it all.
What? Two kids -- Sumo and Duffy -- get picked up by their weird aunt and creepy older cousin to go explore a volcano. Sumo is athletic and Duffy is nervous, I think? It turns out mom is hiding in the volcano because the aunt is double-crossing her in a search for some strange element that the volcano is creating? Sumo gets hurt and Duffy has to confront his fear, including a long-seeming chapter where the figure of death comes to taunt him.
Yeah, so? All the reviews for this that I've seen -- even the positive ones -- remark that the storytelling is maybe a little confusing and that the illustrations don't quite tell the story the way they should. As you can see with all my question marks above, I pretty much agree. Also, I guess the story, as it ends up, turns out to be a coming of age for Duffy, which is fine, as everyone else in the story is pretty unpleasant.
What? Two kids -- Sumo and Duffy -- get picked up by their weird aunt and creepy older cousin to go explore a volcano. Sumo is athletic and Duffy is nervous, I think? It turns out mom is hiding in the volcano because the aunt is double-crossing her in a search for some strange element that the volcano is creating? Sumo gets hurt and Duffy has to confront his fear, including a long-seeming chapter where the figure of death comes to taunt him.
Yeah, so? All the reviews for this that I've seen -- even the positive ones -- remark that the storytelling is maybe a little confusing and that the illustrations don't quite tell the story the way they should. As you can see with all my question marks above, I pretty much agree. Also, I guess the story, as it ends up, turns out to be a coming of age for Duffy, which is fine, as everyone else in the story is pretty unpleasant.
April 4, 2021
Two brothers stumble into a family fight on a almost-Hawaiian island. I found the illustrations (especially of the brothers) rather repellent, and I'm still a bit confused about the plot. Apparently there were some thieves running about, and both halves of the family blamed each other? And the ransom pictures taken of the boys were a misunderstanding? So all's well that ends well, and the family has a happy ever after? Seems shady to me.
There was some really energetic pictures of moving around the volcano, and I rarely had a clear idea of what exactly they were doing but it was fun. And the plot of the annoying and whiny little brother rising the the occasion when necessary was nice, even if he was annoying for much longer than he was heroic.
There was some really energetic pictures of moving around the volcano, and I rarely had a clear idea of what exactly they were doing but it was fun. And the plot of the annoying and whiny little brother rising the the occasion when necessary was nice, even if he was annoying for much longer than he was heroic.
August 13, 2017
It's JGN, but it doesn't have to be. The underlying plot involves dysfunctional families, Pacific island culture, scientific innovation, and treachery, both for profit and of bloodlines. The art is evocative of stuff like Asterix & Tintin, but also Wallace Wood and old Dick Tracy/Phantom-type stuff. It's pretty and the story is good, and the focus on just who exactly is the 'main' character evolves over the course of the story. A quick read, and something I enjoyed the hell out of, actually. Perfect for a slow-moving Sunday morning.
May 17, 2021
Two siblings go on an adventure inside a volcano. Overall it was something a little bit different. I thought the actions scenes (which are plenty) were done great. Story felt a little bit repetitive at places (not sure if Sumo had to constantly say he can't do this to make the point).
I didn't like the drawings of the boys especially their faces looked more like adults which irritated me quite a bit. The landscape on the other hand -especially the ocean scenes- were very well done. It had some stunning big panels illustrations.
I didn't like the drawings of the boys especially their faces looked more like adults which irritated me quite a bit. The landscape on the other hand -especially the ocean scenes- were very well done. It had some stunning big panels illustrations.
July 6, 2021
Two brothers are sent away to an Aunt's house, where they are promptly packed up on an 'outdoor adventure' that takes them into the heart of a volcano and a mysterious plot that they boys will have to be braver than brave to escape!
This was just a random pick for me (because my library is running out of graphic novels for my reading goals) but I ended up really enjoying it. It has mystery and intrigue and high-stakes adventures. And LAVA!
This was just a random pick for me (because my library is running out of graphic novels for my reading goals) but I ended up really enjoying it. It has mystery and intrigue and high-stakes adventures. And LAVA!
February 7, 2018
Into The Volcano Is A Really Good Story, It Has Graphics And Dialoge That Seem Like An Adventure Movie. It Contained Such An Amazing Backstory And Everything. This Graphic Novel Was Pretty Good, But It Would Have Been A Bit Better If It Was At Least 200 Pages, But I Can Understand Making A Masterpiece Takes A While. Recommend This To People Who Love Graphic Novels And Mystery!
💯🔥🌋
💯🔥🌋
August 4, 2017
The anti hero and unlikeable protagonist journey is not my favorite type of story but this graphic novel gripped me and sucked me into the volcano, literally! Well drawn and a great story, I didn't want it to end!
October 22, 2019
Not at all what I expected from Don Wood. Much more grown up, a little darker, but still elementary appropriate. There is a lot of implied cursing (*#$%#&) if you are in a school that is super sensitive to any language. I'm in a public school, and not bothered.
December 27, 2020
Two young boys are sent on a trip to visit an unknown aunt. In reality they are kidnapped to be used as bait to catch their mother. Not in water but inside of an active volcano. The drawings are vibrant.
January 14, 2021
I sure do hate it when I'm taken out of school to go inside a literal volcano to find my estranged mother! I will now whine about it every breath I take so no one else is happy :) - Sumo literally every single moment of this book.
April 30, 2024
Story 3 stars
Artwork 4 stars
Color 4 stars
Lettering 4 stars
Overall rating: 4 stars
Theme/genre: Adventure
Setting: Kocalah volcano
Likeable characters: Pulina, Come-and-Go
Artwork 4 stars
Color 4 stars
Lettering 4 stars
Overall rating: 4 stars
Theme/genre: Adventure
Setting: Kocalah volcano
Likeable characters: Pulina, Come-and-Go
April 9, 2018
Very fun storyline with a great character-growth arc for the main character, Sumo! The art is great!
September 29, 2017
3 stars
- Ms. Jenn
- Ms. Jenn
November 17, 2017
I love comic books and love the action is the book i read it a 1000000 times it is awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome yaaaaaa!!!!!
April 21, 2019
It's action-filled. I like it because they find their mom.
February 5, 2019
It was really thrilling
June 24, 2020
The story feels forced early on. The characters feel don’t feel authentic and it felt somewhat convoluted how Duffy and Sumo end up on this island. But the pace starts to flow better by the second half and it sort of finds more of a groove in the final chapters.
July 16, 2020
Great middle grade/upper elementary graphic novel, obviously based off Hawaii. I loved it
July 28, 2022
Sorry, not a fan of the story, not a fan of the illustrations. Lots of bleeped out swearing. I did like the size of the words and how physically easy it was to read.
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