Sky Jumpers

Sky Jumpers may be Peggy Eddleman's debut novel but I certainly hope it isn't her last (especially with these characters and this world). It has been entirely too long since I read children's fiction and probably even longer than that since I really lost myself in it. The world that she created and the characters that inhabited it were so engrossing that I ripped my way through the book in no time at all. Sky Jumpers is an adventure set in the future when we've gone back to our agrarian roots and it is impossible to reach the level of industrialization we once took for granted. Fraught with danger and uncertainty, the world is a completely different place than the one we know. I wouldn't characterize this as a dystopian novel by any show more means. The world is far from horrendous and the characters are (for the most part) happy and living in harmony. Nothing is perfect, however, and that's where the excitement of the narrative comes into play. This would be an ideal book for children in late elementary and early middle school grades (or adults who enjoy children's literature). show less

This is an AMAZING middle grade book! And not just middle grade, but teens and adults will enjoy it as well. It has tons of action, characters that you will love and care about, a very intriguing world, and a plot that leaves you breathless (and not just from the Bomb's Breath :)). But I think the thing I loved the most was that it had depth. Yes, the action was intense and the plot was amazing, but watching the growth that Hope made through the book was what put this above and beyond so many of the middle grade books. I also appreciated that although this is the start of a series or trilogy, it had closure and was complete in and of itself. I will definitely read the next book, not because I'm being driven crazy by what is coming next, show more but because it was so good. I have pre-ordered 2 copies of this book for my library, but I'm afraid that may not be enough. Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Areas of concern: Bandits take a whole town hostage. There are scary action sequences, but good prevails. No bad language or sexual situations. show less

When the prospect of a Middle Grade post-apocalyptic book was presented to me, I was over the moon. I'm a huge fan of MG fiction, but it seems like there's not a lot of it out there that stems into areas like this. Maybe it's because post-apocalyptic worlds aren't exactly happy places, but that just made me more excited to see how Peggy Eddleman would handle this in her debut novel.

What first struck me as odd was the fact that the science aspect of this book really doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm all for suspending disbelief to enjoy a book. If people can fly, and you explain to me why that's true, I'll happily follow along. In this case, Sky Jumpers tried its best to make sense of a world where very few people remain, and invention show more is the only thing that matters besides survival. I was tossed into a world where only primitive technology remains, and people put a heavy-handed emphasis on invention. If you don't invent, or you can't invent, you're an outcast. Or, you're our main character. Somehow she seems to be the only one who falls into this category.

That being said, I could have let most of that go, except that the questions that I had kept compounding. Characters in MG novels do all manner of amazing things. They set off on epic quests, save villages, and most of the time all by themselves. Nonetheless, my mind simply wouldn't wrap itself around the fact that Hope was in this role. Setting off into a blizzard with your very injured best friend and his five year old sister just doesn't make sense. Add in the fact that "Bomb's Breath", the very thing that kills people who try to enter the valley and is their only protection from outside, can be walked through by simply holding your breath? I'm so very confused.

Truthfully, this was a quick enough read. Hope and her friends were well written, and I could actually see the twelve year old persona in their thoughts and actions. That's where my enjoyment of this story hit a wall though. There was too much that just didn't mesh. I think if this were a Fantasy story, something where we're encouraged to let go of anything true (like scientific fact), I would have liked this more. show less

2.5 stars

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Middle grade fiction tends to be mostly hit or meh with me. Either it’s blowing my mind with awesomeness or I could kind of take it or leave it. Sadly, Sky Jumpers did not jump its way into my heart. While I don’t have anything against it and definitely don’t think it’s a bad book, I’m neutral to it.

Sky Jumpers reminds me a lot of Z for Zachariah. Now, if you haven’t read the latter, let me enlighten you. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic landscape, in which a young girl is living in what may be the one safe valley from all the pollution. Things aren’t quite that bad in Sky Jumpers, but there’s Bomb’s Breath, a thicker, deadly gas all around. show more One breath of it and you’re dead. There’s a similar sense of isolation in Sky Jumpers, only there are whole towns, not the one teenage girl alone.

However, much like that teenage girl was beset by a deranged man who wanted her supplies, Hope’s town is attacked by nefarious bandits. Due to the adults underestimating children, Hope and her friends are the town’s only hope and have to face off against an enemy way above their skill level. This basic story works really well as an introduction to post-apocalyptic fiction for young readers, capturing some of the bleakness without getting into anything overly terrible or dark.

The actual sky jumping is pretty cool. Basically, Hope and her friends figured out that you can walk through Bomb’s Breath as long as you don’t breathe. Also, sense it’s denser, you can jump off a cliff, go through a cloud of it, and land safely in breathable air down below. The kids are daring in a way that the adults aren’t, and it does sound like the kind of stupidly dangerous thing children might do.

Hope and her friends are fun characters, and, as ever, it’s a delight to read about the focus on friendship and family in middle grade fiction. I particularly like Brock’s character, and how much they learned about him as the novel went along. By the way, I totally ship Brock/Hope, even if middle grade ships make me feel a liiiitle bit creepy.

Where the book lost me was in the inventions. Hope’s town forces everyone to be an inventor and, if you suck at it, like Hope does, everyone will judge you and be really mean. Apparently they know enough about the past to want inventions because they know things were better, but not enough to have great ideas of what to make and how to go about it. Also, it just seems like a horrible foundation for a society to force everyone into a scientific path when everyone isn’t wired that way. The fact that Hope was the only one who was so bad at inventing was totally not believable to me. Plus, I don’t really feel like it advanced the larger narrative; it felt more like a way to make Hope the outcast and underdog, and then give a message about everyone having different strengths. That’s a good message, but the execution here is clunky.

Sky Jumpers is an excellent choice for younger readers curious about post-apocalyptic fiction, but worried that YA ones might be too dark and scary. It’s definitely much less upsetting than Z for Zachariah, which I remember seeing on reading lists in elementary school, and which creeped me out as an adult. It might be more hit or miss with older readers. show less

I was immediately drawn in by the interesting world that Peggy Eddleman created. The story takes place in a settlement that contains survivors of the Green Bombs of WWIII (what a cool idea!). Next, I was thrilled that the town values invention and ingenuity as they try to rebuild their lives (I LOVE inventions!).

The characters are likable. Hope Toriella, the MC, is a spunky and courageous 12 year old misfit who finally finds her strengths. Despite obstacles, she is unwilling to give up on her family and her town. I love her tenacity!

The whole book is wholesome and fun and Ms Eddleman has some great conflict that keeps you turning the pages!

Constructive Critiques: The tone at the beginning seemed a little too happy and optimistic. Having show more gone through WWIII just 40 years ago and having bandits, I thought there should be a few ominous tones.

I did have a little bit of a hard time believing that Hope would be able to fight the bandits (and climb trees and jump off cliffs) after her long, exhaustive journey, but I still enjoyed the book.

Overall: The book is adventurous and kids will enjoy reading it! What kids doesn't want to save the day?

And as a parent, I loved the book's themes:
"finding yourself"
"believing in yourself"
"you are special"
Everyone is unique and has special qualities --This is a much needed message for kids today. Each person has something special to give the world. Thank you, Peggy, for weaving this throughout your story!

I look forward to Peggy Eddleman's next book! show less

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. It was a well done middle grade adventure/dystopia and I enjoyed it.

Twelve year old Hope lives in White Rock. Most of the world was destroyed by Green Bombs of World War III. Humanity is struggling to rebuild itself and because of this nothing is valued more in the city of White Rock than the ability to invent. Hope is horrible at inventing and would much rather dive through the deadly green clouds left over from the Green Bombs. However, when bandits threaten White Rock and their supply of precious antibiotic, Hope’s skill to be daring and resourceful ends up coming in very handy.

This is a well done middle grade adventure/dystopia read. I enjoyed reading it, there show more is some creative world building here and the characters are easy to engage with. It's a pretty short story and the writing style is a bit more simple and basic than some middle grade reads out there. It also takes the story a bit to get going.

Hope is a good character, but similar to many middle grade characters out there. She doesn’t fit in and has trouble doing what is expected of her, she is daring and has excellent leadership skills, but can’t invent things. Basically the story is about Hope finding a way to use her strengths for the benefit of society and about Hope learning to accept who she is.

The side characters are very much side characters. They were pretty simple and pretty stereotypical. Hope’s best friend, Aaron, is an inventing genius. Her other friend, Brock, is a bit of a mysterious outcast. The side characters were done well enough but fairly forgettable.

The plot is also very typical of dystopian books. Hope and her community have a good thing going on, that is until the evil outsiders come and ruin their lives. There are issues with lack of resources, illness, and humanity struggling to gain back the knowledge it lost when most humans were killed in World War III.

Probably the strongest aspect of this book is the unique world. The idea of Green Bombs, bombs that were supposed to destroy people but not nature, is very interesting. The deadly green gas that lingers and provides a natural barrier against humans for the town of White Rock is a neat idea. The whole explanation as to what triggered World War III is a bit nebulous and the kids in the book obviously take their way of life for granted. That is to say they ask some questions about the green gas and the war, but not many because they are kids and kind of live in the present.

Overall it was a decent middle grade post-apocalyptic dystopia novel. Nothing was outstanding but everything was well done. The characters are pretty stereotypical as is the plot. The idea of a world plagued by the residual of a Green Bomb is a very unique and interesting one and is what really makes this book worth reading. I would recommend as a good entry into the dystopian genre for younger readers. Those who have read tons and tons of dystopian fiction, like myself, probably won’t find much food for thought or really anything to get all that excited about. show less

Hope lives in White Rock, a town full of inventors struggling to survive in a war-ravaged world. But Hope is terrible at inventing. She would rather sneak off to sky jump into the Bomb's Breath, the deadly band of compressed air that hovers above the town. When ruthless bandits invade to steal an invention and then take everyone hostage, only Hope and her friends Aaren and Brock can escape through the Bomb's Breath to get help. For once, inventing isn't the answer - and the risk-taking that usually gets Hope into trouble just might save them all.