Into+the+Volcano+by+Don+Wood

Into the Volcano A graphic novel by award-winning artist Don Wood. Blue Sky Press, 2008

From the back of the book:

Two brothers end up hopelessly lost in the underground lava tubes of an erupting volcano. To survive, they need to both outrun their pursuers and find an exit. When one of them takes a deadly fall, the other must summon up courage he has never had, or both will die.

The cover of this book promises danger and adventure and the story certainly delivers. The format style changes as the action and tension of the story changes. Sequences that move the story along evenly are shown in evenly spaced panels, while action and excitement have varying size and numbers of panels per page. Don Wood uses alternating color palettes to convey mood, as well as time and setting. Brightly colored scenes are generally happy or peaceful (rare in this story), muted scenes illustrate uncertainty and dark scenes show danger.

The plot is exciting, but since it is told from the point of view of the main character, the reader is as unsure of what is happening as the character is. The characters are strongly developed and compelling, but not necessarily likeable. There is a bizarre sequence where the main character is terrified and all of the rocks are skulls and he has a discussion with a clown-nosed Death, but it is not super scary for younger readers.

I rated this book at a 23, a good book! Boys especially will really like this one.

Mary Helton