Looking for a YA book with about a citywide scavenger hunt? This one rocks:
Scavenger Hunt - like I said, it’s a scavenger that is execute weekly in a forum, and it’s full of puzzles and different locations. Sometimes there is also a small prize
Teams - Teams race to figure out the clues, with members specializing in abilities like code breaking, athleticism, and knowing how to get around Seattle.
Evil Company - but there is an evil company threatening to put up an oil refinery in the city, and this threatens to upend the lives of our protagonist team - JERICHO
Price - A new hunt is on by  a secret order, and the prize promises one of power. So the team sees hope to take down what is threatening them

As you know, I love books about puzzles and games, so this one was very appealing to me. Also very cool was the author making sure that many different races and abilities were highlighted in this book. It was awesome to see that kind of representation because it showed how people of any background and ability could compete. There was even a non-verbal character, who was one of my favorites. Also the ending had a few lingering questions so I kind of hope this book is going to be part of a series.

✨ Review ✨ The Jump by Brittney Morris

Four Seattle teens, Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han, make up Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Jax is the expert puzzle solver; Yas, is a parkour master; Spider is their hacker; and Han is their cartographer. The book is set amidst an oil refinery being built where they live -- threatening displacement of homes and businesses, gentrification, and the loss of an important community garden.

When a new challenge pops up with the promise of power to the winner, Team Jericho and other scavenger hunting teams take on this dangerous challenge with hopes of protecting their homes and families. 

This book is super fast-paced and the audiobook does a great job at keeping the pace moving. Read by four narrators, the book shifts between the perspectives of these four teens, making it super engaging to listen to. I loved this book and how it tackled more serious issues of race, class, and gender, as well as displacement and gentrification, corporate greed, and ethics.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA
Location: Seattle
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ puzzles and adventures
⭕️ fast-paced YA books
⭕️ race/class/gender exploration

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, LibroFM and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

So I felt slightly out of my element in this book because I really don’t know much about scavenger hunts and crypto, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it. All characters in this book are all individuals but they work together on team Jericho solving puzzles and racing towards prizes. When they get the chance to possibly compete for a prize that would allow them to change the lives of so many, they become so engrossed with the game that they almost lose their friendships and their freedom. This book touches on lots of important issues that we face in America today such as racism, gentrification, the treatment of indigenous peoples and lands, and large corporations pushing out small businesses that have long subordinate hoods. This was a enjoyable read about topics that many of my students will relate to.

**4.5 rounded up**

“The Jump” follows Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han, four teens who make up Team Jericho, the best scavenger-hunting team in Seattle. With an oil refinery being built in the heart of their home, and their families livelihoods being put in jeopardy, how far will they go to stop it? The Order, a vigilante organization, has created the ultimate scavenger hunt - win the prize and with it power and influence. But they’re not the only ones in desperate need to win the hunt, and there may be more at stake than they even realized.

I really enjoyed this! Reminiscent of Slay, this was very fast-paced and it was tough for me to put it down once I got into it (I think I put it down one time). The story is written from the perspective of all four main characters, and it allowed the audience a chance to get into their heads and understand each character’s motives. It was important to get each character’s perspectives on certain events, especially as things heated up and started to get more intense.

There was also great LGBTQ+ rep from the characters! And Brittney provides very important social commentary on multiple topics in this book, that I won’t go too deep into for fear of spoilers. Overall, this was an enjoyable book from start to finish and I would definitely recommend it if you’re trying to get out of a reading slump! Sometimes a fast-paced scavenger hunt is just what you need!

Representation is the heart of this text. The coding and parkouring and gaming and fighting the authorities… all of those seem to play second fiddle to the act of creating this world where these characters can exist and be seen. Some of the gamification was lost on me, but I think it will appeal to pockets of students. I do think it’s YA & not MG—for whatever my opinion is worth!

Thoughts

This book is fun. I loved the diverse friend group all coming together under a common cause--one of my favorite heist-thriller-style tropes. I just wish the puzzles here had been better. The puzzles should be the meat here, and they really aren't. Which is disappointing. 

Pros
Ultimatum: You know what I liked about this book right off the bat? It's got a very Goonies feel to it. These kids might not live in a small town, but they're facing the same sort of oppressive force as that iconic kid gang is: a company that wants to move in and take away their lives as they know it. They might all be different, but they all have something to lose (and something to gain) from playing this game, solving this puzzle. And I like that uniting force behind it all. 

Ragtag Team: I also really enjoyed the diversity in their group, not just in racial and ethnic identity but also in skillset. They've got a parkour expert and a puzzler, a master of maps and a hacker. Of course they do: they're a master cryptology team, after all. They're an incredibly diverse bunch in other ways as well, but not in a way that feels forced. They represent Seattle well, and it makes sense for this talented kids to come together with one united goal. It makes sense that they'd all be friends. 

Fun: Ultimately, what makes this book good? It's just a lot of fun. It definitely feels like its on the younger side of the YA spectrum, which isn't a problem at all. There need to be crossover books for those kids who love The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Westing Game but want a little something more. And that's what this is: puzzle-heavy, friendship-centered sticking it to the man. 


Cons
Nebulous Prize: These kids are all working toward a prize, and so that prize had better be good. But the prize here is pretty intangible to stake so much on it. The prize is "power." No further explanation given. Hey, maybe all the kids in Team Jericho would jump to the same conclusion. They're all friends. They're all on the same wavelength. That might make sense, them thinking alike. But when their competitor team also thinks, pretty immediately, that "power" means the same thing, it just doesn't feel right. This isn't a tangible prize. It could mean a whole lot of things, and I just don't think it gives enough of a stake to the story. It feels too big, too nebulous. 

Internal Conflict: For such a strong and established friend group--they are already the respected Team Jericho at the beginning of the book, after all--it just felt off to me to have them immediately at each other's throats for no big reason. There's so much potential here for friend chemistry but ultimately none that comes through, and over all, I was just left wanting more from Team Jericho. 

No Rising Tension: A thriller needs tension. A thriller with puzzles at the center needs escalating challenged (and escalating consequences). The tension should only ever be rising until the end, but... Here, I didn't really feel much tension at all. Which makes the story feel a little flat. And that was very disappointing. 


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Fans of Jeanne Ryan's Nerve will like this new urban competition. Those who enjoyed Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's Ace of Spades will enjoy this new thriller with just the right touch of conspiracy.

“Don’t think. Just make the jump.”

The Jump follows a group of teenagers attempting to solve a digital scavenger hunt for the to earn power and join an elite vigilante group known as the Order. But they may find out their in over their heads and things are not as they seem as they work against a rival team and the outside forces working against them.

This book was decent. I enjoyed reading it but it wasn’t something I loved. I found it to be really repetitive at times and some of the character motivations were a little fuzzy. What I did love was the diverse cast of characters in this book. I especially loved reading from Han’s point of view because he’s non-verbal and it was great to see that representation. I also liked that it painted a very realistic picture of racism and corrupt corporations that are gentrifying areas populated by minorities. It tried to touch on many serious topics, but the stakes never felt that high to me. Overall, it was entertaining to read and I really enjoyed the diversity!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book!

This was quite an adventure as we see a group of four try to tackle the Order, a vigilante group, that challenges them. The four kids know if they win the challenge they can change the future for their families. They are told the “prize is power.” The group wonder if they are being threatened. Is the vigilante group promoting civil unrest? As clues are stolen and kids arrested and jailed, they wonder if they are being set up and should pull out. What ends up happening?

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.