From children's lit to autobiographies

Sky Jumpers may be Peggy Eddleman's debut novel but I certainly hope it isn't her last (especially with these characters and this world). It has been entirely too long since I read children's fiction and probably even longer than that since I really lost myself in it. The world that she created and the characters that inhabited it were so engrossing that I ripped my way through the book in no time at all. Sky Jumpers is an adventure set in the future when we've gone back to our agrarian roots and it is impossible to reach the level of industrialization we once took for granted. Fraught with danger and uncertainty, the world is a completely different place than the one we know. I wouldn't characterize this as a dystopian novel by any means. The world is far from horrendous and the characters are (for the most part) happy and living in harmony. Nothing is perfect, however, and that's where the excitement of the narrative comes into play. This would be an ideal book for children in late elementary and early middle school grades (or adults who enjoy children's literature).

I like to keep you guys are on your toes so my next book is by one of my scientific heroes, Stephen Hawking. My Brief History is exactly what the title implies. It's a short backstory about what shaped the man we know as Stephen Hawking. If you've read anything by Hawking (and remember I attempted to but got distracted) you'll know that he has a keen sense of humor which is already evident in the first chapter of the book. Autobiographies are a sporadic pleasure of mine and reading about scientific figures is most definitely one of my favorites (after historical figures like my bro Abraham Lincoln). I'm fairly sure that this book is going to rejuvenate my excitement for A Brief History of Time...

It's time (hardy har) for my review of All Our Yesterdays

If you're a fan of that particular area of sci-fi that focuses on time travel then you're going to enjoy All Our Yesterdays. It jumps between two narrative voices, Marina and Em, but it isn't a jarring transition which leaves the reader confused. There voices are very distinct but the story remains smooth despite the fact that time is not at all a linear concept in the story (or in reality). I'm having a difficult time describing this one without giving away key information... What would happen if you could go back in time and change things to make the world "better"? Do you think you could handle that level of power without letting it change you? What lengths would you go to in order to stop someone from making those changes if you knew they would make things worse not better? This may be a sci-fi novel written for young adults but the themes of the book aren't created with fluff and rainbows. The world is a dark place and a time machine isn't the solution. To know what I'm talking about (sorry it's so cryptic) you'll have to read this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman is a children's novel about a young girl named Hope that is growing up in a world where green bombs have destroyed pretty much everything. Hope is an anomaly. Her town is full of inventors and she's...not. Because of the green bombs many people have fallen seriously ill but luckily in her small town they have antibiotics. Unfortunately, bandits hear about these antibiotics and they decide to take them for themselves. It's up to Hope and her friend Aaron and Brock (who fall under the 14 year old limit for census counting) to make it to the next town over for help. Will they make it through the Bomb's Breath in time?