Eruption

January 15, 2012
The third and concluding volume in Smith's breakneck Storm Runners trilogy shifts the scene from a circus' devastated winter quarters in hurricane-wracked Florida to the ominously active Mexican volcano Popocatepetl. As in the previous episode, Surge (2011), the action picks up with minimal recapping. Hardly has Hurricane Emily blown through than worrisome news that all contact has been lost with the Rossi Brothers' Circus, on tour near Mexico City, in the wake of a major earthquake. This sends a crew headed by catastrophe experts Chase and his father John to the rescue. Smith immediately scatters his party over Popocatepetl's shaking, landslide ridden slopes amid clouds of ash to discover human corpses, dead elephants and big cats, desperados, trapped refugees, dozens of badly injured villagers and (just to crank the suspense up another notch) an escaped tiger. Though the SEAL airlift that John eventually calls up to get everyone out of their various pickles is unalloyed deus-ex-machina (and can you say "international incident?"), at least it provides a tidy getaway to go with the resolution of several personal side plots. A wild, roller coaster ride despite the credibility-stretching ending. (Adventure. 11-13)

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March 15, 2012
Grades 5-8 In the latest installment in the Storm Runners series, Chase and his father are off to Mexico to find the missing Rossi Family Circus. Trouble is waiting for them, however, as they end up near a rumbling volcano. Smith sticks with the formula that he used in the first two books, but he gives the survival story an extra dose of octane with some escaped wild animalsin this case, a tiger that nearly devours Chase. In the end, many mysteries remain, and fans will hope for more adventures to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
In this third Storm Runners book, Chase and Nicole's adventures continue as they head south to Mexico. They've got the hazardous task of tracking down the animals from Nicole's family circus after a massive earthquake hits. As a result of the earthquake, they're now in danger from a volcanic eruption. This adventure reads at full tilt in a way reluctant readers will respond to.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)