This book presents a rather personal account of Donna O'Meara's adventures at volcanoes. The book starts with a brief account about how she got addicted to volcanoes. It happened, when her teacher and future husband invited her to join her as field assistant to Kilauea. And though it was a really 'hot' adventure, she became hooked to the fire mountains.

The following chapters present accounts of different types of volcanoes all carefully selected to cover the spectrum of volcanic activity. At Stromboli, she was always haunted by bad weather (in contrast to the reviewer) and hence, this volcano appears overly hostile. On the other hand, these accounts remind the would-be volcanologist that a visit to an active volcano is no Sunday afternoon walk.

Basic information on volcano types, volcano settings and other topic can be found in a number of boxes, scattered throughout the text. These make the text more readable for those who already have some basic knowledge on volcanoes while at the same time providing the necessary information for hose readers unacquainted with the subject.

This book is an excellent example on how a book for young reads should be written, both entertaining and educational. The enthusiasm of the author for her subject shows on every page!.

The photos of the author a excellent, but this is small wonder, as she worked as a photographer before she became a volcano enthusiast. However, I do not like all drawings, the pictures of volcano types, for example, are a bit too crude.

All in all, a pleasant book, that's nice to read and is even educational. Unfortunately only available in English!

Dr. Ulrich Knittel