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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSEleven-year-old Jessie Marlowe, known as Jess, lives in the small town of Cedar, Washington, in the shadow of Mount St. Helens. Her dad died in a car accident two years ago, leaving behind his prized camera and a family diner his great-grandfather built. On a Sunday in late March 1980, Jess and her two best friends, twins Eddie and Sam Rowan, sneak into the forest near Loomis Lake to photograph a supposedly haunted shack, daring to prove a classmate wrong about the local legend of Skeleton Woman. A violent earthquake sends them racing back to their truck, where they meet Dr. Timothy Morales, a seismologist from the University of Washington who has shocking news: Mount St. Helens, the beautiful volcano that has watched over their valley their whole lives, is about to erupt.
Free Battle of the Books questions for I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a scary legend describe a woman with rusted metal claws instead of fingers?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
The legend of Skeleton Woman describes an evil woman with wild white hair, coal-black eyes, and rusted metal claws for fingers. She supposedly lurks in the dark forests, searching for children whose bones she uses to make magic powders.
- First half
In what book does a woman nearly drop a coconut cake when she sees her dirt-streaked daughter?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
When Jess, the twins, and Mr. Rowan walk into the family diner after the earthquake, Jess's mom nearly drops the coconut cake she is carrying. The kids are covered in dirt and scratches from their terrifying run through the forest.
- First half
In what book does a teacher cancel a fractions quiz to give a lesson about volcanoes?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
After the mountain makes front-page news, Mr. Daley decides the class needs to learn about volcanoes. Jess is shocked to discover there are fifteen hundred potentially active volcanoes in the world and fourteen right in the Cascade mountain range.
- Second half
In what book does a scientist explain that truly dangerous volcanic smoke is steel gray or black?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
Dr. Morales teaches Jess and the twins the difference between a steam explosion and a real eruption. In a real eruption, the smoke is steel gray or black and lasts for hours or days. The smoke they saw from school was pale gray, turned white, and disappeared in just minutes.
- Second half
In what book does a girl run behind a jungle gym to cry about a lost camera?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
When Missy brings up the photo proof again, Jess is suddenly overwhelmed by the guilt of losing her dad's prized camera in the cabin during the earthquake. She runs off the blacktop to a quiet spot behind the jungle gym, where Sam and Eddie find her and promise to help get it back.
- Near the end
In what book does ash taste like dirt mixed with chalk and clog up a girl's nose and throat?
✓ Answer
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis
Trapped in the pit, Jess experiences a blizzard of warm ash flakes that swirl up her nose and into her mouth. The disgusting taste is like dirt mixed with chalk, and it comes down so fast she can't clear her airways. She realizes they'll suffocate if she doesn't do something.
