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Maribel Versus the Volcano: A Mount St. Helens Survival Story by Jane Pica, Sarah Hannah Gómez
roseaboveitreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
stophie12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
This book is well-written and engaging, and the author does a great job of developing her characters prior to the disaster, which raises the emotional stakes for the reader. This book taught me a lot about the Mount St. Helens explosion, because even though I was familiar with it as a historical event, I did not know many of the specific details that this book brings to life so well. The author also does a nice job of acknowledging the indigenous communities in that area and their name for the volcano, without this seeming like a preachy add-on.
However, there were two things in this book that I didn't care for. One is that I don't think the author sufficiently showed Maribel as having ADD, versus just daydreaming or struggling to focus. In the author's note, she mentions this as a specific diagnosis and shares information about it, and this caught me off guard, because I didn't see that element of the story as being that serious. I think this poses the risk of telling kids that if they are imaginative, like to daydream, and sometimes struggle to complete tasks on time, then this means that they have a disorder and need medication. I wish that the author had built up Maribel's struggles more if they were going to warrant a diagnosis at the end.
My other critique has to do with realism. Maribel starts her survival journey with a backpack full of items that she has rescued from her family's home, and has to escape the overflow of the volcanic explosion. She has to walk carefully to avoid swirling lava and debris, and because of the volcanic ash in their air, it is difficult for her to breathe. I fully expected that at some point, she would have to make the difficult decision to leave some of these things behind, but her backpack mostly disappears from the narrative.
When Maribel wakes up in the hospital, her family greets her, and she realizes that she had carried the backpack to safety. She says that she had forgotten about it in the intensity of her fight for survival, but this is not realistic at all. She walked about four miles under volcanic conditions, and there is no way that she could forget about a backpack with so much stuff in it.
I walked less than two miles in 90 degree heat with my friend once, after her car broke down by the beach. We left the car at the mechanic and walked back to our beach house, and it was an ORDEAL. I was wearing beach flip flops and had to carry my beach bag the whole way, plus the extra stuff from the car that we had stuffed in it. My friend and I made the best of our situation and still had a good time, but I did not forget about the weight of that bag for one moment, and we were taking a leisurely walk through neighborhoods by the beach. There is NO WAY that someone could forget something heavy that they are toting along when they are fighting for survival.
Kids are far less likely to notice or care about that detail than I did, but this would have been much more realistic if Maribel had needed to make hard decisions along the way, instead of being able to take everything with her that she wanted to. As an adult reader, this hugely impacted my suspension of disbelief, but despite my critiques, this is still a good installment in the series overall.
However, there were two things in this book that I didn't care for. One is that I don't think the author sufficiently showed Maribel as having ADD, versus just daydreaming or struggling to focus. In the author's note, she mentions this as a specific diagnosis and shares information about it, and this caught me off guard, because I didn't see that element of the story as being that serious. I think this poses the risk of telling kids that if they are imaginative, like to daydream, and sometimes struggle to complete tasks on time, then this means that they have a disorder and need medication. I wish that the author had built up Maribel's struggles more if they were going to warrant a diagnosis at the end.
My other critique has to do with realism. Maribel starts her survival journey with a backpack full of items that she has rescued from her family's home, and has to escape the overflow of the volcanic explosion. She has to walk carefully to avoid swirling lava and debris, and because of the volcanic ash in their air, it is difficult for her to breathe. I fully expected that at some point, she would have to make the difficult decision to leave some of these things behind, but her backpack mostly disappears from the narrative.
When Maribel wakes up in the hospital, her family greets her, and she realizes that she had carried the backpack to safety. She says that she had forgotten about it in the intensity of her fight for survival, but this is not realistic at all. She walked about four miles under volcanic conditions, and there is no way that she could forget about a backpack with so much stuff in it.
I walked less than two miles in 90 degree heat with my friend once, after her car broke down by the beach. We left the car at the mechanic and walked back to our beach house, and it was an ORDEAL. I was wearing beach flip flops and had to carry my beach bag the whole way, plus the extra stuff from the car that we had stuffed in it. My friend and I made the best of our situation and still had a good time, but I did not forget about the weight of that bag for one moment, and we were taking a leisurely walk through neighborhoods by the beach. There is NO WAY that someone could forget something heavy that they are toting along when they are fighting for survival.
Kids are far less likely to notice or care about that detail than I did, but this would have been much more realistic if Maribel had needed to make hard decisions along the way, instead of being able to take everything with her that she wanted to. As an adult reader, this hugely impacted my suspension of disbelief, but despite my critiques, this is still a good installment in the series overall.
private_reader's review against another edition
5.0
A quick but gripping read about the eruption of Mt Saint Helen’s (Lawetlat’la) in 1980, an event I remember well!
I loved the inclusion of ADHD/ADD, asthma, Mexican culture, indigenous names and knowledge in this dramatic and quite scary adventure. This well researched book will entertain young readers but also expose them to numerous new concepts and issues for discussion. Includes extensive author notes and discussion questions. A fantastic choice especially for schools.
I loved the inclusion of ADHD/ADD, asthma, Mexican culture, indigenous names and knowledge in this dramatic and quite scary adventure. This well researched book will entertain young readers but also expose them to numerous new concepts and issues for discussion. Includes extensive author notes and discussion questions. A fantastic choice especially for schools.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent addition to the series -- love the thoughtful inclusion and discussion of Native lands and naming, the Latinx family, the focus on near-history and a disaster very close in time and familiarity to US residents. Told a good story, and was effectively scary when describing walking through ash clouds and the approaching lahar.
america_maxon1096's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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