At 11:35 p.m., as Radio Armero played cheerful music, a towering wave of mud and rocks bulldozed through the village, roaring like a squadron of fighter jets. Twenty-three thousand people died in the 1985 eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz. Today, more than one billion people worldwide live in volcanic danger zones. In this riveting nonfiction book-filled with spectacular photographs and sidebars-Rusch reveals the perilous, adrenaline-fueled, life-saving work of an international volcano crisis team (VDAP) and the sleeping giants they study, from Colombia to the Philippines, from Chile to Indonesia. AGES: 10-12 AUTHOR: The award-winning freelance writer Elizabeth Rusch is the author of a number of award-winning nonfiction titles for children, including: Generation Fix, Will it Blow?,The Planet Hunter, and For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart. Her previous Scientists in the Field titles include Eruption!, The Mighty Mars Rovers and The Next Wave. Elizabeth lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family. You can visit Liz online at www.elizabethrusch.com.
ILLUSTRATOR: Tom Uhlman has been a freelance photographer for 25 years. He photographs lots of news and sporting events, but enjoys shooting pictures of wildlife and the natural world most of all. Visiting some of the most famous volcanos in the world and meeting the people who study them was a special treat. Tom’s photographs can also be seen in upcoming Scientists in the Field book Park Scientists, and previously in Emi and the Rhino Scientist and The Bat Scientists