Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Into the Volcano

Rate this book
From Jess Butterworth comes another beautifully written adventure set on top of a super volcano, about coming to terms with grief, letting go of anger at the world and finding hope and joy in the most unexpected of places.

Vivi and Seb live halfway across the world from each other, living completely separate lives, until a terrible event unexpectedly makes their paths collide.

Seb's best friend Clay was injured in a shooting, and Seb believes there's a rainbow pool in the heart of Yellowstone National Park that will help heal him heal.

Meanwhile, Vivi is feeling lost, wishing she could find a way to honour her grandmother, who didn't survive the same shooting.

When they meet at the memorial and Seb tells Vivi what he wants to do, Vivi is convinced that her grandmother would have wanted her to go with Seb to help his friend.

But the park is filled with dangerous creatures, and when Seb is injured in one of the volcanic springs, it becomes a race for survival as they try and make their wish and find their way out of the wilderness.

Told through multiple viewpoints and set between the US and the UK, this is another heartfelt middle grade adventure from award-winning author Jess Butterworth

304 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2021

4 people are currently reading
55 people want to read

About the author

Jess Butterworth

15 books38 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
45 (48%)
4 stars
35 (38%)
3 stars
11 (11%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Karen Barber.
3,245 reviews75 followers
August 16, 2024
When Seb and his best friend Clay are caught up in a shooting while on a school trip, Clay is seriously injured. Seb is determined to make it to the rainbow pool in Yellowstone park that Clay talked about in order to make a wish to help him heal.
In the same incident Vivi’s grandmother is killed. She meets Seb when she and her father go to America for the memorial event to remember those injured.
Before we know it, the two families are heading on a road trip together as they find ways to come to terms with what happened. Seb and Vivi sneak out at night to find the Rainbow Pool, and end up having the most unbelievable - if terrifying - experience.
Profile Image for Trisha.
2,170 reviews118 followers
March 9, 2021
This is full of challenging themes and daring exploits. Hopeful, happy resolution which is good after all the grief and near-death adventures.
Profile Image for Anna.
15 reviews
May 16, 2021
Wow! This truly was an epic adventure! The dual narrative and short pacy chapters made this book hard to put down.
A hard-hitting yet heartbreaking reality puts us on the path for an emotional rollercoaster of a story. Vivi’s relatable life in England is suddenly transformed by traumatic events and the subsequent trip to North America introduces her not only to new friendships in Seb and his mother, but also to a less familiar world of road trips, wild animals and perilous landscapes. Vivi and Seb’s journey is nothing less than death defying but they are driven by a unified desire to heal the tragedy that has fallen upon them both.
An ideal N America topic read for UKS2 although it should be noted that the story begins with a shooting and could be deemed unsuitable for sensitive children.
Profile Image for Julie.
553 reviews6 followers
June 5, 2021
When a shooting leads to tragedy, Seb and Vivi find themselves brought together, despite living thousands of miles apart. In order to save his best friend, Seb believes that he must travel to a rainbow pool in the middle of yellowstone Park to make a wish. The trouble is, he needs a second person to make the same wish. Can her persuade Vivi to come with him?

I loved the dual narrative of this story. Seb and Vivi are both great characters and seeing the story from both of their points of view added an extra layer of interest. The descriptions of the road trip and the park are detailed and bring the narrative to life.

Another great read from jess Butterworth.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
116 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2021
Two families from different continents both affected by one shooting in the USA.
Seb was on a school trip when the bus pulled into a gas station and they were allowed in the shop. Vivi's grandmother was in that shop when the gunman started firing. A memorial and a road trip to Yellowstone bring these two characters together.
Central theme of friendship but also explores family, honesty, anxiety and bravery.
Profile Image for Emily Jenkins.
25 reviews
June 2, 2021
Just a fantastic story, couldn’t put it down! After a dramatic shooting in a petrol station, the two main characters are affected in similar ways. Seb believes in the magic of nature and insists on visiting a special rainbow pool in Yellowstone. With Vivi, and their parents, they set off on a wild adventure to find it. They encounter many challenges and experience different anxieties but the story sees a friendship bloom and hearts collide. Truly superb!!
Profile Image for Nicola Lowson.
184 reviews
August 15, 2024
When I started reading this book I was shocked as the details took me back to the Christchurch mosque shooting and my anxiety around it. However I couldn’t put the book down and as I read I loved that there were strategies for dealing with anxiety. It’s a wonderful story about friendship and believing in yourself and having hope.
Profile Image for Anna Davidson.
1,803 reviews23 followers
July 26, 2021
Jess Butterworth has done it again with this action packed, heartwarming adventure set in a beautiful natural setting. A fun and super sweet story about the power of the wilderness and friendship to heal.
429 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2021
A very enjoyable story just a bit naive
Profile Image for Abi_disney_00.
14 reviews
May 5, 2023
Superb book! So we’ll written and the story is touching, very relevant to the modern day.
Profile Image for Just Heather.
203 reviews4 followers
February 9, 2024
I enjoyed this story, it got a little bit far fetched near the end with their wild night of survival, but I enjoyed the overall premise of fulfilling the rpg scenario that the friends had created in order to make a wish to save one of the friends.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.