Module 10 - Into the Volcano

INTO THE VOLCANO

Bibliographic Information

•           Wood, D. (2008). Into the volcano. New York: Blue Sky Books.

Summary
Two brothers travel to an island in Hawaii to visit a relative, and discover that their aunt is not as kind and gentle as they believed.  The brothers explore a local volcano with a group of strangers they do not trust completely, and must face scalding lava, open crevices and fear of death to escape the volcano's fury.

My Impressions
This was another book I was indifferent toward.  The graphic novel format is pretty cool, and I have liked Don and Audrey Wood's books in the past.  I just felt like the plot was a little thin and that it was meant to look spooky but doesn't deliver much.  The opposition to this book about the danger the young boys were placed in by others that should know better is a good academic argument, but I saw no more danger in this book than in other graphic novels or action movies.

Reviews
Hunt, J. (2008). Into the Volcano. [Review of Into the volcano, by D. Wood]. Horn Book Magazine, 84(5), 600-601.

Wood, the latest picture-book illustrator to cross over to the graphic novel format, delivers a story with everything a boy could wish for: an exotic setting, a colorful cast of characters, a suspenseful mystery, and a heart-stopping adventure with opportunities for bravery and heroism at each twist of the plot. It's a tried-and-true formula that has worked for everything from the Hardy Boys to Tintin, and it works here, too. While visiting relatives on a remote island, two brothers embark on a seemingly harmless camping/hiking trip that quickly turns into a dangerous game of treachery, kidnapping, double-crosses, and spectacular natural danger. When their journey into the heart of an erupting volcano grows increasingly bizarre, the boys suspect their aunt and cousin of foul play and run away. Unexpectedly reunited with their mother, a renowned volcanologist secretly working to extract a precious new substance from the volcano, they finally get answers to their questions. The pictures are perfectly suited to the story, vividly capturing plot, characters, and setting with bold lines, dramatic colors, and creative special effects that make tangible the brothers' peril. This is Wood's first foray into the medium of comics; let's hope that it won't be his last. --Johnathan Hunt

Library Usage
I would use this book in an author study or illustrator study of Don and Audrey Wood's books, and how their choice of genre is not limited.