Sky Jumpers Blog Tour {Review, Author interview, Giveaway}

I'm so excited to have the Sky Jumpers Blog Tour stopping by today! You can read my review (spoiler alert- I loved it!), check out my fun interview with Peggy Eddleman, and enter to win a copy...

Sky Jumpers

(Sky Jumpers #1)

by Peggy Eddleman

9/24/13

Random House Kids

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What happens when you can’t do the one thing that matters most?

12-year-old Hope lives in White Rock, a town struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. The bombs destroyed almost everything that came before, so the skill that matters most in White Rock—sometimes it feels like the only thing that matters—is the ability to invent so that the world can regain some of what it’s lost.

But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb’s Breath—the deadly band of air that covers the crater the town lives in—than fail at yet another invention.

When bandits discover that White Rock has invented priceless antibiotics, they invade. The town must choose whether to hand over the medicine and die from disease in the coming months or to die fighting the bandits now. Hope and her friends, Aaren and Brock, might be the only ones who can escape through the Bomb’s Breath and make the dangerous trek over the snow-covered mountain to get help.

For once, inventing isn’t the answer, but the daring and risk-taking that usually gets Hope into trouble might just save them all.

I received a review copy from the pub in exchange for my honest review

Peggy Eddleman’s Sky Jumpers is a super captivating middle-grade read with exciting and refreshing post-apoc elements and breathless thrills. Twelve year old Hope lives in White Rock, a town located in a 10 mile wide crater, in a post WW III world. The green bombs of WW III left the world devastated and destroyed most of the technology, so the citizens of White Rock value inventing above all else. But Hope rather go sky jumping off the crater’s cliffs and into the deadly Bomb’s Breath- the deadly layer of air left behind by the bombs that one must hold their breath through. But when bandits invade, looking for White Rock’s life saving antibiotics, Hope and her sky jumping friends may be the town’s only hope.

Sky Jumpers is such a fun, entertaining read and I loved every minute of it! Peggy Eddleman has woven a smartly crafted post-apoc story for a MG audience with superb storytelling, wonderful word-building, and charming characters. This book has all the well thought-out and logical post-apoc world-building elements and the intensity; urgency; and unpredictability I love in great YA post-apocs, but crafted in ways that are appropriate for and easily understood by a MG audience. In fact, Sky Jumpers is the perfect book to introduce younger readers to the post-apoc genre! Eddleman explores both her post-apoc world’s history and its current state in-depth, but not in a way that will overwhelm readers. The WW III green bombs and their devastating effects make complete logical sense, and create a setting with such exciting possibilities and potential. Like me, younger readers will be fascinated by White Rock and its intriguing mix of 19^th-21^st century technology and way of life.

Sky Jumpers’ heroine, Hope, is a fun mix of feisty, clever, brave, and vulnerable. She’s such a relatable and lovable character, and I loved seeing this world through her eyes. Younger readers will easily connect with Hope and have no problems rooting for her. Hope’s friends and adventure companions, Aaren; Brock, and little Brenna, are just as lovable and well-developed as Hope, and I loved the genuine friendship among this quirky group.

Sky Jumpers is filled to the brim with thrills and excitement! Like me, young readers will love soaring into the deadly Bomb’s Breath, careening down a snow covered mountain, racing across the desolate terrain, and going up against a group of lawless bandits to save White Rock, with Hope and her motley crew.

The end is totally satisfying, but leaves plenty of room for future adventures, and I cannot wait for more!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I had such a fantastic time reading this book! Endlessly enthralling and never boring, Sky Jumpers, will have readers breathlessly turning pages until the very end. As a new author, Peggy Eddleman has certainly made a sparkling debut and gained a fan in me. A definite MUST read, especially for middle-grade readers.

MY RATING

Q1. What three words best describe Sky Jumpers? 

PE: Adventure, Risks, Family

Q2. Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) to give Sky Jumpers a try?  

PE: Three kids find a way to escape from the bandits holding their town hostage and go on a daring adventure through the deadly Bomb's Breath to save everyone.

Q3. Grab a copy of Sky Jumpers and answer the following:

Favorite chapter?  

PE: Twelve (because something bad happens that makes me cry every single time I read it).

Favorite page? 

PE: 112 (because something bad happens that makes me cry every single time I read it).

Favorite character? 

PE: I'm guessing my main character isn't an option? Then my favorite is five year old Brenna (not because something bad happens, and not because she makes me cry ;)).

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser: 

"The Bomb's Breath slowed my fall as I sank to the middle of the band of pressurized air. I stretched my arms and legs out and imagined I was held in midair by invisible hands as I slowly drifted downward, feeling utterly and completely free."

Q4. What inspired Sky Jumpers? Was the story influenced by any specific books, movies, or events?

PE: I've always been a huge fan of post-apocalyptic movies and television shows. That concept of the few remaining people having to start over in nearly every facet of life is fascinating! Especially because unlike when society first progressed to this point, starting over means that they know what they're living without. I also love that it makes people have to step up to heights so much greater than they'd ever had to--- or even been given the opportunity to--- when there are less people. That there no longer is someone else who can do the job just as well, or possibly even better, than you can.

Q5. The art of inventing plays an important role in Sky Jumpers...what newfangled thing would you love to invent or wish would be invented?

PE: Something I would like to invent? A stand that will hold your book/tablet above you while you're lying down in bed. Something I'd like someone else to invent? Hands down, a teleporter.  And for them to be prevalent enough that they'd be in every home. Want to visit a different country? No problem! Going to be late to something if you're not there right now? No problem! Need a day at the beach? No problem! You can change in your own room, teleport yourself to the beach, hang out, then teleport your sandy self straight to your shower.

Q6. Sky Jumpers is set in a post-apocalyptic world...what already imagined post-apocalyptic world, from any book, movie, or tv show, do you find the most fascinating or scariest?

PE: Scariest: pretty much any dystopian society. I've always been fiercely independent, and the thoughts of a uberly controlling government trying to restrict what I do, what I say, how I think-- that freaks me out. Most fascinating: One I loved was the television show Jericho. I loved it because it seemed so real. I could imagine the apocalyptic event actually happening, and it wasn't hard to believe that was how the remaining people would act / react.

Q7. Close your eyes, imagine your dream library, and answer the following:

My dream library is located___ 

PE: In the middle of lush gardens.

The first thing you notice about my dream library is___ 

PE: That all the outside walls are made of glass.

Outside my dream library's window I see___ 

PE: A giant covered patio with lots and lots of plush,  comfy chairs, leading out into garden paths with benches and more comfy chairs and places to sprawl out on the grass. And desks nestled in alcoves with ponds and fountains nearby.

The most unique/special thing about my dream library is ___ 

PE: The cafe. Because seriously, you wouldn't want to leave just because of a little thing like hunger.

My dream library is called___ 

PE: My New Office. At least that's what I call it...

Q8. If you could “borrow” any character from any book/movie/tv show to write about, who would you pick and what would you do with them?

PE: I'm going to go with Kim Possible, because I think that was one of the single greatest cartoons ever made. I'm a huge fan of capable, proactive heroines, and parents that are good at being parents. I would love if she and my main character, Hope, could go save the world together. Especially because Kim has all those gadgets, and Hope comes from a time when technology was wiped out, so it could make for some hilarious interactions (as well as some new and creative uses of all those gadgets)!

Q9. Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at___ 

PE: Making lists--- sometimes several a day. I'm decidedly less awesome at finishing said lists by the end of the day.

I'm really embarrassed to admit that ___ 

PE: Pictures of spiders freak me out a lot. Enough that I can't bring myself to touch the picture. And if I touch it accidentally, like, say, because it's on the back of a book and I didn't realize it, I'll scream and then have to wipe my fingers on my pants enough times to wipe away the willies. *shudders* My brain yells the entire time how illogical this is, but gehhhuurgh. The rest of me doesn't care how illogical it is--- spider pictures are usually HUGE.

My first literary crush (author or character) was ___. 

PE: Maybe my "embarrassed to admit" answer should be that I don't remember my first literary crush.... I remember my first character crush, though. It was Superman, played by Christopher Reeve. In third grade, my teacher would let us spread out across the room and read the classroom magazines 2 or 3 times a year. I'd always choose the one with an incredibly good-looking head shot of Superman. And when no one was looking, I'd lean close to the page and kiss him. Hmm.... Maybe this entire answer should've been filed under the "embarrassed to admit" question. :)

The last great book I read was ___.

PE: YA-- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, by April Tucholke. The atmosphere in this book was incredible!!

MG--  The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson. It was so much fun to read!

Q10. If you were to bake a cupcake inspired by Sky Jumpers what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

PE: I would make two, because cupcakes look better when there's more than one kind to choose from, right?

The first is called Sky Jump Into My Mouth. It is made of angel food cake (because of it's airiness, and for how it could cushion your fall), and has a whipped blue frosting (representing the sky), and tastes like sunshine (let's just pretend there's an extract for that... :))

The second is called "Plant"tastic, and resembles the Ameiphus plant in Sky Jumpers that is actually the source of the greatest conflict. It's made of a rich, moist chocolate cake (the soil), and has creamy green frosting (the plant leaves), topped with coconut (the white spots on the plant that make it so valuable). The best part? Eating this deliciousness will actually cure you of whatever ails you.

Peggy Eddleman

website / goodreads / twitter / facebook

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.

Win a finished copy of Sky Jumpers!

Random House Kids has generously offered one finished copy for one winner.

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-will end 9/30

-must be 13+, one main/free entry per person

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

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CHECK OUT ALL THE STOPS ON THIS BLOG TOUR:

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