Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel Date of Publication: 2005 ISBN: 9780002006996 Number of Pages: 340

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: High Intermediate: Average
GENRES: Fantasy/Adventure
THEMES : Good versus Evil - Sacrifice and Redemption - Family

SUMMARY:
Matt Cruse is back for his second adventure in this award-winning sequel to Airborn. While on a training duty, Matt encounters the legendary, long-missing airship Hyperion. Since Hyperion has long been a source of rumours of riches and mystery, Matt’s temporary captain sets out to scavenge it – only to meet with disaster and peril that Matt alone can avert.

Matt suddenly finds himself a source of interest to fortune-hunters and adventure-seekers as he is the only person who can perhaps recall the coordinates and find the Hyperion once again. Despite his better judgement, he agrees to accompany Kate on a salvaging mission, traveling on the Sagarmatha, a new ship designed to go above safe elevations and “break the sky.” Unfortunately, danger is never far away when Matt and Kate are together, and soon they find not only treasure and excitement, but enemies, romance, mysterious creatures, and – perhaps – their future…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- loved Airborn
- likes Kenneth Oppel's writing
- loves non-stop action and danger
- longs for adventure and the days of treasure-seeking
- likes teeny-bopper love triangles mixed into their adventures
- is into science and undiscovered creatures
- is into Mount Everest and/or the Nepalese culture
- is into Airships and Howard Hughes-like characters
- liked the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

WHAT ELSE?
Skybreaker has been nominated for a number of awards, and has won the 2006 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and the 2006 Red Maple Award], among many others.

RELATED LINKS:
It has its own website, www.skybreaker.ca and a teaching guide that closely follows the Ontario Curricula. You can also find information about Skybreaker on Ken Oppel's website, www.kennethoppel.ca .