Winner of the 2004 Wilbur Award for a fiction book, given by the Religion Communicators Council to “recognize excellence in the communication of religious issues, values, and themes in the secular media,” as stated at http://www.religioncommunicators.org/competitions.html

Field nominated by reviewers for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults, Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers

“Fresh and new and is very readable. Once started . . . a reader finds it difficult to stop.”
—Jean E. Karl, the late editor of books that won the National Book Award and the Newberry Award and who nominated Sky Bounce for the Pushcart Press Editors’ Book Award

“An imaginative, fast-paced tale . . . With themes of friendship, exploration, rebellion, and idealism, it will resonate with youth who have a passion for the possible.”
—Kim Carter, Voice for Youth Advocates, August 2003

“I’m not a fantasy reader, but I still liked it a lot . . . I would recommend this book to anyone at the junior high or high school reading level who likes fantasy or at least fiction.”
—Shane Bell, Teen Reviewer, VOYA

“A wonderful book about friendship and sticking together through hard times . . . I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about mythology.”
—Cindi Majoy, Teen Reviewer, VOYA

“A quick, fun read . . . There are two main characters . . . from two different races, two different religions, and two different worlds. Despite these differences, they come together through love.”
—Kelsey Sands, Teen Reviewer, VOYA

“This book works great on two levels, with one level of superb fantasy storytelling fusing seamlessly into the fun romantic tension that propels the two characters’ behavior . . . I also really loved the powerful spiritual undertones. This book is about more than just two friends living in a world different than our own. It is about prejudice and fear, and how our misconceptions and misunderstandings of people who are different from us can often lead to violence and destruction . . . I loved Sky Bounce, and highly recommend it to anyone of any age who likes good fantasy storytelling.”
—Rev. Marie Jones, “Books for the Spirit,” BookCrazy Radio and www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=1643

“Engages the reader from the start . . . Enlivened with action, spiritual undertones, and the metaphors of growing up . . . Sky Bounce is the story of one girl’s rite of passage and her struggle between conflicting values: duty and love, fear and courage, outside authority and the authority of the heart. In such a world, as in the real world, no action is without cost . . . Highly recommended.”
—Laura Pickford Ramirez, Family Matters! ezine at www.parenting-child-development.com/fantasy-book.html

“A wonderful story of friendship that crosses the limits of ignorance, questions our thinking, and ventures a little romance . . . The book is aimed towards intermediate through young adult readers, ages 10-18 years, but as an adult, I found this book a wonderful escape, with an adventurous appeal that would indeed please any age . . . Children and young adults will love throwing themselves into this story.”
—Elizabeth Batt, http://www.suite101.com/mypage.cfm/reviews/21507

“Although this is a story for young readers, I found it to be very entertaining . . . a delightful tale of fantasy and mystery. It is a well-written story with a mythological essence. The characters are brought to life by the excellent use of visual images. The reader is taken on an enjoyable escape to another place. Yet there are many subtle messages that shine through. The messages of trust, loyalty, love, friendship, and the need to have faith are necessary . . . to hear. I would highly recommend this book for young readers.”
—Kathy Bosworth, http://www.denisemclark.com/YArevdata.html#skybounce

“This is the most enchantingly realistic novel this reviewer has read in a very, very long time! . . . Put this author on the list . . . And lest we limit ourselves by the Young Adult classification of this author’s advertisement, include her on your adult ‘to be read’ list soon!”
—Viviane Crystal, http://www.crystalreviews.com/authors/miller.htm

“ACHUKA is sent quite a number of self-published books, in the understandable hope that we will give them some publicity. This is the first time one has seemed worthy of inclusion amongst our regular Picks from the main publishing houses . . . I ought to have hated Sky Bounce. It is not my type of book at all . . . Instead, I was gripped and moved by Hesper's and Tristan's relationship.”
—Michael Thorn, http://www.achuka.co.uk/ficnow.htm

“Intriguing, heart-warming, and very moving. This fantasy tale strikes the reader straight in the heart . . . Ms. Miller enchants readers with this sweet, romantic, and confidence-building story that young adults will identify with and enjoy . . . For children ages 10 to 18, young adults will find encouragement and support in this tale and parents will enjoy reading it with them.”
—Tracey West, http://www.roadtoromance.ca/reviewskybounce.htm

“A truly unique book . . . Not only is the storyline imaginative and fun, but it has a spiritual message that is greatly needed by the youth of today. The underlying spiritual tones of Sky Bounce tell of an existence greater than can be imagined, greater than what we can see, hear, smell, and feel everyday—the existence of God . . . These lessons are woven into the story so artfully that the strong message of faith comes across as subtle and uncomplicated—which is a perfect approach for a young adult book. Ms. Miller’s writing style is such that this book is an interesting and enjoyable read, her characters are strong and seem very real . . . A masterfully creative tale.”
—Janean Nusz, http://www.wordmuseum.com/fiction-children.htm#sky

“An exploration of other planes of existence and examination of the true essence of each being lends Sky Bounce remarkable philosophical and spiritual depth even as the story is just plain fun! The value placed on each plane’s uniqueness and emphasis on fitting in makes for strong social commentary for the discerning reader. Miller’s embracing of individuality and self-sacrifice makes for deep thinking . . . Sky Bounce comes very highly recommended.”
—Cindy Penn, http://www.wordweaving.com/reviewjun13_03.html

“A wondrous tale of fantasy and religion . . . It is a story of longing, spirituality, denial, travesty, and hope . . . The religious part of the book is not preachy and can be viewed as part of their everyday lives. What I really enjoyed about this tale was the interaction between the main characters. Sure, they get stuck in a bad situation, but they never give up hope that they can somehow solve their problems.”
—Conan Tigard, The Reading Nook, http://www.readingreview.com/skybounce.html

“There is plenty of symbolism and underlying meaning here for the teens to explore as they read this well-written story of friendships and responsibilities and of looking inside themselves for answers.”
—Barry Hunter, http://www.baryon-online.com/baryon90/sb.html

“The quote on the cover is accurate. This is a very readable tale that is difficult to put down until the last page is turned.”
—Brenda Ramsbacher, Scribblers, RIO Member, and Kristina Ramsbacher, 13 years, http://www.blether.com/blether.php?id=5138

“Since I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi, I thought I wouldn’t like it. Ms. Miller taught me differently. The writing is crisp and clear, and Deanna Miller will entrance readers with her story. It was a very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to young adults and their parents. Five stars.”
—Drue-Ann Hargis-Ramirez, http://www.womenonwriting.com/Reviews%202003/322m.htm

“A well-paced, well-written fantasy . . . It explores the nature of friendship, loyalty, trust, and faith. The messages the author wishes to convey . . . become a seamless part of the whole. In that sense, it is similar to Madeleine L’Engle’s works which offer her young readers much food for thought within a fantasy framework. This is a spiritually uplifting book for young readers with an interesting storyline.”
—Brenda Dupas, http://www.newradiance.com/may2003reviews.htm

Categorized on the Boox Review site under “Featured reviews. Our top picks. The best of the best”:
http://www.thebooxreview.com/skybounce.htm