Into the Volcano: A Volcano Researcher at Work [Hardcover]

Donna O'Meara (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

In a helicopter with no doors, she hovers over a lava lake the size of two football fields -- then lands! She runs through clouds of scalding steam, dodging lava bombs, to photograph glowing hot lava as it pours into the sea. She sets up camp on the edge of a volcano's cone, only to be hit with hurricane-force winds, poisonous gases and acidic ash. Witness a typical day in the life of Donna O'Meara -- volcano researcher, writer and photographer. Donna's photographs and accounts of treacherous journeys get readers up close and personal with some of the world's most dangerous volcanoes.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Donna O'Meara and her husband, Steve, explore active volcanoes, gather data about them, and photograph volcanic eruptions for magazines, such as National Geographic. Following a description of her early life, O'Meara vividly describes her visits to observe volcanoes in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Italy. The extreme conditions in and around these sites turned the trips into adventures, highlighted by memorable elements such as melting sneakers, a rain of football-size globs of lava, back-country banditos, hypothermia, airborne ash, and toxic gases. Illustrating the text are exceptionally fine photos of volcanic landscapes and members of the expeditions. Sidebars carry clear descriptions and pictures (often diagrams) related to such topics as the formation of volcanoes, the types of lava, and the Volcanic Explosivity Index. One picture tells a lot about O'Meara and her husband: the snapshot of their wedding on Kilauea volcano. The bride traded slippers and a veil for sneakers and a gas mask, and the party arrived by helicopter on "the newest land on Earth." A natural for nonfiction booktalking. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

The O'Mearas’ cameras catch somnolent giants and vivid eruptors alike, and fill the pages with pyrotechnic displays and incandescent lava streams.

Illustrating the text are exceptionally fine photos of volcanic landscapes and members of the expeditions. Sidebars carry clear descriptions and pictures (often diagrams) related to such topics as the formation of volcanoes, the types of lava, and the Volcanic Explosivity Index … A natural for nonfiction booktalking.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553376927
• ISBN-13: 978-1553376927
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DONNA O'MEARA BIO

Donna O'Meara
POB 218
Volcano Village, Hawaii 96785
808.985.7186
[e-mail]


Award winning writer, author, photographer and Volcano Expert DONNA O'MEARA is recognized world wide for her award winning, science writing, photography and research. In 1994 O'Meara and her husband Steve founded VOLCANO WATCH INTERNATIONAL in Volcano Village, Hawaii to study Earth's active volcanoes. O'Meara has climbed nearly 100 of Earth's erupting volcanoes to search for secrets that might help predict future eruptions and save lives. O'Meara is a National Geographic Society Contract Photographer and Videographer. O'Meara is among a select group of international explorers supported by The National Geographic Expeditions Council. O'Meara has been the subject of four National Geographic Television documentaries and appeared in dozens of others. Her volcano images have appeared in dozens of magazines including NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND LIFE. She is the author of seven books about volcanoes including the quadruple -award winning book INTO THE VOLCANO (2005-KIDS CAN PRESS). In 2007 O'Meara was given a national award as a "Powerful Woman Who is Changing The World.

CITY SMART MAGAZINE (AUG/SEPT 2007- www.citysmartmagazine.com) has chosen "22 contemporary 'Powerful Women Changing the World' from a wide variety of cultures who embody what they consider attributes of powerful women. These women have become role models for a whole new generation."
---Janie Franz, City Smart Magazine
Those women selected include: Donna O'Meara, volcano researcher and award-winning writer/photographer/speaker from Hawaii; NY Senator - Hillary Clinton; Philanthropist -Melinda Gates; Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi; The Chancellor of Germany - Angela Merkel and The President of Liberia - Ellen Johnson-Serleaf.

O'Meara's photographs, videos, and samples of volcanic rock are part of the permanent archives of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1996 the O'Mearas were honored to represent the Smithsonian Institution in its prime time TV documentary "Incredible Journey: The 150th Anniversary of the Smithsonian Institution. O'Meara lives happily her husband Steve and little dog Daisy Duke in the rainforest atop Kilauea Volcano ---the most active volcano in the world. O'Meara is a graduate of Harvard University in Cambridge, MA where she majored in journalism and marketing and business management.

O'Meara's writing career spans two decades and her award winning books are distributed all over the world. O'Meara has written and photographed six books to date that are distributed internationally and sell well including:
1) VOLCANO: A VISUAL GUIDE-Firefly Books, Canada 2007;
2) VOLCANO: PORTRAIT OF A WORLD ON FIRE-Cassell Publishing, London, England 2007;
3) INTO THE VOLCANO : A VOLCANO RESEARCHER AT WORK (ages 7-14) Kids Can Press, 2005/2007;
4) Discovery Channel Travel Adventure Series Books, Caves, Canyons, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; Discovery Communications, Inc. 1999;
5) Discovery Channel School Activity Books (age 7-14) Land and Water, In The Flood Zone: The World's Ten worst Floods Discovery Communications, Inc. 1998;
6) VOLCANOES: Passion and Fury, Sky Publishing 1994.

O'Meara has written about and/or photographed volcanoes and other science topics for: National Geographic Magazine-Washington, D.C.;LIFE Magazine-New York, New York; Scholastic Storyworks Magazine; Spirit Of Aloha Magazine-Hawaii; Hawaii Magazine -National; Pacific Connections Magazine; Odyssey! Science Magazine; Science Probe Magazine among others

O'Meara frequently appears on both national and international major network television networks in documentaries about her and her work. O'Meara will use all of her television contacts to produce HEART OF FIRE as a television program. O'Meara's ground-breaking volcano research and award-winning writing and photography have been the subject of dozens of international and national television documentaries produced by such organizations as National Geographic Television, NOVA, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, BBC, CBS, NBC and MSNBC.

DONNA O'MEARA and her research have been the subject of the following television documentaries: 2007- National Geographic Television's MOON MYSTERIES WITH DONNA O'MEARA ;
2004 & 2005 -National Geographic Television's INSIDE BASE CAMP WITH DONNA O'MEARA;
2003 & 2004-National Geographic Television's; EXPLORER-- VOLCANO HUNTERS WITH DONNA O'MEARA;
2001-National Geographic Television's; NEWS TODAY WITH DONNA O'MEARA;
2001- The Travel Channel's-HOTLAVA WITH DONNA O'MEARA;
2000 -The Learning Channel's DISASTER DETECTIVES WITH DONNA O'MEARA;
2000-Ripley's Believe It Or Not Television's : VOLCANO WITH DONNA O'MEARA in Guatemala; 1999--Inside Edition TV feature on Donna O'Meara volcano;
1998--BBC Europe Television's Savage Earth with Donna O'Meara;
1997 CBS Television's Incredible Journey-The 150th Anniversary Smithsonian Institution featuring Donna O'Meara.

O'Meara has received the highest awards for her writing and images including:
2006 WINNER: Notable Book for a Global Society (Outstanding K-12 Literature) presented by the International Reading Association for INTO THE VOLCANO by Donna O'Meara Kids Can press/
2005; 2005 WINNER: INTO THE VOLCANO by Donna O'Meara Kids Can press/
2005. chosen as Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best 2005. Chicago Public Library's most outstanding titles for children and young adults that belong in every library and home;
WINNER 2005: INTO THE VOLCANO by Donna O'Meara Kids Can press/
2005; WINNER 2005 NSTA- The National Science Teacher's Association chose O'Meara's INTO THE VOLCANO as an Outstanding Non-Fiction Book for 2005.

PLEASE VISIT THE ATTACHED WEB SITES TO READ MORE ABOUT DONNA O'MEARA.
See stories and photos at these sites:
http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/survival-video/volcano.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/01/0102_030103_kilauea.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/01/photogalleries/kilauea/index.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0215_020215_volcanohunter.html
http://www.spiritofaloha.com/features/0702/beauty.html
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/wallpaper/pahoehoe-lava-volcano.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090325-volcano-cyclones.html

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, November 2, 2005

By 

Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Volcano: A Volcano Researcher at Work (Hardcover)

"Hawaii's Kilauea volcano rumbles under my feet with thunder I feel in my stomach. The air reeks of burning metal. A towering dark steam cloud looms over me. Without warning, a football-sized chunk of gooey lava drops out of the cloud and plops on the ground near me. I duck and run as more hissing red chunks spatter everywhere. These "lava bombs" could crush a skull as if it were an eggshell. What on Earth am I doing here, on the world's most active volcano?"

What O'Meara is doing there is research. Volcanoes are her passion. Along with husband Steve, O'Meara has traveled the world studying and photographing volcanoes.

What sets this book apart from others on the same topic are O'Meara's personal stories. In the chapter titled "Walk on the Wild Side," for example, O'Meara recounts her attempts to photograph-from the edge of a cliff-a lava tube pouring orange lava into the ocean. Her words and images combine to paint a vivid, compelling tale of both adventure and serious science.

Incorporated throughout the text are beautifully illustrated sidebars filled with factual information. Readers will learn about volcano types, pyroclastic flows, types of lava and more. Along the way they will also learn about O'Meara-about how she returned to college at age 32, fell in love with volcanology, and dedicated her life to studying them. A glossary and well-done index are included.

If volcanoes are a part of your curriculum, you must have at least one copy of Donna O`Meara's Into the Volcano in your classroom. Extremely accessible, informative, and entertaining, this is non-fiction at its best.

Highly recommended. Suitable for district-wide purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story., June 26, 2007

By 

Maryellen John - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Into the Volcano: A Volcano Researcher at Work (Paperback)

Why anyone would do this for a living, I don't know. But finally someone has given a detailed account of what it's like to be a volcanologist. Her story makes volcanoes even more interesting than they used to be. My son didn't want to put this book down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MEDIA REVIEW, December 18, 2005

By 

Media Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Volcano: A Volcano Researcher at Work (Hardcover)

This student review appeared in:, June 8, 2005
Reviewer:This student review appeared in:
Odyssey Adventures in Science--

May 2005
A Cobblestone Publication
30 Grove Street Suite C
Peterborough, New Hampshire 03458

PAGE 48 DEPARTMENT: KIDS PICKS!

REVIEW BY: SOPHIA LIEBENSON-MORSE AND ANNA BONATTO, GRADE 7
SOUTH MEADOW SCHOOL,
PETERBOROUGH< NEW HAMPSHIRE

Into the Volcano: Donna O'Meara a Volcano Researcher at Work ( Kids Can Press 2004)

The first thing that drew our attention to this book was its pictures. As we flipped through the pages we found ourselves wanting to read more because of the beautiful and colorful photographs. When we saw something new (such as a field of red hot lava) , we were prompted to read and discover and feed our curiosity. This book helped us get a better understanding of volcanoes and their amazing eruptions.

Into the Volcano offers a brief background of the author, Donna O'Meara. In the beginning of the book, the author talks about her first experiences with volcanoes. ( She also talks about her marriage and her dog!) Each chapter introduces the different volcanoes she has explored. O'Meara explains about all the different types of magma and how it breaks through the earth's crust. We thought it was very interesting to read about someone who has experienced such amazing things, and it's not common for an author to talk about his or her own personal life.

The stunning pictures in the book helped us to understand the text better. The photographs are shot from an up-close perspective, which makes you feel like you are standing right there! If you are a visual learner , this is a very good book to read.

If we had a class assignment about volcanoes, this book would be great to get good information out of. We would like it to be in our science class-room. We think our teacher would be a very good audience for its materials. She loves to read about volcanoes and their fascinating but deadly eruptions. This book is for her!!
_____________________________________________  


 

From the Chicago Tribune May 2005, June 8, 2005
Reviewer:CHICAGO TRIBUNE HERALD
CHILDREN'S CORNER

By Mary Harris Russell. Mary Harris Russell, who teaches English at Indiana University Northwest, reviews children's books each week for the Tribune
Published May 1, 2005

By Donna O'Meara
Kids Can Press, $16.95
Ages 10-14 years
Or, how I learned to love and fear volcanos, or, do you want to be a volcanologist? Some books designed to explain science careers can be deadly dull. This one is not, partly because Donna O'Meara emphasizes from the start that deadly is just what this career could be. She tells of Katia Krafft, a successful volcanologist for 20 years until the day she and her husband were killed in a pyroclastic flow from Japan's Mt. Unzen. (And yes, the book will teach you about pyroclastic flows). The photographs, by O'Meara and her husband, Stephen, are memorable, and the text conveys a great deal of information about the different kinds of volcanos and how they behave. Exciting, even if you don't want to go there.

This is from the Washington Post May 8, 2005, June 8, 2005
WASHINGTON POST
May 8, 2005

Women who brave volcanoes, help gorillas and study the seas.By Karen MacPherson

By Karen MacPherson

Harvard University President Lawrence Summers incited an ideological riot earlier this year when he suggested that women may be innately unsuited for success in math and science. But Summers's remarks, for which he subsequently apologized, are a moot point to women like Donna O'Meara and Felicia Nutter. Their talents and interests led both women into careers in science: O'Meara as a globe-trotting volcano researcher and Nutter as a field veterinarian in Rwanda for a research project on mountain gorillas.

Their stories, as well as those of other curious and courageous women scientists, can be found in the pages of some splendid nonfiction books for children. Some of these books are newly published; others are older but still readily available. While boys also will enjoy them, these books convey a clear message: Science isn't just for males.

O'Meara's Into the Volcano (KidsCan, $16.95; ages 9-12) shows how researching volcanoes has given her a unique view of Earth's most mysterious and dangerous places. her riveting first-person narrative describes the thrill of seeing an erupting volcano up close -- so close that the soles of her sneakers began to melt.

The intrepid O'Meara tells readers how she and her husband, Steve, also a volcanologist, have dodged bandits and anti-government guerrillas to get inside the "cone" at the summit of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala. The couple also spent a freezing night perched on a ledge near the top of Italy's Stromboli volcano, stranded by a freak winter storm. Although she doesn't minimize the dangers, O'Meara obviously revels in her work. Risking her safety to learn more about volcanoes helps her to predict their eruptions, and thus save lives.

Into the Volcano is filled with stunning color photographs taken by O'Meara and her husband. The book also contains an abundance of basic volcano information, placed in easy-to-digest sidebars.