Book Review by Molly J. Bredehoft
Title: On the Volcano
Author: James Nelson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
ISBN 13: 978-0399252822
Price: $16.99 (Canada $21.00)
Gold, greed, and romance await for Katy MacDonald to discover as
she steps into life as a young woman. A
tomboy having lived a secluded life with her father in the late 1800’s near a volcano,
Katy is soon to find that there is more to life than hunting and exploring her
volcano. And she is ready.
Written in first person, the reader is drawn into Katy’s life and
is as eager as she is to explore beyond the isolated volcano, the ever changing
and yet constant in her life. Katy is
tough, as a girl growing up with just a father and in the woods would be, and
yet she longs for someone to love her, like any other girl of her time, or
beyond, would do.
James Nelson, in his debut novel, has crafted a well told, adventurous
story. Although the book has been
published for young adults, the story will intrigue readers of all ages. Not only does the author explore the life,
thoughts and feelings of a young girl turning into a woman, but he also gives
readers a realistic view of life in the late 1800’s. The other characters in the book are just as interesting
as Katy, and although the story is told in her voice, he includes the other
lives of the characters as they relate to her.
Nelson’s effective story telling reveals a vivid image of the other
characters, the landscape, and the time as he gently weaves them throughout the
book.
Exciting, captivating, and at times heartbreaking, On the Volcano will leave readers
admiring Katy MacDonald as she faces the challenge of moving from a naïve girl,
to a young woman.
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