The Jump

Gr 9 Up–Readers meet the Team Jericho squad, also known as the scavenger hunting dream team of Seattle. With Jax as the cryptologist, Yaz as the parkour expert, Spider as the technology wiz, and Han as the resident history and map expert, Team Jericho has earned a reputation as the team to beat. But when a new oil refinery threatens their community, the team must win the next scavenger hunt sponsored by “The Order.” This anti-establishment group promises influence and power to the group who can solve its scavenger hunt, and Team Jericho sees this as the answer to their problem. Solve the puzzles and take down the refinery. However, “The Order’’ is not what it seems, and the team is on the brink of losing what has made them so exceptional. Do they walk away and risk the existence of the community they love, or do they continue the game and watch their team fall apart to gain power and influence? Morris’s work of fiction is set in modern-day Seattle. Told from the perspectives of the four main characters, the story explores themes of community and change. Readers experience the struggle between the main characters who desperately want to be the agents of change, and their families who want to keep them safe. The chapters are short and fast-paced, which is a perfect combination for reluctant readers. There is some language as well as some mature themes.