Sky Jumpers: Book 1
By Blair Jackson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Tween girl risks life to save town in gripping future tale.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
A devastating global war fought with non-radioactive "green bombs" has wiped out most of the world and left the few tiny remaining clusters of people unable to produce electricity or sophisticated machinery. In White Rock, N.D., a community of 917 people built by survivors in one of the enormous bomb craters rimmed by noxious gas clouds knows as Bomb's Breath, the entire population, from childhood on, is obsessed with creating inventions to help advance what's essentially a preindustrial society. Twelve-year-old Hope Toriella never fares well at the annual inventor's competition, but she's brave: Unbeknownst to her parents and all but one friend, she enjoys holding her breath and diving from cliffs through the poisonous patches of Bomb's Breath that give jumpers the pleasing sensation of drifting and floating through the pressurized air. One badly timed breath, however, and she'd be dead. But Hope's courage is tested when bandits threaten to kill everyone in White Rock unless they get the town's entire supply of rare and invaluable antibiotics. With the community held hostage, Hope and her friend Aaren slip away -- followed by Aaren's 5-year-old sister, Brenna -- to get help from the nearest town many miles away, traveling through Bomb's Breath and over steep hills in the dark of night.
Is It Any Good?
Peggy Eddleman's SKY JUMPERS is a different sort of postapocalyptic tale. There's almost no technology left on earth, and the town of White Rock, ND, where the story's set, is largely agrarian, with more horses than machines. Eddleman does a fine job of painting a vivid picture of this town and the surrounding landscape and of the passionate and committed settlers who are trying to build a comfortable new world in this remote and desolate land. Eddleman also knows how to spin a good action yarn: The harrowing journey that Hope, her friend Aaren, and Aaren's little sister, Brenna, make in the last third of the book is tense and exciting.
Sky Jumpers should be a relatively easy read for most kids in the 8 to 12 range, and, though Hope is the narrator and thus the center of the action, this is not a "girls' book" in the way many YA books are. Boys should be equally captivated by the gripping story and Hope's monumental struggles against (bad) men and nature.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it would be like to live in a future without modern technology -- no cell phones, TV, or electronics on any kind. What would you and your friends do for fun?
Can you think of an invention you could design and create that could help the people of White Rock?
Do you think that Hope was right to admit to her parents that she'd disobeyed them by jumping into the poisonous Bomb's Breath?
Book Details
- Author: Peggy Eddleman
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Random House
- Publication date: September 24, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 272
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate