Sky Jumpers by Peggy EddlemanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I first heard about Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman from the online writers conference WriteOnCon. Peggy was one of the middle grade panelists. I was so blown away by her clear, haven’t-quite-heard-it-like-that-before, insight into kid lit—I just had to read her book. Besides everyone was saying how wonderful it was. And it was!
Sky Jumpers is a middle grade adventure set in a world recovering form the green bombs of World War III. The bombs destroyed almost everything and the only thing that matters in this new town of White Rock is inventing, so the world can regain some of what they’d lost. This new world is somewhat familiar, but very different.
The deadly compressed air of the Bomb’s Breath is a remnant of the War in this post apocalyptic world, and it changed everything. “When the green bombs hit, they left behind side effects. Besides new plants, metals 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.” The bombs also left behind a deadly sickness.
I connected to the main character, twelve-year-old, Hope. She longs to invent, but can never get her due credit, and maybe inventing isn’t her greatest strength, the way taking chances is. And taking risks, like jumping off cliffs into the Bomb’s Breath, may be what saves her town from something even more horrible than what the Bomb’s Breath has left behind.
The second time I sat to read this—without interruptions, I couldn’t put it down. My adrenaline raced throughout, and I was eager to find out what would happen when the bandits invaded demanding antibiotics the town of White Rock invented. I felt for many of the characters in this book: Hope’s friends, her family, and community. How they all worked together in the aftermath of the War, and with the new terror taking over their village.
Hope comes up with an idea no one else had thought of, using one of her most potent abilities: leadership. The action heats up and we hope for the best till the end. I was left very satisfied after reading this story. I even shed a few tears. This is a great read for kids who love adventure and danger in their fiction. Hope is a character I rooted for and loved and would follow into another adventure.
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