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TimeJumpers #1
Jumpman Rule One: Don't Touch Anything
A time-travel tale with a twist. The first in an engaging new trilogy. Theodore Pine Four has hair that constantly changes colour, a coat that talks to him and a defective Jumpman Pro! 3198 years in the future Theo has won a competition to be the first to visit an exciting new JumpSite. But when he finds himself in the 21st century (or Mil 3 as it's known to Theo) he realises something has gone dreadfully wrong. Jules and Genevieve are equally shocked when he suddenly appears in Gen's room but agree to hide him so that the future is altered as little as possible by his presence. Jumpman is the hilarious account of Theo's time in Mil 3 (which he is VERY unimpressed by) and of Jules and Gen's heroic efforts to rescue him and return him to his own time. A fast-paced, and highly entertaining read that's bang-up to date and then some-
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
James Valentine
73 books5 followersJames Valentine is a broadcaster for ABC radio in Sydney, Australia. The JumpMan books are his first for children. He has also written for Rolling Stone, Vogue, and the Sydney Morning Herald and is a musician who recorded two number-one hits and a number of platinum albums with the Models. James lives with his wife, Joanne, and two children, Ruby and Roy, just outside Sydney.
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 5, 2009
This book is very predictible which is why i dont like it.
Not very exiting.
Reccomended for people who dont like much suspence.
Not very exiting.
Reccomended for people who dont like much suspence.
April 5, 2009
sometimes confusing with all the time stuff tho...
October 18, 2017
"Jumpman, Rule 1 don't touch anything" by James Valentine is very creative and funny. I really like the style of the book because it's really simple yet complicated at the same time. One of the main characters, Jules, he is not confident at first so the character development at the end really wasn't expected. Jules was my favorite character because he's very funny, he is brave when his life is in danger, and he admits when he is excluded and not needed. Gen , who is another character in the novel, is very outgoing and when she has something to say she says it without hesitation , I didn't like her as much compared to everyone else but she was decent. I really like some of the elements of the story. Especially the irony, it started happening at the beginning and I was laughing at how nothing was going his way even though he tried so hard. The book was confusing at first because I haven't really read anything similar to this, but when they started giving more detail and explanations a few pages later I understood. This book is definitely one of my favorites and I'm currently reading the sequel. I hope the second book is as great as the first.
January 29, 2017
It's cheesy, it's lame, it's predictable, but the characters are so enjoyable. It doesn't do anything new, it rehashes all of the themes that have been done a million times before, but it does it in a way that's so delightfully cheesy that I really couldn't help but smile. Not a must read but definitely a worthwhile read.
May 28, 2018
A fun romp through time, the many anywhens brought to Jules and Gen by Theo Pine Four, a timejumper from billions of years in the future. Valentine handles the tricky time thing with humor and a bit of philosophy. Fun to think about and a pleasant enough jaunt through time.
July 10, 2022
Read this 20 years ago when it first came out so decided it was time for a reread! Some of it is dated of course but still witty and lots of fun.
September 27, 2016
The main characters of the book are Jules, Theodore, and Gen. The novel is about a certain time traveler that has jumped to Mil3 and is visible to everyone one that's around him which isn't supposed to be happening. So she/he tries to jump back home and they can't so they need help from their newly made friends in order to jump back. I gave the book a 4 star rating (clearly). This is mainly because I was watching TV after every chapter I read because the book was so confusing at times. Time travel is a complicated thing to think about whether it exist yet or not. People that will like this book are people that enjoy complexity and science. Boys and Girls.
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October 21, 2013Jules fights with his brain. Well, he's always talking to his brain, probably too much, but sometimes, yeah, the duke it out. Like now - while he's standing outside Gen's door, his dad downstairs with her parents getting ready for a barbeque dinner. After two years, he came to dinner again like old times, before he moved away with his mom. Now it was Dad's turn to have him for a bit, and well, Gen was not the girl he remembered...not the friend he remembered. She made him, well, a bit crazy. So there he is, hand poised to knock, and he thinks:
I can't. He pulls his hand back. (reading from page 11 mid)
Chicken, his brain said. Chickenchickenchicken...
Thanks for your support brain, said Jules to his brain. As soon as they invent brain transplants I'm becoming a donor.
Oooooh, I'm scared! said his brain.
and suddenly, Jules is in. In Gen's bedroom - and she's acting friendly and like the old days and everything's going to be fine, he knows it is, but he still has to ask her out...it's kind of a dare...and he really really wants to anyway. So he fights with his brain for a while longer and talks with Gen, then finally - FINALLY - pops the question and asks her to go to the movies and BLAM. or rather, fizz. Definitely fizz...as in fizzled out - because Gen? Gen hadn't even heard him. She was staring at the guy in the middle of the room - a guy with hair that danced in color on his head, with writing running up and down his jacket. He hadn't been there a second ago, but now there he was, mumbling to himself.
Wurk, hate mil 3. Hang on. Is that a TV in the corner? Woosh, I could find out what's on! mumble...mumble..Frankly I'd rather sit througha meeting of the Committee for the invention of o the Wheel than hang around with this pair! What is wrong with them? Their eyes keep follow me around the room just like those creepy portraits on the Rembrandt jump."
Gen and Jules watch him matter and mumble and ramble around, until he finally stops talking and really looks at Gen and Jules, instead of just talking about their bad clothes, and how horrible Mil 3 is.
"Oh my DNA," he whispered, "I'm present!"
I can't. He pulls his hand back. (reading from page 11 mid)
Chicken, his brain said. Chickenchickenchicken...
Thanks for your support brain, said Jules to his brain. As soon as they invent brain transplants I'm becoming a donor.
Oooooh, I'm scared! said his brain.
and suddenly, Jules is in. In Gen's bedroom - and she's acting friendly and like the old days and everything's going to be fine, he knows it is, but he still has to ask her out...it's kind of a dare...and he really really wants to anyway. So he fights with his brain for a while longer and talks with Gen, then finally - FINALLY - pops the question and asks her to go to the movies and BLAM. or rather, fizz. Definitely fizz...as in fizzled out - because Gen? Gen hadn't even heard him. She was staring at the guy in the middle of the room - a guy with hair that danced in color on his head, with writing running up and down his jacket. He hadn't been there a second ago, but now there he was, mumbling to himself.
Wurk, hate mil 3. Hang on. Is that a TV in the corner? Woosh, I could find out what's on! mumble...mumble..Frankly I'd rather sit througha meeting of the Committee for the invention of o the Wheel than hang around with this pair! What is wrong with them? Their eyes keep follow me around the room just like those creepy portraits on the Rembrandt jump."
Gen and Jules watch him matter and mumble and ramble around, until he finally stops talking and really looks at Gen and Jules, instead of just talking about their bad clothes, and how horrible Mil 3 is.
"Oh my DNA," he whispered, "I'm present!"
May 11, 2008
Reviewed by Jeremey for TeensReadToo.com
In the early Fifteenth Billenium, everyone has the ability to "jump" to any time in history they please, but with one rule: don't touch anything.
When Theodore Pine Four wins a worldwide contest, he is thrilled! He is the first person ever to try the new JumpMan and jump to the winners' secret location. When Theodore jumps with the new JumpMan, he leaves the Fifteenth Billenium...and never returns!
Over to do his homework with his crush, Gen, Jules Santorini is very nervous. He is going to ask Gen out on a date. Just as he is ready and summons enough courage, another boy appears in the bedroom! This boy has multicolored hair, wears weird clothes, and has strange items along with him such as a silver sphere and a red remote.
When TimeJumpers jump they usually appear invisible to the people at that time. This time, however, Theodore goes to Mil 3 (aka The Present), a place where he is not invisible. He has jumped into Gen's bedroom right when Jules has decided to ask the question.
Theodore's JumpMan is malfunctioning and cannot return him to his own time. After convincing Jules and Gen he is from the future and can jump through time, they begin an adventure. The three travel through time from when the first word was spoken up until the present.
No one knows how to fix the JumpMan and no one is looking for Theodore in the future. Not being invisible while in a different time is against the first rule. Will time slowly unravel?
I enjoyed reading the authors, "Before we Begin..." which was in the front of the book. James Valentine brings up many good points about time and how it functions. It made me think about what would happen if I did a certain thing and the consequences. This was a good book, and others who read it will want to get the second one in the series, THE PRESENT NEVER HAPPENS.
In the early Fifteenth Billenium, everyone has the ability to "jump" to any time in history they please, but with one rule: don't touch anything.
When Theodore Pine Four wins a worldwide contest, he is thrilled! He is the first person ever to try the new JumpMan and jump to the winners' secret location. When Theodore jumps with the new JumpMan, he leaves the Fifteenth Billenium...and never returns!
Over to do his homework with his crush, Gen, Jules Santorini is very nervous. He is going to ask Gen out on a date. Just as he is ready and summons enough courage, another boy appears in the bedroom! This boy has multicolored hair, wears weird clothes, and has strange items along with him such as a silver sphere and a red remote.
When TimeJumpers jump they usually appear invisible to the people at that time. This time, however, Theodore goes to Mil 3 (aka The Present), a place where he is not invisible. He has jumped into Gen's bedroom right when Jules has decided to ask the question.
Theodore's JumpMan is malfunctioning and cannot return him to his own time. After convincing Jules and Gen he is from the future and can jump through time, they begin an adventure. The three travel through time from when the first word was spoken up until the present.
No one knows how to fix the JumpMan and no one is looking for Theodore in the future. Not being invisible while in a different time is against the first rule. Will time slowly unravel?
I enjoyed reading the authors, "Before we Begin..." which was in the front of the book. James Valentine brings up many good points about time and how it functions. It made me think about what would happen if I did a certain thing and the consequences. This was a good book, and others who read it will want to get the second one in the series, THE PRESENT NEVER HAPPENS.
January 24, 2013
Just when Jules finally gets up his nerve to ask Gen on a date, Theo pops in to their live. He literally pops into Gen's room out of nowhere. He's a time-jumper from the future and is mistakenly sent to Mil 3, which is our present day. Apparently in the future, time-travel is common place, but the jumpers are invisible to the people of the current time. Only, something has malfunctioned in Theo's jump and he's visible. Jules and Gen work with Theo to try and return him to his own time.
Okay, not a bad start to a trilogy. I really found the description of the jumps and life in the future fascinating. The story is fairly predictable, but it's still fun to read. Of course, you have the evil person from the future who wants to keep something about the time jumper machine a secret. No one knows much about this yet, so we're left with a cliff-hanger and a tease of the next novel. Of course, I want to get the next one to find out what happens. C+ rating.
Okay, not a bad start to a trilogy. I really found the description of the jumps and life in the future fascinating. The story is fairly predictable, but it's still fun to read. Of course, you have the evil person from the future who wants to keep something about the time jumper machine a secret. No one knows much about this yet, so we're left with a cliff-hanger and a tease of the next novel. Of course, I want to get the next one to find out what happens. C+ rating.
June 3, 2015
The book opens in a suburban town where a boy named Jules is trying to ask out a girl named Gen. He has dinner at her house because they are old family friends, and afterward they do homework in Gen's room. All is well until a strange boy appears out of the air, and lands in the bedroom. He looked as if he was from the future, and he leaves Gen and Jules speechless. In Jumpman by James Valentine, there are interesting characters, greatly illustrated views on time travel, and a beginning that is definitely hard to get into. This is a definite read for fans of time travel! Though it is hard to get into, once the author strikes the core of the story it is smooth reading all the way. With believable characters, and an interesting plot, it is definitely worth picking up and reading!
December 30, 2011
A weird boy suddenly appeared in Jules and Gen's room. Turns out he is from the future and he time traveled here. But the time jumper malfunctions and Theodore, the kid from the future is stuck on earth. He gets really sick and Jules and Gen had to travel to all sorts of places to get the jumpman fixed. After, they finally fix it and Theodore goes back to the future.
I picked this book up because I read the back and I thought that it would be cool if someone came from the future and lived on earth.
I finished this book because it was really interesting and I like things about the future.
I think my friend George would like to read this book because it's really futuristic and kind of funny.
I picked this book up because I read the back and I thought that it would be cool if someone came from the future and lived on earth.
I finished this book because it was really interesting and I like things about the future.
I think my friend George would like to read this book because it's really futuristic and kind of funny.
August 19, 2016
I really did enjoy this book. I really like books about the future - as the author can just sp0ill out all their ideas into the book as we dont know what the future will be - just like this author did. The clever invention to travel in time
I have to say though there wasnt any real danger in the book - there was nothing to keep you latched on to see what happened next - no-one was ever ina ny real danger. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age, but I would say 11-14 is the best audience.
I have to say though there wasnt any real danger in the book - there was nothing to keep you latched on to see what happened next - no-one was ever ina ny real danger. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age, but I would say 11-14 is the best audience.
May 31, 2012
I thought this book had a really fun concept and I would like to see more done with it. Much of the book is spent with characters talking in the bedroom and i would have liked to see more of Theo from the future interacting with the present earth and them getting into adventures across time. I think because it's a trilogy he might do more in the next books. The foundation for time jumping was layed very well. I also think Theo seems very fun and futuristic with his personality, hair, and computer coat which is something I would like to see in my life time.
August 19, 2011
i'll just have to rate it 2 of 5. The plot is quite disturbing and uncanny. It would be better to read the whole series in order to fully understand the story. Though some may find it interesting (the fictional way) and has funny spots but well, every reader has different expectations. I thought the book will showcase the plot but i was wrong. Somehow, solid characters like Theo are quite intriguing. I recommend to read first book 1 of time jumpers. :D
February 7, 2010
Really fun read. What I both liked (and didn't) was the time that Theo jumped to was never explained in out terms. The book also seemed to be a cautionary tale (environmental problems can cause horrible things in the future).
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July 13, 2009Great plot, great premise, quirky characters, and TIME TRAVEL! This book is not to be missed!
January 2, 2013
12/15: 20 min
12/16: 60 min
12/17: 40 min
12/19: 90 min
12/16: 60 min
12/17: 40 min
12/19: 90 min
November 8, 2015
My personal favorite as a kid
October 25, 2016
it's pretty good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2021
I love this series, it’s a great time travel adventure. Tough to find all 3 as it got rebranded after the first 2 books were released but well worth the effort to find.
June 7, 2013
standard ya time travel fare
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews