Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes

by Julie Roberge, Aless MC (Illustrator), Charles Simard (Translator)

Take a trip around the world (and beyond) to discover the science, myths and stories behind iconic volcanoes. Krakatoa. Kilimanjaro. Vesuvius. The destructive power of volcanoes has claimed more than 250,000 lives since the beginning of civilization. Whether as objects of worship or of terror, they have shaped our world and fed the human imagination. And they can be found just about everywhere, from ancient Pompeii to the geysers of Yellowstone to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and the surface of Jupiter. Teaming up with award-winning illustrator Aless MC, volcanologist Julie Roberge takes us on a journey to the heart of the earth to discover the most famous of these geological monsters.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

Published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes”, authored by volcanologist Julie Roberge and illustrated by Aless MC, is a quick read that briefly describes the solar system’s most famous volcanoes.

The illustrations were excellent, but sometimes there’d be a simple image stretched across an entire page and I’d wonder why that real estate didn’t have little factoids about volcanos. For example, it would have been nice to learn about the volcanic explosivity index (VEI) and maybe see comparisons so readers could judge just how incredibly huge a super-eruption at Yellowstone’s caldera could be when compared to Vesuvius.

But that’s a minor complaint, so If you’re looking for a book about volcanoes that skims the surface of information about them—and is nicely illustrated, this book is for you and I rate it at 5 out of 5 stars.

One more thing, it may have been an error in the translation from French, but in the Yellowstone section, the text says that Yellowstone’s major eruptions all occurred millions of years ago. The first one was about 2 million years ago, but the second happened about 600,000 years later and the third around 600,000 years after that. If you’re keeping score, the last major eruption was about 600,000 years ago.

Disclaimer: This book is an advance review copy (ARC) that I was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[meshell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great introduction to volcanos, especially for kids (9-12), but also perfect for curious grown ups too. I liked the bold colour illustrations throughout the book, and the informative pieces about volcanos around the world. I also think the illustrations are a great introduction to volcanos for younger kids that might get freaked out by real pictures of the fire power of the real deal, and help them keep their ears open to new information. I loved the story of what sparked Julie Roberge's interest in volcanology.

Grateful to Orca Books and netgalley for the opportunity to check out the advanced copy of the English edition of this book.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes is written by volcanologist Julie Roberge. This book is quick read that gives quick facts about some of the worlds most famous volcanos.

Kids will enjoy the color blocked illustrations and quick facts. This is definitely not a text heavy book. It would be a great addition to elementary classrooms and ;libraries.


Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the advance copy for review.

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot! Loved the illustrations and facts. I like how each volcano was presented and introduced to us. It’s one of those books that you can lay on the floor with and look at for a long time, it’s very nice!

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sarah Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every page of bold, minimalist illustration could hang on your wall as a poster. Each section explains the unique geography and mythology of different volcanoes around the world.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, information filled introduction to the world of vulcanology. Both myth and science fill the wonderfully illustrated pages of this book.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non fiction book in the Forest of Reading this year. A very good read, I believe it will be interesting to the students.