Book Review: I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 (girl, twin boys, volcano)(OT)

I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980, by Lauren Tarshis (Scholastic Books, 2016, 112 pages, $4.99, ages 7-11, grades 2-5), book 14 of 23 historical disaster books for kids. Fiction books in non-fiction settings. Reviewed by Skye Anderson.

Make History Come Alive!

Author Lauren Tarshis literally does make history come alive for kids by placing a child (or two, or three) smack dab into the middle of a historical event where they just might become heroes.

Perhaps you do remember the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington? Ash slowly moved across the country and 350 miles away in Spokane, my mother thought it was snowing in May! (I, however, was in South East Asia in 1980 and was weeks late to hear the news.)

The Plot

Jessie and the Rowan twin boys were best friends. Two years earlier when Jessie's dad died, the boys were there for her and they became like the Three Musketeers.

Here we have 11-year olds being caught in a volcanic eruption but Jessie saves the day and even gets to ride in a helicopter.

The kids go hiking and fishing on Mount St. Helens when the twins' dad can take them in his truck and drop them off. Jessie grabs her (deceased) dad's camera to take pictures of Skeleton Woman but leaves the camera behind in an old cabin they discover and is afraid to tell her mother. 

For about two months, the mountain spews forth steam along with numerous small earthquakes, then seems to settle down until one day it doesn't. What that day brings will make a memorable story - but true, at least the factual part of the book. Jessie and friends are fabricated, however, and their adventures are, as well.

Science Sneaks into the Story

Author Lauren Tarshis manages to sneak in a lot of facts about volcanoes that are part of the story so the young reader is not aware she (or he) is actually learning some science. And, as in all the Survived books, the author speaks in a few pages at the end of the book and also answers questions about volcanoes and gives some suggested resources.

The First Survived Book Starring a Girl!

Although girls are often in books 1-13, Mount St. Helens is the first book to feature a girl star and on the cover and it's about time. Author Tarshis explains that she has written the series for her own children, all boys, but finally succumbed to the pressure of her girl readers. And we are so glad she did!

Other Great Books in the Series

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944