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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I am a picky reader. When I begin a book, I expect that the author is (perhaps slowly) going to paint a picture for me -- of time, place, tone, color, characters, and so forth. I am paying close attention, because I want to be part of this created world. If the details begin to contradict each other, even just a little, I am confused. I will go back and reread sections, making sure I am not missing something. If there truly is something misleading, then I am mad. And often I spend the rest of the book (if I even continue it) grumbling in my head about how careless people are.
So I was worried in the beginning of this book. I had to read and reread certain parts and I still couldn't wrap my head around it. In the beginning of chapter 2, the main characters are on their way to school, and have to catch a train. Someone says, we'll never make it to the station in time, it's still a mile and a half away! And a few sentences later someone else says, it's two miles from here to school, how are we going to get there? It just seems a bit odd to me.
These are the things I remember about books. Fortunately, I put it out of my mind (obviously, since I remember every detail!) and got myself to the end. And it was good.
This is kind of a futuristic, somewhat dystopian book for the younger set: After a disastrous world war destroys the earth as we know it, the small populations of people who survived had to rebuild with whatever they could find. Some of the major effects of the bombs from this war left behind powerful chemicals that changed everything from the properties of metal to the quality of the air in some places. Those that did not want to rebuild roam the landscape as bandits, pillaging whatever settlement they can.
While the village that Sky Jumpers has its own natural "protection", they soon find out they are still very vulnerable, and it ends up that every member of the community has to band together in order to drive the criminals out, once and for all.
Boys and girls (maybe, 3rd to 6th grade?) will both find qualities that they share and recognize in the main characters, and the plot will keep them engaged until the very end.
So I was worried in the beginning of this book. I had to read and reread certain parts and I still couldn't wrap my head around it. In the beginning of chapter 2, the main characters are on their way to school, and have to catch a train. Someone says, we'll never make it to the station in time, it's still a mile and a half away! And a few sentences later someone else says, it's two miles from here to school, how are we going to get there? It just seems a bit odd to me.
These are the things I remember about books. Fortunately, I put it out of my mind (obviously, since I remember every detail!) and got myself to the end. And it was good.
This is kind of a futuristic, somewhat dystopian book for the younger set: After a disastrous world war destroys the earth as we know it, the small populations of people who survived had to rebuild with whatever they could find. Some of the major effects of the bombs from this war left behind powerful chemicals that changed everything from the properties of metal to the quality of the air in some places. Those that did not want to rebuild roam the landscape as bandits, pillaging whatever settlement they can.
While the village that Sky Jumpers has its own natural "protection", they soon find out they are still very vulnerable, and it ends up that every member of the community has to band together in order to drive the criminals out, once and for all.
Boys and girls (maybe, 3rd to 6th grade?) will both find qualities that they share and recognize in the main characters, and the plot will keep them engaged until the very end.
I'm honestly not sure how to rate this. I thought it was quite slow, and not terribly interesting. I tried to think of how my middle grade aged son would like it, since he is the target audience, and even still, not sure if he would.
It's easy to say I'm not the target audience, and it's only a middle grade book, so I should go easier on it. But there are some killer middle grade books out there.
The plot for this one was different, and there were some elements to it that I liked, but overall it was very forgettable, and I definitely wouldn't continue on with the series.
It's easy to say I'm not the target audience, and it's only a middle grade book, so I should go easier on it. But there are some killer middle grade books out there.
The plot for this one was different, and there were some elements to it that I liked, but overall it was very forgettable, and I definitely wouldn't continue on with the series.
One really cool thing about Sky Jumpers is that it's a middle grade post-apocalyptic story! I don't read a lot of middle grade, and this is the first post-apocalyptic one I've come across, so I knew I would have to read it!
The whole of green bombs and Bomb's Breath was really interesting, and it's definitely different. I also liked seeing how inventing is really important to White Rock, and how Browning, a nearby town, has a completely different focus.
I really liked Hope and how adventurous she was. She was also willing to take a risk that no one else wanted or could take. I felt for her, because she felt like a failure for not being good at inventing like everyone else in town. But the one thing I LOVED about Sky Jumpers was how it took Hope going to a neighboring town for help for them (and more importantly, Hope) to realize that while inventing is important, people have other, great qualities, and that there are many ways to contribute.
Sky Jumpers is definitely world that is totally possible, even if it is a slightly scary future. The idea that inventing is so important because a lot of technology has failed since World War III is a really cool idea, and I think it's something that could draw in some kids. Also: Bomb's Breath changing the properties of the antiobiotics...I liked that it was discovered on accident, and it's another really cool/interesting idea.
The book, which is the first in the series, is a pretty complete story, and could work so very well as a stand-alone. At the same time, I can't wait to see what's in store for Hope and her friends.
Final Thoughts: I really liked Sky Jumpers! It's a great middle grade book, and you can't help but get pulled into this world and root for Hope and her friends. Sky Jumpers gets 4 stars.
*Sky Jumpers is from netgalley.com, which hasn't influenced my review in any way
The whole of green bombs and Bomb's Breath was really interesting, and it's definitely different. I also liked seeing how inventing is really important to White Rock, and how Browning, a nearby town, has a completely different focus.
I really liked Hope and how adventurous she was. She was also willing to take a risk that no one else wanted or could take. I felt for her, because she felt like a failure for not being good at inventing like everyone else in town. But the one thing I LOVED about Sky Jumpers was how it took Hope going to a neighboring town for help for them (and more importantly, Hope) to realize that while inventing is important, people have other, great qualities, and that there are many ways to contribute.
Sky Jumpers is definitely world that is totally possible, even if it is a slightly scary future. The idea that inventing is so important because a lot of technology has failed since World War III is a really cool idea, and I think it's something that could draw in some kids. Also: Bomb's Breath changing the properties of the antiobiotics...I liked that it was discovered on accident, and it's another really cool/interesting idea.
The book, which is the first in the series, is a pretty complete story, and could work so very well as a stand-alone. At the same time, I can't wait to see what's in store for Hope and her friends.
Final Thoughts: I really liked Sky Jumpers! It's a great middle grade book, and you can't help but get pulled into this world and root for Hope and her friends. Sky Jumpers gets 4 stars.
*Sky Jumpers is from netgalley.com, which hasn't influenced my review in any way
Question: How does one take a premise like escaping from bandits who've taken a town hostage and having to go through a blizzard and a cloud of nuclear fallout to get to safety and turn that narrative into something as dry as day-old toast? This book is the reason "meh" was invented.
" You would think i'd never jumped off a cliff before, based on how long I stood there."
am a HUGE believer in the power of books, especially for younger readers, but a book must open up a whole new world and fuel the imagination. Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman is a powerful read and acts like rocket fuel for the brain!
am a HUGE believer in the power of books, especially for younger readers, but a book must open up a whole new world and fuel the imagination. Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman is a powerful read and acts like rocket fuel for the brain!
Sky Jumpers is a post WW3 story. The setting is an agrarian world where sets of "green bombs" destroyed all technology and apparently most all people with a technical education. Societies start over in farming communities where children are encouraged to be "inventors" as a way to reclaim the conveniences known only to a few of the survivors who knew the world before the bomb.
For the most part, it was an enjoyable YA book. However, the purple prose in few places hung around like dog poop on your shoes. It's hard to un-smell it once you step in it.
For the most part, it was an enjoyable YA book. However, the purple prose in few places hung around like dog poop on your shoes. It's hard to un-smell it once you step in it.
Really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the premise and that the plot and action all lead somewhere and had a purpose. Enjoyed the characters and setting as well. I understand why this book is seldom on the shelf.
One Sentence Review: Lovely the interior logic on this one, and the characters are sympathetic and enjoyable by turns.
This is one of the current Bluebonnet program books & I really enjoyed it! I love dystopian novels & this has the right amount of dystopian for upper elementary students. Looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series soon