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Inside the Earth |
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The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth is the second book in the original series, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. It was first published in the United States in 1987.
Plot[]
Ms. Frizzle's students are relieved when they are starting a new unit—earth science—after a month of studying animal habitats. A new student, Phoebe, has also transferred to Walkerville Elementary School and is enrolled in her class. For homework, the students are supposed to find a rock and bring it to school the next day, but the next day, only four kids: Alex, Phil, Wanda, and Arnold have done the homework. Of the four, only Phil has a real rock. Alex brought in a shard from a shattered 7-UP bottle, Wanda brought in a piece of cement chipped from the sidewalk, and Arnold brought in a piece of Styrofoam covered in mud. So that the majority is able to make up the work and collect real rocks, Ms. Frizzle declares a field trip underground. She escorts the students to the Bus, which transforms into a steam shovel and gives the students jackhammers. The students, Ms. Frizzle, and the Bus dig deep enough to fall into a cave underground beneath the school, where they find samples of sedimentary rocks, like marble, and shale. Later, Ms. Frizzle gathers the students back onto the Bus, whose grille has been replaced with a a giant power drill, and digs deeper, discovering different types of Metamorphic rocks, eventually passing the core of the Earth, as they eventually get erupted out of a volcano on the other side of the world. The students collect samples of pumice and other igneous rock. After the trip, the Magic School Bus returns to Walkerville and the students showcase their rock collection.
Publication history/previous versions[]
Trivia[]
- This book was featured in a 1990 episode of PBS' Reading Rainbow, narrated by Keisha Knight Pulliam.
- In Reading Rainbow, the book has few minor changes. Even though in hard copies of the book, Phoebe is shown to be “the new kid”, but the sign saying that as well as having an arrow pointing at her on the bottom of her feet has been blurred out in RR. Partly animated illustrations that were not included in the physical book were also used in the Reading Rainbow episode.
- This book marks the first time that the Mesmerglober is used.
- Phoebe is a new student. This is her first appearance in the book series, and will later go on to join the class in the first 52 episodes of The Magic School Bus TV series. She returns to her old school in the next series, The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
- On the other hand, that is likely the inspiration for her catchphrase "At my old school..." used in later books and the 1994-97 seasons.
- This book was somehow adapted into the episode "The Battle for Rock Mountain" and the game The Magic School Bus Explores Inside the Earth. All three are about geology, but each has an entirely different storyline.
- The drill bus does make an appearance in in the episode about photosynthesis.
- This book was not present in the trailer for the ninth book (shown on American NTSC VHS releases for season 2 (1995)), during the part when it listed the classic books.
- This book is featured in the MSB “Visit Your Local Library” book promo for Seasons 1-4 after the funding credits.
- In the reprinted version, the Bus's overhead sign says DIG IT!
- This is the first book to have a different cover image on the 1997 edition.
- On the reverse cover for the original 1987 hardcover edition, Wanda and Phil are seen in the cave with a few bats flying around. On the 1992 paperback, the two bats, along with Wanda, were covered by the list of other books in the series and leaving out Phil.
- Page 22 is the setting of the original classic cover of the book with the next page involving the Bus as a drill, but decorated with drill heads instead of volcanoes.
- The first edition of this book is the first time the series had a different logo than usual — in this case, it’s in a serif font and in small caps. Only it would revert back to the 1986 font after Inside the Human Body and later prints of this book.
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v - e - d The Magic School Bus book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen | ||||||
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