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On the Volcano
Read James Nelson's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community. Katie and her widowed father have always lived on their own, high up in a place few intruders would dare alongside the crater of a collapsed volcano. They've built a simple but happy life for themselves, far from the frontier perils of the world below-until a long-promised birthday trip to the rough-and-tumble town of Badwater takes an ugly turn and brings the outside world much too close. With it comes grave danger and unimaginable loss, but also something Katie had barely dreamed possible for a heart-pounding but tender romance, the kind to build a life on.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2011
2 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
James Nelson
171 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
James Nelson works for a Fortune 500 company that requires extensive international travel. He researches and writes from the central East Coast of Florida and various cities around the world. James enjoys his family, cycling, paddle boarding, backpacking, and almost everything outdoors. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he discovered the hard way that the innocent-sounding term "well-rounded education" did not include the concept of fun. After spending what seemed like endless time in math, physics, computer science, other sciences, assorted engineering, thermodynamics, law, history, English, various other humanities, social sciences, continuous military training, and athletic requirements, he was finally able to complete a double major in economics and management. Rugby helped to restore some sanity. The heavy course load did prove valuable in the active-duty Air Force as well as the private sector. A broad educational background was also beneficial in researching and writing a book like Magnificent Generation due to the numerous topics discussed.
You can contact the author at MagGenBook@gmail.com
James Nelson works for a Fortune 500 company that requires extensive international travel. He researches and writes from the central East Coast of Florida and various cities around the world. James enjoys his family, cycling, paddle boarding, backpacking, and almost everything outdoors. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he discovered the hard way that the innocent-sounding term "well-rounded education" did not include the concept of fun. After spending what seemed like endless time in math, physics, computer science, other sciences, assorted engineering, thermodynamics, law, history, English, various other humanities, social sciences, continuous military training, and athletic requirements, he was finally able to complete a double major in economics and management. Rugby helped to restore some sanity. The heavy course load did prove valuable in the active-duty Air Force as well as the private sector. A broad educational background was also beneficial in researching and writing a book like Magnificent Generation due to the numerous topics discussed.
You can contact the author at MagGenBook@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 14, 2011
This book was irritatingly bad. There were so many things wrong with it but the biggest were the murders and lies. To me, Katie and her father appear to be strange hermits who are paranoid that someone is going to steal their gold- i was reminded of hillbillies or Leatherface...if the story were from the opposite point of view, I would not have a hard time disliking them as antagonists. As it stands, I could barely tolerate Katie and her father as the protagonists. Neither shows remorse nor do they consider confessing that they had killed someone. This doesn't seem to be the best lesson for a YA book. I would have liked to have seen Mr. MacDonald grapple with whether or not he should go to the authorities about the fact that he killed a person. Instead, they went on with life as if there was no problem. I realize this is set during a different time, but there were still morals. Character development did not exist in this book. They could have been a bunch of sticks and the conversation would have been the same. After Katie kills Ben, there is no inner turmoil or angst. Instead, Nelson spends two pages describing how she cleaned and wrapped her wound. The setting itself, which should have been a key part, was unexplored and seldom described. Where was this volcano? The only one I can think of here in the US is Mt. St Helen. Is this where they are? And though the volcano rumbles frequently, there is no eruption which feels kind of anticlimactic to me. I would have liked for these strange reclusive people to have been blown up. There may have been some point to the story then - if you kill people and have no remorse, a volcano will erupt and blow you to smithereens. In the end, I am not really sure what the point of this book was. I do not recommend it!
December 6, 2023
This book was just okay...and then the ending made me mad. I couldn't believe how easily everything was swept over and that was the end of the story. No thanks.
October 13, 2011
The story was charming and a lot of that had to do with the simplicity of the life Katie and her father were leading. It made me think of living in a time without technology, being grateful for the smaller things that we often take for granted. Katie and her father work to feed themselves and do as much as possible on their own. The few things they can’t do for themselves they wait for a regular friend and traveler to arrive to have help or Katie’s father ventures to town to pick up what they need. They have most of what they need right there at home and that has to be a wonderful feeling.
The tale fell short in the fact that it was highly predictable. Just from reading the beginning of the book, I was aware of everything that would happen in one way or another, so there really weren’t any surprises to be had. Even though it was predictable, it was still a well written and lovely story. While there was violence in the book, it served its purpose in moving the story along. The romances in the book were squeaky clean and any parent would approve…you just have to remember what time period the story takes place in.
ARC Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
The tale fell short in the fact that it was highly predictable. Just from reading the beginning of the book, I was aware of everything that would happen in one way or another, so there really weren’t any surprises to be had. Even though it was predictable, it was still a well written and lovely story. While there was violence in the book, it served its purpose in moving the story along. The romances in the book were squeaky clean and any parent would approve…you just have to remember what time period the story takes place in.
ARC Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
March 2, 2011
I want to say right up front that I did enjoy this book. However. My thought is that this book is going to appeal to a couple of select groups – not that there is anything wrong with that – most books appeal to select groups, right? I think that if you like historical fiction, you’ll love it. The younger end of the YA group will also enjoy it and it is ‘safe’ for them to read. There’s a minor bit of violence here and there, but most things are alluded to instead of right in your face. It reminds me a bit of the old books like Little Women or Betsy and Tacey or even Eight Cousins, but with a little more oomph. That being said, let’s carry on.
On the Volcano is set in the 1870’s. What a great period in history! There were still unsettled areas in the United States and people brave enough to go off on their own got to live in beautiful, peaceful areas. Katie MacDonald is fifteen years old and has never strayed from home. She lives on the edge of a volcano in the forest with her father. Her mother died when she was young and she’s only ever seen two people. Can you imagine being fifteen and only having ever seen two people besides your dad?! One is a family friend, Dan and the other is a visiting nurse, Lorraine.
Katie has lots of adventures in just 288 pages and ofcourse she eventually meets some people, including a young man named Adam Summerfield. The story is sweet and nice and does indeed show what life must have been like in the 1870’s. I will say that at times it struck me as a YA harlequin romance, but maybe that’s just me.
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this one:
1) Lorraine stays for months at a time. We are told there are two bedrooms – Father’s and Katie’s. Where the heck does Lorraine sleep? At one point her father refers to ‘our bed’. Wouldn’t a young girl question that? Won’t readers question that? I was a bit confused and went back to see if I had missed something. Then I decided that Father and Lorraine were sharing the room and no one was going to mention it.
2) In over fifteen years no one at all but Lorraine and Dan ever found the cabin, even accidentally? But suddenly several people find them and/or the cabin? If people were hunting and gathering, it seems that eventually someone would have run into them.
3) At times Katie seemed very young in the way she talked and thought. I’m putting this down to the fact that she must have been very sheltered, not seeing anyone or going anywhere. However, there are times that she seems very mature and knowledgeable, so I was confused. Sometimes she seemed to act like an adult and sometimes like a little girl. I decided to chalk it up to the fact that she is so sheltered yet knows how to survive in the wilderness.
I do think that this is a worthwhile read, the historical information is good and it does take you back to a simpler, quieter time.
On the Volcano is set in the 1870’s. What a great period in history! There were still unsettled areas in the United States and people brave enough to go off on their own got to live in beautiful, peaceful areas. Katie MacDonald is fifteen years old and has never strayed from home. She lives on the edge of a volcano in the forest with her father. Her mother died when she was young and she’s only ever seen two people. Can you imagine being fifteen and only having ever seen two people besides your dad?! One is a family friend, Dan and the other is a visiting nurse, Lorraine.
Katie has lots of adventures in just 288 pages and ofcourse she eventually meets some people, including a young man named Adam Summerfield. The story is sweet and nice and does indeed show what life must have been like in the 1870’s. I will say that at times it struck me as a YA harlequin romance, but maybe that’s just me.
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this one:
1) Lorraine stays for months at a time. We are told there are two bedrooms – Father’s and Katie’s. Where the heck does Lorraine sleep? At one point her father refers to ‘our bed’. Wouldn’t a young girl question that? Won’t readers question that? I was a bit confused and went back to see if I had missed something. Then I decided that Father and Lorraine were sharing the room and no one was going to mention it.
2) In over fifteen years no one at all but Lorraine and Dan ever found the cabin, even accidentally? But suddenly several people find them and/or the cabin? If people were hunting and gathering, it seems that eventually someone would have run into them.
3) At times Katie seemed very young in the way she talked and thought. I’m putting this down to the fact that she must have been very sheltered, not seeing anyone or going anywhere. However, there are times that she seems very mature and knowledgeable, so I was confused. Sometimes she seemed to act like an adult and sometimes like a little girl. I decided to chalk it up to the fact that she is so sheltered yet knows how to survive in the wilderness.
I do think that this is a worthwhile read, the historical information is good and it does take you back to a simpler, quieter time.
February 4, 2016
For her entire life, Katie has lived on the mountain with her father. It's not just any mountain - it's a dormant volcano, surrounded by a giant crater - and Katie and her father are the only people that live there. This secluded life has led to not only Katie's inseparable relationship with her dad, but also to Katie's complete lack of social interaction with people her age. When, at age 16, she finally makes her first (yes, first) trip off the mountain into town, a chain of events begins that will end their blissful isolation on the mountain and bring both happiness and sorrow to this little family.
Oh dear. How to describe it. I'd say maybe my best comparison would be to one of those Hallmark or Lifetime movies. They're fine if you're up late and there is nothing else to watch, you don't expect great acting, you don't find yourself particularly moved by either the good or the bad but you just keep watching. Maybe some things annoy you because they feel out of place (really? NO ONE ever found their cabin?), but soon you care enough to know how it ends even though you don't really belive it.
Like that.
There were too many plot holes for me, too many ways I had to really stretch to believe - and honestly, I couldn't really tell if it was historical fiction or some blend of recreated history, there were so few historical details. Clearly, this one wasn't for me. I couldn't believe the love story (really, falling in love with the FIRST YOUNG ADULT MALE you ever see in your life?) and there were just too many random horrible things for me to suspend my disbelief.
And yet, I did appreciate it enough to read it in one night. Go figure. Maybe I was just in a Lifetime-movie sort of mood.
Oh dear. How to describe it. I'd say maybe my best comparison would be to one of those Hallmark or Lifetime movies. They're fine if you're up late and there is nothing else to watch, you don't expect great acting, you don't find yourself particularly moved by either the good or the bad but you just keep watching. Maybe some things annoy you because they feel out of place (really? NO ONE ever found their cabin?), but soon you care enough to know how it ends even though you don't really belive it.
Like that.
There were too many plot holes for me, too many ways I had to really stretch to believe - and honestly, I couldn't really tell if it was historical fiction or some blend of recreated history, there were so few historical details. Clearly, this one wasn't for me. I couldn't believe the love story (really, falling in love with the FIRST YOUNG ADULT MALE you ever see in your life?) and there were just too many random horrible things for me to suspend my disbelief.
And yet, I did appreciate it enough to read it in one night. Go figure. Maybe I was just in a Lifetime-movie sort of mood.
September 25, 2014
** SPOILER AHEAD** It took a while for this book to get started. I seriously felt like I was trudging along through an endless circle of unnecessary details. The author made the characters (especially Katie) talk in circles. She repeated the same exact phrases and words throughout the entire book.
It was very choppy in how it was written. The grammar and writing was that of a modern day 16 year old. I was really excited about this book, granted I did enjoy some of it, but it honestly hurt to read. What with all of the short, choppiness; the sentence structure sucked. And James Nelson seemingly sucks at flow and transition. He could not transition well from one subject to another. It was extremely abrupt and lacked emotion. It was hard to get close to the characters because of that. Usually, if written well, I bawl like a baby any time someone dies in a book I'm reading. But when Katie's father died, nothing. It definitely wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. It had its high notes and reeled me in a few times, but it was by far not the best. Or even great.
It was very choppy in how it was written. The grammar and writing was that of a modern day 16 year old. I was really excited about this book, granted I did enjoy some of it, but it honestly hurt to read. What with all of the short, choppiness; the sentence structure sucked. And James Nelson seemingly sucks at flow and transition. He could not transition well from one subject to another. It was extremely abrupt and lacked emotion. It was hard to get close to the characters because of that. Usually, if written well, I bawl like a baby any time someone dies in a book I'm reading. But when Katie's father died, nothing. It definitely wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. It had its high notes and reeled me in a few times, but it was by far not the best. Or even great.
September 19, 2011
ON THE VOLCANO by James Nelson is an intersting young adult historical set in 1875 Badwater.It is written with depth,details and characters that will capture your heart. It has murder,intrigue, secrets,romance,revenge,the perils of the frontier,a volcano,danger,and loss. This is the story of hidden gold,murder,and Katie MacDonald,a young lady with a fighting spirit during dangerous times.On The Volcano will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride which is both complex and will leave at least four people dead.This is also a tender love story packed with heart pounding action.It will have you turning pages from the beginning to the last page. A must read not only for the young adult 12+but also for the young at heart. And any historical romance readers. A great read.Received fro review from The Future is Fiction.Details can be found at G.P.Putnam's Sons,a division of Penguin Young Readers Groupand My Book Addiction Reviews.
January 15, 2013
A girl named Katie goes to a town for the first time ever and has a lot of adventures.
On her way back, she is followed and her 'secret' cabin in which she and her dad live, is discovered. Although it hasn't been for 16 years.
Which I find hard to believe.
Lorraine, a motherly figure to Katie, stays at the cabin 'occasionally'. However, it seems she is always there, whatever is going on. She practically lives there (which I don't think is supposed to happen?), even before she . Which isn't even that much of a spoiler because of it's predictability. Haha.
Oh and, Katie falls in love with the first young man she meets. Very sweet, but questionable. And wouldn't you know, he likes her too!
Lots of faults, but sweet book and lots (ish) of suspense. Also a 'gripping' start (at least for me :D).
On her way back, she is followed and her 'secret' cabin in which she and her dad live, is discovered. Although it hasn't been for 16 years.
Which I find hard to believe.
Lorraine, a motherly figure to Katie, stays at the cabin 'occasionally'. However, it seems she is always there, whatever is going on. She practically lives there (which I don't think is supposed to happen?), even before she . Which isn't even that much of a spoiler because of it's predictability. Haha.
Oh and, Katie falls in love with the first young man she meets. Very sweet, but questionable. And wouldn't you know, he likes her too!
Lots of faults, but sweet book and lots (ish) of suspense. Also a 'gripping' start (at least for me :D).
May 26, 2016
I am torn about this book. The general plot was intriguing enough to keep me reading, especially since I thought the volcano was going to blow before the book was over, but some of the things that happen in the plot are really unrealistic to me. There were a few things that just BOTHERED me about the characters and what they did and how others reacted and how things played out. Also, some of the books that Katie reads are published after 1855, the year she was born, and they were her mother's books that the mother brought up the volcano with her, before Katie was born, so that was a problem for me. The dialogue wasn't the best, either. I don't know. I feel like I'm being really harsh, and this was the author's first novel, but I just felt like it was unrealistic and didn't seem realistic as other unrealistic stories I've read.
July 16, 2011
As a geologist, I was completely taken in by the title, of course and it just looked like 'my kind' of historical fiction. It was a lot of fun to read because it wasn't just a growing up story - it had dashes of Gary Paulsen and Louis L'Amour. Some of the content is a bit intense, and I would recommend it for perhaps older teens. I thought the ending a bit rushed and the romance slightly washed over, but it was a sweet story and definitely worth reading.
August 2, 2011
I assumed this YA book was written for an older age range than I think would enjoy this. I would guess that kids 10 and up would like it. Although the main character goes through some dangerous moments, everything felt a little white-washed. This put me off at first, however when I stared reading with a younger audience in mind, my appreciation of the writing grew.
June 27, 2011
It was okay. Quite a quick read, and a nice little story. Seemed a bit more like juvenile fiction, than young adult. It was a nice change though.
October 31, 2016
this book just did not work for me. It was ok reading, but nothing special.
January 24, 2014
This just felt like a preteen book. There was no element of surprise in any way. Simple as that.
May 23, 2014
This book was so bad! There was no plot! It had no backbone! There was nothing to take away from it! It was just a dumb book!
February 17, 2011
Read for professional review.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews