A review by erika_reynolds20
Jump Into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall

1.0

The history behind this story (as mentioned in the author’s note at the end) is fascinating, and the plot has the potential to be intriguing, but there’s just no action. I can get past the lack of war action, because that isn’t really what the story is about anyway, but the author missed a lot of opportunities to show the reader how tough and heartbreaking life was for people of color in the Jim Crow south. Levi is a sweet enough character, but he doesn’t speak like any 13 year old I’ve ever heard—and I should know, considering I teach the 8th grade. It made him feel out of touch. His character isn’t particularly well developed, and I found myself not really caring one way or the other where he ended up. My takeaway: this book has an extremely engaging and misleading description. If you’re reading based on that, you aren’t going to get what you’re looking for.