Fiction Friday 2015: Chapter 2

Welcome back to another round of Fiction Friday! I am off to a bit of a slow start this summer. I only got through one book again this week, but that's okay. It still feels great to have more reading time than normal and luckily for me, it was a great book!!

This week I read...

Sky Jumpers

by Peggy Eddleman

Set after WWIII, Sky Jumpers follows the story of one brave girl named Hope. She lives in White Rock, a town built in a mountain crater surrounded by Bomb's Breath, a deadly compressed air that kills instantly once it has been breathed in. The town is trying to survive, but the world has changed. All the technology is gone. Metals like steel that were once strong, have been forever changed by the weapons used in the war. The town is struggling to rebuild itself, repopulate the earth, and recreate the world as it once was before the war. 

Inventing is the most important skill in White Rock. However, Hope is not an inventor. Every year, her inventions for the Harvest Festival go horribly wrong and she continually stands out as the "outsider" in a community filled with inventors. She would much rather sky jump through the Bomb's Breath. Her impulsive nature and sense of adventure often get her in trouble, but when a group of bandits take over her town during the winter and threaten the safety her family and friends, Hope won't back down. Together with her friends Aaron and Brock, Hope sets out to save her family and her town. This problem can't be solved with an invention. This problem can only be solved through courage and Hope. 

Told through Hope's eyes, the story is fast-paced and action packed. Short chapters help the story move along quickly and I devoured 40-50 pages easily in one sitting. In fact, I was reading at the gym before spin class one day and a friend asked me, "Is it that good or are you just trying to finish the book?" And you know what? It was that good.

I would recommend this book to fans of The Lightning Thief and  Dead City. There is a science-fiction element, but it is mostly an excellent adventure story for grades 4-6.  It will keep kids reading and reaching out to grab the sequel (which comes out in paperback in September.) I am very seriously thinking about reading this aloud to my class next year. I think it would keep them on the edge of their seat and begging me to read just one more chapter which is exactly the way I like it!

Book Information:

• 275 pages
• science fiction/adventure
• 860 lexile
• Grade Level Equivalent - 5.4

Have you already read Sky Jumpers? What did you think?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. I bumped into one of my students last week and she read it this summer and loved it too. So now it comes to you both teacher and student approved.  :)

What else have you been reading and loving?  Share your favorite books in the comments below or link up with your own Fiction Friday post.  Let the celebration of children's literature continue!!

 Happy Reading!

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