The Finch family was in desparate straits. They had to find a house to rent in the town of Ashfield. Finally they were given the only available house, along with a warning: it had a very unusual furnace - a small volcano. This book describes the lengths that the family must go to in order to keep their "furnace" a secret to their neighbors. The climax comes when the volcano starts to grow larger! The author of this book has an unbelievable imagination. My brother and sisters and I have read this book many times. We thoroughly enjoy it.

This was one of the first books on zebra finches I checked out from the library, when I first started getting interested in the birds, and it helped me immensely. It explained why certain foods were necessary, and what vitamins can be found in what, it gave me the information I needed to know what size to make my cage. It's been a great help to me, and now I've had my birds for over a week and they're wonderful and happy.