SKY JUMPERS by Peggy Eddleman Review and GIVEAWAY! US only

What happens when you can't do the one thing that matters most? Twelve-year-old Hope Toriella lives in White Rock, a town of inventors struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb's Breath—the deadly band of compressed air that covers the crater left by the bombs—than fail at yet another invention. 
When bandits discover that White Rock has priceless antibiotics, they invade. With a two-day deadline to finish making this year's batch and no ingredients to make more, the town is left to choose whether to hand over the medicine and die from the disease that's run rampant since the bombs, or die fighting the bandits now. Help lies in a neighboring town, but the bandits count everyone fourteen and older each hour. 
Hope and her friends—Aaron and Brock—might be the only ones who can escape to make the dangerous trek through the Bomb's Breath and over the snow-covered mountain. Inventing won't help her make it through alive, but with Aaron and Brock's help, the daring and recklessness that usually gets her into trouble might just save them all.

Want to win a copy of SKY JUMPERS? Scroll allll the way down and find out what you can do to enter! (US ONLY)

Hardcover, 288 pages

Expected publication: September 24th 2013 by Random House Children's Books

First line:
" You would think I'd never jumped off a cliff before, based on how long I stood there."

Good pacing, interesting characters and loads of adventure will keep any reader engrossed in SKY JUMPERS. Hope lives in a town of were inventions are not only a talent that most everyone possess but making inventions is also a life-saving product. 
After WWIII and the "green bombs" have destroyed the world, the people in White Rock feel safe under a deadly cloud named Bomb's Breath. Anyone who breathes in the noxious fumes will die. But Hope and her friends have found they can jump through the cloud, and while holding their breath, float through to the mountain side.
But as with any secure feeling, the peace is soon disrupted when bandits come to town. It's up to Hope and her friends to save the day by going over the treacherous mountains and bringing back White Rock's garrison. 
I really liked Hope and her hero's journey, both literal and figurative. Hope doesn't fit in with her town because she is not an inventor. And yet, she has other strengths that will help her in her journey. And that's the truth with all of us isn't? We all have unique strengths. Our weaknesses can become strengths as well.
Peggy does a great job with word building, characterization, pacing and dialogue. This is a book I'd recommend to middle grade readers and up. It would make a great read aloud book for families as well. 

Peggy did an interview on my blog here if you want to hop over there and read all about her and her favorite snack.

Rating: PG
V: Bandits, a couple of people get shot
L: No
S: No

Liked:
The cover
Hope
Her friends
The Bomb's Breath
Hope's journey

Disliked:
Trilogy (though I would definitely read the rest of the series!)


Thanks netgalley!

5 STARS

Peggy Eddleman is the author of the middle grade post-apocalyptic adventure SKY JUMPERS, to be published by Random House in Fall 2013. She lives at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains with her three hilarious and fun kids (two sons and a daughter), and her incredibly supportive husband. Besides writing, Peggy enjoys playing laser tag with her family, doing cartwheels in long hallways, trying new restaurants, and occasionally painting murals on walls.




You still with me? Leave me a comment on your favorite middle grade book OR go to goodreads and add SKY JUMPERS to your list OR give a big shout out to Peggy! (You can do all three but I'm only giving one entry per person).  

I'll draw a winner using random.com and post on the 18th.

Here is the schedule of the blog tour:

 Sky Jumpers – Blog Tour

September 11th: Taffy’s Candy
September 12th: Smack Dab in the Middle
September 13th: Once Upon a Story
September 14th: Inky Elbows
September 15th: Society of Young Inklings
September 16th: Me, My Shelf & I
September 17th: Kayla’s Reads and Reviews
September 18th: The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
September 19th: Kid Lit Frenzy
September 19th: Word Spelunking
September 21st: The Mod Podge Bookshelf
September 22nd: The Write Soil
September 23rd: The Hiding Spot
September 23rd: Literary Rambles
September 23rd: Nerdy Book Club
September 24th: OneFourKidLit