beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
for my review http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/2013/09/sky-jumpers-blog-tour-review-and.html
ajsterkel's review against another edition
3.0
Sky Jumpers is a post-apocalyptic middle grade novel about a group of cliff diving twelve-year-olds who need to save their town from invading bandits.
The narrator is a kickass heroine named Hope. She’s a natural leader with a passion for competitions and physical activity. There’s no challenge she won’t accept. She isn’t afraid to climb tall trees or jump from the cliffs that surround her home. Her classmates are drawn to her because of her athletic talents and leadership abilities. Unfortunately, her desire to push the limits often gets her in trouble.
With a narrator like Hope, this book does not lack action. The excitement starts on page 1 and rarely slows down. The quick pacing and spirited characters can easily hold the attention of young readers. Peggy Eddleman does an amazing job of capturing the voice of a twelve-year-old and making Hope relatable.
As an adult-aged reader, I have a few issues with the book. If you are a lover of science fiction, you may have to suspend your disbelief. A lot. The science and the actions of the adult characters aren’t always logical. These problems most likely won’t bother young readers, though.
This book is action-packed, but the main plot takes a long time to get started. The first half of the story is mostly just world building and character development. The world building is fascinating, but the story feels a bit directionless until the bandits finally show up. After the bandits overrun the town, the action really takes off. Unfortunately, some of the action scenes are difficult to picture. There is a map of the town in the front of the book, but it didn’t help me very much.
I also have a problem with the whole “inventing” aspect. The leaders of Hope’s town force all of its citizens to create inventions that will improve the lives of the townspeople. Hope seems to be the only person in town who has trouble inventing. Even the five-year-olds are genius inventers. Anyone who can’t invent is looked down upon. This does tie in to the story’s “Find your strengths” theme, but it comes across as unrealistic and heavy-handed.
The best part of this book is its theme. There is a lot for readers to take away from the story. Hope learns that everybody has different strengths and weaknesses. The challenge is figuring out how to use your strengths to accomplish your goals.
Sky Jumpers is book #1 of a trilogy (I think?). I really enjoyed seeing this post-apocalyptic world from Hope’s point-of-view, but I probably will not continue reading the series.
The narrator is a kickass heroine named Hope. She’s a natural leader with a passion for competitions and physical activity. There’s no challenge she won’t accept. She isn’t afraid to climb tall trees or jump from the cliffs that surround her home. Her classmates are drawn to her because of her athletic talents and leadership abilities. Unfortunately, her desire to push the limits often gets her in trouble.
With a narrator like Hope, this book does not lack action. The excitement starts on page 1 and rarely slows down. The quick pacing and spirited characters can easily hold the attention of young readers. Peggy Eddleman does an amazing job of capturing the voice of a twelve-year-old and making Hope relatable.
As an adult-aged reader, I have a few issues with the book. If you are a lover of science fiction, you may have to suspend your disbelief. A lot. The science and the actions of the adult characters aren’t always logical. These problems most likely won’t bother young readers, though.
This book is action-packed, but the main plot takes a long time to get started. The first half of the story is mostly just world building and character development. The world building is fascinating, but the story feels a bit directionless until the bandits finally show up. After the bandits overrun the town, the action really takes off. Unfortunately, some of the action scenes are difficult to picture. There is a map of the town in the front of the book, but it didn’t help me very much.
I also have a problem with the whole “inventing” aspect. The leaders of Hope’s town force all of its citizens to create inventions that will improve the lives of the townspeople. Hope seems to be the only person in town who has trouble inventing. Even the five-year-olds are genius inventers. Anyone who can’t invent is looked down upon. This does tie in to the story’s “Find your strengths” theme, but it comes across as unrealistic and heavy-handed.
The best part of this book is its theme. There is a lot for readers to take away from the story. Hope learns that everybody has different strengths and weaknesses. The challenge is figuring out how to use your strengths to accomplish your goals.
Sky Jumpers is book #1 of a trilogy (I think?). I really enjoyed seeing this post-apocalyptic world from Hope’s point-of-view, but I probably will not continue reading the series.
jbrooxd's review against another edition
4.0
A fun story - a lighter dystopian story than Hunger Games. Great adventure, brave characters, page-turner.
emiged's review
4.0
Peggy Eddleman's Sky Jumpers was a great find. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the book features Hope, a strong, brave, risk-taking eleven-year-old, who is troubled because her talents don't lie in the area most highly prized by her community.
Sky Jumpers does an excellent job of world-building. World War III finally happened. A couple generations ago, a dictator named General Shadel began invading neighboring countries, other countries started picking sides, and millions of people were killed. Nuclear bombs had been outlawed worldwide years before, but the United States started developing a "green bomb" that was thought to be less devastating than an atomic bomb. General Shadel's scientists developed their own green bombs and then Shadel launched them at his enemies, who retaliated. And the world as they knew it was destroyed.
Hope's home, White Rock, is an oasis of peace and plenty surrounded by a dismal and dangerous world. White Rock is a small town built in the bowl of a crater left by the devastating explosion of one of the green bombs. Bands of bandits and thieves roam the countryside attacking settlements and stealing precious food and supplies, but the idyllic White Rock is protected by a lethal band of compressed air called "Bomb's Breath", a residual effect of the green bomb. Consequently, White Rock has become fairly prosperous by comparison, and its citizens have been able to recreate many inventions that were destroyed in World War III.
This re-invention process is made more difficult by the fact that the side effects from the green bombs fundamentally changed the world. "Besides new plants, metal having different properties, weather patterns changing, and the existence of the Bomb's Breath, the green bombs destroyed any ability to create a stable magnet. No magnets meant no electric motors...no matter what we did, we'd never get back to the technology level that existed before the bombs."
To read the rest of this review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
Sky Jumpers does an excellent job of world-building. World War III finally happened. A couple generations ago, a dictator named General Shadel began invading neighboring countries, other countries started picking sides, and millions of people were killed. Nuclear bombs had been outlawed worldwide years before, but the United States started developing a "green bomb" that was thought to be less devastating than an atomic bomb. General Shadel's scientists developed their own green bombs and then Shadel launched them at his enemies, who retaliated. And the world as they knew it was destroyed.
Hope's home, White Rock, is an oasis of peace and plenty surrounded by a dismal and dangerous world. White Rock is a small town built in the bowl of a crater left by the devastating explosion of one of the green bombs. Bands of bandits and thieves roam the countryside attacking settlements and stealing precious food and supplies, but the idyllic White Rock is protected by a lethal band of compressed air called "Bomb's Breath", a residual effect of the green bomb. Consequently, White Rock has become fairly prosperous by comparison, and its citizens have been able to recreate many inventions that were destroyed in World War III.
This re-invention process is made more difficult by the fact that the side effects from the green bombs fundamentally changed the world. "Besides new plants, metal having different properties, weather patterns changing, and the existence of the Bomb's Breath, the green bombs destroyed any ability to create a stable magnet. No magnets meant no electric motors...no matter what we did, we'd never get back to the technology level that existed before the bombs."
To read the rest of this review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
jeannemurray3gmailcom's review
4.0
An outstanding middle grade read. A 12 year old girl learns what her strengths are and saves the town and townspeople from destruction. The story is even more interesting because it takes place in the future, after civilization has destroyed the world as we know it now.
ghumpherys's review
4.0
4.5 stars. I listened to the audiobook of this middle-grade dystopian. First of all, I loved that the parents in the story were kind, protective, trusted adults who had healthy relationships with their children (so often missing in so many of these stories!). I also thought the setting of the story was unique and thought that the main character learned some great lessons about herself and her capabilities.
scostner's review
4.0
Hope and her friends live in the time after World War III. Because of the problems associated with nuclear weapons, people had created "Green Bombs" which were used during the war. They had odd side-effects including a layer of air called the Bomb's Breath. It hovers at a specific height and is too dense to breathe. It is colorless, so many people wandered into it and suffocated before they realized it was dangerous. But Hope and her friend Aaren have discovered something else about it - you can jump into it from above and it slows your fall so that you can do all sorts of flips and tricks in it before you come out the bottom of the layer and land. This is one of the things that Hope is better at than others in White Rock. This ability allows Hope and her friends to stage a remarkable rescue when their town gets into trouble.
Although this is a post-apocalyptic story, it is not dystopian fiction. Civilization continues and the cities are run by elected councils. Children still attend school and have chores. There is even science fair of sorts. Once a year everyone celebrates the Harvest Festival and they ave Inventions Day. Since much of the technology from before the war no longer works, everyone works hard at inventing things to make life easier. Inventors are honored and their names are carved on the Difference of One stone - a memorial for great inventions. But the town learns an important lesson that other strengths are important to notice and honor, too.
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, fast-paced, and full of excitement and dangers to be overcome with friendship and bravery.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Although this is a post-apocalyptic story, it is not dystopian fiction. Civilization continues and the cities are run by elected councils. Children still attend school and have chores. There is even science fair of sorts. Once a year everyone celebrates the Harvest Festival and they ave Inventions Day. Since much of the technology from before the war no longer works, everyone works hard at inventing things to make life easier. Inventors are honored and their names are carved on the Difference of One stone - a memorial for great inventions. But the town learns an important lesson that other strengths are important to notice and honor, too.
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, fast-paced, and full of excitement and dangers to be overcome with friendship and bravery.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
unseenwizzzard's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I thought the premise and world building were good and very creative, but I felt that the author could have made it a little longer with more of the protagonist's growth shown. I liked the story, though and will definitely read book #2!