Veronica and the Volcano

by Geoffrey Cook

VOLCANO BOOK FOR KIDS! A VOLCANIC ADVENTURE!

Veronica is a perfectly ordinary girl, except for one very important thing—she lives on a volcano! Join Veronica on her search for pearls in the black sands on the far side of the biggest volcano of all ... Mount Mystery!

Veronica sets off in the “lava car” with her best friend, Maddy, and their dads. Together, they must cross Magma Pass, hike through the Cinnamon Forest, and brave the poisonous Yellow Lake to get to the base of Mount Mystery, where the true test begins.

The base of Mount Mystery is a moonscape pocked with craters the size of school buses. Here the earth pulses with power: geysers steam, mud pots boil, and stones smoke like ghosts in the spectral fog. Yet they press on through the war-zone landscape to the summit, where they are faced with an impossible choice: of life and death, of bad and worse.

Veronica makes her decision, and the world falls into darkness. Yet amid total despair and with the help of her family and friends, she discovers a map that can change the world, if only someone didn’t stand in her way—the man in white!

Join Veronica on this epic, middle-grade adventure of eruption, pirates, and volcanic winter. Includes dozens of the most beautiful volcanic illustrations in print today. Perfect for volcano lovers of all ages and especially girls ages 9 to 12.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2017

About the author

Geoffrey Cook started telling Veronica and the Volcano stories to pass the time with his daughter Madeline on the twenty-five-minute drive to school every morning. She enjoyed his stories, and so he wrote them down. Geoffrey is a serial entrepreneur. He is the CEO and co-founder of The Meet Group (NASDAQ: MEET) and previously founded EssayEdge and ResumeEdge from a Harvard dorm. He lives in Princeton, NJ, with his wife, two daughters, and son.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A girl and her family live on an active volcano, and have a bunch of gadgets that allow them to do so safely.

She wants to get some fire pearls for her mother, which are located at a really dangerous volcano. She and her father go to look for them, with the help of a pirate band.

Very fantastical, but entertaining.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a winner of a free book sponsored by the book's author, Geoffrey Cook. This did not affect my review. While every good book does not make a good movie, the same can be said about good stories turning into good books. This book is based on stories told by the author to his daughter while driving her to school. While I'm sure they were entertaining during the drive, they did not transition well into written form. This book suffers from an identity crisis with flipping from children's level to what I would consider young adult material. My original plan was to read the book and then pass it along to my granddaughter who is eleven. Not going to happen. The author leaves an opening for a sequel but reading it is also not going to happen. I did appreciate the glossary at the end and most of the illustrations.

[Hazelj jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved ,Loved, Loved ,this book!!!!!! If I could give it a rating of #10 stars I would ,but the rating here only goes to a #5.
This book is all about a young girl(Veronica) that lives on a volcano with Dad and Mom and her little sister Elyse.
Her Dad with other Scientists have invented meny special things to make living on a volcano safe .Special car ,special way to keep the tires cool when driving on warm lava.Meny special shields to keep their house safe during erruptions from the volcano.Special inventions too numerous to describe in this short review.
Veronica her Dad and her best friend Maddy and her Dad take a trip up the volcano Mystery Mountain to find a gift for Veronica's mom's birthday ....Special volcanic pearls !!!! on their trip they have such adventures .Some scary and some very very awesome .!!
I received this book as a giveaway on Good Reads !!!!!!!!
I have been a avid reader since I was 4 yrs old ! I am now a senior citizen !I believe if this author writes sequels to this first book it will be as popular as the Harry Potter series !!!!!! young readers will love this authors book !! i hope to see more from this author ,and its my intention to recommend this book to young readers!!

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like this could have been two books even possibly make a series out of it. It was cute, then it wasn't so cute, then I was what wait what's happening here. At least it kept my interest. I would not recommend this book to young children.

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Paola Belloso (age 9) for Reader Views (07/17)

In “Veronica and the Volcano” by Geoffrey Cook, you will enjoy a handful of experiences that will blow your imagination as you go through their journey to “Mount Mystery.”

Veronica is a normal ten-year-old girl who lives with her mom, dad, and sister Elyse, in a volcano close to Crater Lake. I liked that she has brown hair, like mine. She loves to wear pearls every day, even to bed, because her middle name is Pearl. She has a good friend named Maddy.

It was her mom’s birthday and Veronica wanted to get her some volcano pearls. She went to the only jewelry store around and an old man helped her. I thought he was a weird and scary person and a little funny in the things he said. No luck with him in having the pearls, but he did tell Veronica where she might be able to find them.

Meet Veronica and her parents and Lucky and Maddy, as they go through this exciting adventure, and discover with them all the surprises they found and the fun they had.

I loved “Veronica and the Volcano” very much. I liked all the fun things they do to live in a volcano. They had so many exciting adventures - Babeltown, Minnehaha, the pirates, and so much more. It was fun to learn new things about the earth with Veronica and the rest as they searched for the pearls. Join them and discover if they found what they were looking for.

I recommend this book to kids my age. I think that girls will really love this story, but anyone that loves volcanoes will also enjoy it. “Veronica and the Volcano” is a story full of everything - family, friendship, courage, and exciting adventures. And the illustrations are great!

A note from mom:

“Veronica and the Volcano” by Geoffrey Cook is an excellent story that Paola could not stop reading. Her imagination was always active. I found the glossary on scientific terms very informative, and I personally loved the fact that the author wrote it based on the stories he told his girls on their 25 minute ride to school.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica and the Volcano was an exciting adventure from start to finish.

The novel takes place in a very interesting world built upon volcanoes, where lava eruptions are a normal part of life and so are special homes designed to withstand the heat and special cars that can even drive in lava (for limited amount of time!). It is in this setting that we have our main character Veronica who is off on a quest to find pearls from Mount Mystery. She has a special connection through her Grandmother to pearls and wants to find some for her Mother. Veronica is a very special young woman, she is fully of curiosity, kindness and brave.

She decides to embark on this journey with her best friend but they are not allowed to go without their Fathers (who also happen to have very differing beliefs about their historical past and technology in general). This is when the excitement really begins! They face many obstacles and near death experiences but it is through their wit and amazing technology that they escape.

Near the middle to end of the book, death is mentioned as well as a prophet like figure who demands the sacrifice of all of the first-born daughters of the town. I did not find it frightening and also liked how Veronica thought outside of the box to come up with a solution to oust the lies of the prophet and save the young girls.

Veronica and the Volcano is a well written novel with excellent illustrations included. Young girls and boys alike will love the excitement and unique plot of this novel as it takes you on an amazing adventure unlike one they have ever heard of before.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veronica and The Volcano use some science and some fantasy to create an adventure story for children. The book is rated for ages 9-12 and I thought that it was appropriate for a 12-year-old but would have a difficult time recommending it to most 9-year-olds. Parts of the adventure was rather mature for the average 9-year-old. I thought the book was delightful for the first 200 pages, there was just enough volcano info for kids to learn something while still enjoying the adventure story
but then I thought IAs a heads up to parents, here are some things to think about. Toward the end of the book there was a tsunami that wiped out a town. During this scene death is mentioned, not graphic of course, more that there were dead bodies. Some were described,
and the visual I had was of the victims' of Mount Vesuvius. Following that part there is a "prophet" who can save the city, but only if they sacrifice their first born daughters. This might be a bit tricky for a younger 9-year-old to understand and I found more disturbing for young kids. Parents might want to take that into consideration when buying this book for their chidlren All in All, I thought that Veronica and Volcano was a fine children's story, but I would personally not recommend for a 9-year-old and maybe not an immature 10-year-old.

I won this book in a goodreads' giveaway, but that did not affect my opinion.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

This was a pleasant read that I hope my children will one day enjoy. I was delighted to see an intelligent young girl as the hero, provide a role model heroine for girls. The fathers were proud of their intelligent, strong, resilient daughters. Love was found throughout the book, but not sappy romance to gross out children (LOL). There's drama, mystery, cannibals, etc. Boys and girls would enjoy this read.

Easy to read. This would make a great chapter book read for elementary children who are moving from picture books to chapter books. There are pictures as well to break up the pages, and the chapters are short. There's even a glossary at the back, so, as an added bonus, it's educational, but don't tell your children that. ;)

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I have to agree with the reviewers who said this isn't really a kid friendly book. Puzzling, but there it is. If the author were to remove the sacrifice portion, then it'd be an excellent book, but then the author would have to have the guy in white show how bad he is in another way, and what's more evil than sacrifice, but really? no, choose another method, this one just sucks.
It definitely looks like this is book 1 in a series, but I haven't a clue if the rest of the books will be on my read list or not, since this book was just fine, even enjoyable all except for the two chapters dealing with the sacrifice. But, yeah, no recommending to little kids, that's for sure.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am grateful to have won an autographed copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I have yet to decide if I will be keeping this in my collection or donating for the collection at my local library.

Overall, an enjoyable fast-paced, action-packed read. Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre for middle grade children. Gruesome, allegorical, and whimsical all at once. Would make for an appealing bedtime read aloud for families.

The concepts are a bit far-out and the plot isn't very well woven, but it is organized and sequential in a sensible fashion. Eclectic.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads. I enter bacause I wanted to read it with my grand daughter who is 8 years old. I read it my self first and found it to be above her level and would recommend it for a preteen. I did try reading to her but she quickly lost interest. I will keep it in my library for a few years and try it again. I may suggest it to another per-teen if it is in the library and see if she likes it.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for young children, but a really good read for/to pre-teens. Veronica lives on a volcano. She, her father, her best friend and her father take a journey to Mount Mystery to find volcano pearls. Along the way they encounter a geyser spewing diamonds, save a young boy from being poisoned by sulfuric gas, slide down the side of an erupting volcano and are captured by pirates.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicit­y for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.
I just couldnt get into this. The idea of a family living on a volcano and in a house made safe for when it erupts sounded really good and that was my favourite part. However, this just wasnt for me. Although I did enjoy looking at the pictures. I just wish there was more of them.

[Melinda M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Veronica and the Volcano by Geoffrey Cook was well written. It came from stories he used to tell his daughter. It is suppose to be for 9 to 12 years but I believe a little older crowd is more realistic somethings would not be as easy for a 9 year to understand. It is well written.

I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun interesting book! I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway and received my signed copy from the author. It was written by a father who drives carpool everyday and used that time to tell him daughter stories about the volcanos! What a great adventure and use of imagination! Its fun to read children's books at times, the stories can be fascinating!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started out like a story for 10-12 year old children, but as I read it quickly became geared to older children. Toward the end it became more and more violent and gruesome with many being killed in tales of the past or by natural events. The story itself was excellent, but I felt itwas inappropriate for preteens.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different kind of Children’s book ... it starts out quite light but as it progresses it was exceptionally grim in places and would scare under 12s

Clever and inventive -you definitely have never read anything like it I would wager. Environmental issues rub shoulders with canabalism and mob mentality!!

[Janice Cafarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. This book is good for kids 9-12.
Veronica her friend Maddy and their dads set off to Mount Mystery to get white lava pearls. On their trip they encounter many adventures, dangers, legends and amazing things but the story ends with many unexpected twists !!!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining read. It has lots of science that evolves around volcanos of course but there is much more to this story. Lots of plot twists I didn't see coming. I would definitely recommend this!

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is labeled as a children’s book, but I would not recommend for kids under 12. It starts off cute and such, but many of the themes that play throughout are very dark for younger children. Not what I was expecting at all, but it was gripping to say the least.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this as a GoodReads First Read. I found the story a little hard to follow at times.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughter loves this book! very good author! thank you

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, although hard to read in some parts, it was descriptive and engaging.

The children I read this with didn't want me to stop reading it.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. The adventures of Veronica will keep your child interested!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the story was cute & well told.. but I thought the end was rushed. I'm going to give the book to my niece and see how she likes it.

[Fleur Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice MG with a fresh angle--easy to read and with just the right amount of illustrations.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave it to an 8 year old and she loved it.
I think she finished it in only a few days as she wanted to keep reading.
Kids will enjoy!

[Sherlynka Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave this as a Christmas gift they love it.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Awesome Awesome! Great book! You will love the story line!

[Donna Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's nice to read an adventure book for young girls...so many are about/for boys.