“She watched in horror as the sky turned pitch-black. A blizzard of ash poured down, swirling up her nose and making it almost impossible to breathe. Hot rocks pelted her like bullets shooting down from the sky.”

This scene is told in medias res as Tarshis provides a brief glimpse of the novel’s climax before shifting backward in time to describe the events that lead to this moment. The vivid imagery captures the many hazards of being caught in the eruption zone, adding depth to the novel’s focus on maintaining one’s Courage in Times of Crisis.

“Looking across at the twins, Jess saw two matching buzz-cut heads, four identical green eyes, and about ten thousand freckles. When they were little, Jess would have done anything to look more like them. She’d blown out her birthday candles with a wish for green eyes instead of brown. She’d even drawn Magic Marker freckles onto her pale skin.”

This passage establishes Jess’s strong bond with her best friends, Eddie and Sam, by showing their long friendship and describing Jess’s early efforts to emulate them in every way. Jess’s adoration of the Rowan twins enhances the novel’s examination of The Power of Friendship and foreshadows their ability to help each other through the natural disaster that they are about to experience.

“Jess gripped her backpack, where she’d put Dad’s camera. She felt a pang of guilt. The camera had been Dad’s prized possession, and Jess knew that Mom wouldn’t want Jess taking it into the woods. But Jess would be extra careful. She’d even wrapped it in a plastic bag, in case it rained.”

Jess’s guilt about taking the camera shows her love for her late father and illustrates her sensitive nature. Most importantly, the camera itself acts as a narrative device, for Jess’s deep emotional attachment to the item provides a logical explanation for her later willingness to risk a last-minute hike up the slopes of a volcano that is about to erupt.

“The mountain’s lower slopes were blanketed with green trees. The top was covered with snow. Its perfect triangle peak sparkled in the sun. Jess always felt a flash of pride when she looked at St. Helens.”

By describing Jess’s positive impression of the mountain, the author shows that the local population treats Mount St. Helens much more casually than its lurking danger warrants. Because it has been dormant for well over 100 years, the untouched wilderness over its surface creates the illusion that the mountain is always peaceful, quiet, and inviting. These early descriptions set the stage for the novel’s broader examination of The Unpredictability of Nature.

“She walked with light steps, whispering the names of every tree and flower, careful not to trample any saplings or mushrooms as she stepped. It was how Dad had taught her to be in the forest. He’d loved it here so much.”

Jess’s loss of her father and her ongoing grief at losing him add depth to her character and explain her intense attachment to her father’s camera. This passage also reveals that Jess felt at home on Mount St. Helens, where she has enjoyed many special trips and events with her dad over the years.

“Jess gathered her courage and stepped forward. Sam and Eddie glued themselves to her side. Together they moved through the tangled brush, pushing through the thorny bushes that grabbed at their clothes. Skeleton Woman is not real. Skeleton Woman is not real. Jess said these words over and over to herself.”

During the children’s initial foray into the wilderness on Mount St. Helens, their support for one another shows their deep bond of friendship. By finding courage in being together, the friends engage in a childish but action-packed quest to explore a backwoods shack that may belong to the legendary Skeleton Woman.

“The ground was now splitting apart, like ice breaking on a frozen pond. Clods of dirt flew up. Yawning holes opened in the earth, some deeper than any grave. Jess and the twins huddled close together, their heads ducked down low, their arms wrapped tight around each other. More tree limbs crashed to the ground.”

Jess and the twins try to protect each other during the first earthquake on the mountain. Their hug of protection foreshadows their similarly protective behavior when they later stand amidst the chaos of the actual eruption. Because the three rely upon The Power of Friendship during this first emergency on the mountain, the narrative suggests that they will also find a way to overcome the second.

“Dr. Morales nodded. ‘Actually we’ve detected at least fifty mild earthquakes in this area, all in this past week. They’re coming from directly under St. Helens. At first we weren’t sure what these earthquakes meant. But now we’re certain they’re warning signs.’ ‘Warning of what?’ Mr. Rowan asked. Dr. Morales was quiet for a moment. And then he looked up at St. Helens. And what he said next was more unbelievable than any horror story Jess had ever heard. ‘I think Mount St. Helens is about to erupt.’”

Dr. Morales’s news frightens and surprises the Rowans and the Marlowes, who have never considered the mountain to be a dangerous place. This passage stresses The Unpredictability of Nature, and it is clear that the characters are trying to come to grips with the fact that their favorite mountain is nowhere near as safe as they had assumed it to be.

“‘But I didn’t think St. Helens could erupt,’ Mom said. ‘I didn’t either,’ Mr. Rowan said. ‘I figured it was the kind of volcano that’s dead, or whatever that word is…’ ‘You mean extinct,’ Dr. Morales said. ‘But no. St. Helens is not extinct. It’s just been dormant, which means it’s been quiet.’ ‘But it’s always been so peaceful,’ Mom said. ‘It has been perfectly quiet, for one hundred and twenty-three years,’ Dr. Morales said. ‘The last time it erupted was in 1857. But St. Helens is the most active volcano in the West.’”

Dr. Morales’s explanation helps the families to gain a better appreciation for geological time and learn the difference between extinct and dormant volcanoes. This passage builds up Dr. Morales’s credibility and expertise, making it clear that his primary role in the text is to provide expository information that will set the stage for the children’s eventual crisis in the midst of the eruption.

“‘Amazing that nobody around here knows about all this,’ Mr. Rowan said, shaking his head. ‘Actually, people did know,’ Dr. Morales said. ‘Native Americans had been living here in the Cascades for about seven thousand years before the American settlers arrived. They knew St. Helens was dangerous and stayed away from it. They wouldn’t even fish from the lakes on the mountain. The Cowlitz tribe called this mountain Lawetlat’la. It means ‘mountain of fire.’ The words seemed to hang in the air.”

As Dr. Morales delivers more information about the area’s history and reveals that the Cowlitz people were fully aware of the mountain’s dangers, his listeners are forced to realize that perhaps settlers misjudged the mountain due to their lack of experience in the region.

“There was also the strong smell of sulfur gas seeping from deep inside the Earth. That gas builds up as a volcano is becoming more active, and it can leak out of the Earth. It has a horrific smell, like rotten eggs. Around Pelée, the stench became so strong that people fainted in the streets. Horses collapsed.”

Dr. Morales’ retelling of the Mount Pelée disaster helps the children and their parents to understand and recognize the early warning signs of an eruption. This description shows that even before the full eruption, volcanic activity can have a highly disruptive effect upon local communities.

“That was the pyroclastic surge. Imagine the wind in a hurricane, but with air that’s scalding hot. Then add toxic gas and ground-up rock and ash. The heat is so extreme that it burns everything in its path. People died instantly, without even knowing what happened to them.”

In this scene, Dr. Morales recounts the terror of Mount Pelée’s eruption. By including these details, the author foreshadows the destruction that will soon occur as Mount St. Helens unleashes the same deadly forces of nature. This realistic description builds suspense by hinting that Jess and her friends will face similar dangers. By including this information now, the author also allows for a more action-packed, streamlined climax, when the mere mention of a hot wind will need no additional explanation.

“Over the next few days, the police set up roadblocks on Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. They wouldn’t let anyone within ten miles of the mountain, not even loggers. The whole town seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.”

Tarshis’s description of the townspeople’s reactions to the warnings builds a sense of suspense, and the town itself is personified as a collective entity that is “holding its breath” in anticipation of an expected disaster.

“Suddenly a loud boom rattled their desks and sent Mr. Daley’s coffee mug crashing to the floor. Twenty-one heads turned and stared out the window. They had a perfect view of St. Helens rising up over the ridge. It didn’t look peaceful anymore. Pale gray smoke was gushing out of the top. ‘It’s erupting!’ Sam cried.”

The steam eruptions that precede the volcano’s main eruption cause considerable excitement and distress to the waiting townspeople, intensifying the sense that a sleeping source of danger is about to awaken. However, this moment proves to be yet another false alarm, highlighting The Unpredictability of Nature.

“That big crater on the summit was growing. There were massive cracks and bulges on the north side of the mountain. But none of the scientists knew for sure what exactly these clues meant. Was the volcano about to erupt? Would the eruption be violent? Would there be a warning?”

By introducing a series of tense rhetorical questions, the author conveys the widespread uncertainty that even the seismologists experienced during the days before the eruption. Without a precisely recorded eruption to examine, experts like Dr. Morales become frustrated with the questions involved in trying to predict when the mountain will erupt.

“Then he held out his hand. Sam put his on top. Jess hesitated. But then she put her hand on top of Sam’s. They leaned together so that their foreheads were touching. ‘All for one,’ Eddie and Sam chorused. Jess took a breath. ‘And one for all,’ she answered.”

When Jess is upset by Milly’s bullying and the loss of her father’s prized camera, Eddie and Sam comfort her by reciting their motto from The Three Musketeers. As Jess finds new strength in their embrace, this passage emphasizes The Power of Friendship in any circumstances.

“And wouldn’t there be some kind of warning before a big eruption? What Jess did know was that here was her chance to get Dad’s camera back. And she needed to take it.”

Jess feels an irrational sense of urgency and desperately wants to retrieve her dad’s camera, which holds sentimental value. Because there is no good reason for her to venture back onto the slopes of an active volcano, this emotion-based crisis supplies a feasible explanation for her decision to go back to the mountain during such an uncertain time. Her faith that there will be “some kind of warning” also shows that she does not understand the true ramifications of The Unpredictability of Nature, even for scientists who have spent years studying these forces and environmental processes.

“Not being able to see the mountain made Jess nervous. But what rattled her most was the quiet. She heard none of the usual forest sounds—the chirps of birds and skittering of squirrels and chipmunks. The air was strangely still, without even a breath of wind.”

The details of Jess’s latest hike with Eddie and Sam highlight the differences in the very atmosphere and creates a suspenseful, brooding tone. The landscape itself does not feel normal to her, and the fact that all of the animals are quiet suggests that the wildlife knows something important that the children have yet to realize. This description foreshadows the mountains’ imminent eruption.

“‘Ugh,’ Eddie said. ‘It’s like rotten eggs.’ Jess’s heart stopped. ‘Isn’t that what sulfur gas smells like?’ she asked. Sulfur gas. Like on Mount Pelée. It was one of the warning signs, just before Pelée erupted. ‘Is it coming from the mountain?’ Eddie asked. The horrifying answer came a second later. Kaboom!”

In the last few seconds of grace before the chaos of the eruption, the children use their new knowledge of earthquakes to interpret the first warning sign—a smell of sulfur. This passage presages the climactic eruption and employs the expository information that Dr. Morales previously conveyed.

“The heat blasted over them, and Jess felt as though she was being cooked from the inside out. Every breath was like inhaling fire. She looked around with desperation, knowing that they wouldn’t last more than a few seconds if they stood here. Just a few yards away was a huge hole, one of the grave-like pits caused by the earthquake. It was wide, and at least ten feet deep.”

As Jess spots a likely source of cover and urges her friends into it, her quick thinking saves their lives. This moment shows her level-headed approach to danger and highlights her use of Courage in Times of Crisis. By applying the information that she learned from Dr. Morales, Jess uses her common sense to find a quick solution and survive the eruption.

“The air grew hotter, until she was sure the entire world had burst into flames. The volcano thundered and roared. Dirt and mud and bits of rock rained down.”

The author’s imagery conveys the destruction of the eruption, along with some of the catastrophic changes that it caused in the surrounding wilderness. This passage provides a realistic window into the realities of such a natural disaster, while simultaneously casting doubt on whether Jess will be able to remain safe.

“She couldn’t clear her nose and mouth fast enough. The boys hacked and gagged, too. They would all suffocate if this kept up. Then Jess had an idea. ‘Pull your shirt over your face!’ she cried.”

Once again, Jess’s quick thinking helps her and her friends to survive. By using whatever meager tools they have on hand, Jess, Eddie, and Sam take action to make the air more breathable, repurposing their T-shirts as filters. As with her initial instinct to take cover, Jess shows her cleverness and acts to protect her friends and use Courage in Times of Crisis.

“‘I’m going to get help,’ she said, fighting back tears. ‘I’ll be back very soon.’ The boys didn’t seem to hear her. Both seemed to be drifting away… Jess would do anything to help the boys.”

Shaken and terrified in the aftermath of the eruption, Jess must now face the grim reality that neither of her friends can escape the area on their own. By emphasizing Jess’s intense commitment to helping her best friends, this passage focuses on The Power of Friendship. Likewise, Jess’s emotional decision to leave the boys in the pit shows her use of Courage in Times of Crisis, for she understands that she alone has the best hope of finding some form of rescue.