As you may have noticed, it has been a very slow year for me reading wise. Who knew having an infant and toddler to take care of full time would leave me little "me" time. The chronic sleep deprivation hasn't helped things either, but the plus side is that the few books I have managed to get to this year have been amazing. This one is no exception.

 

In true YA fashion, Yalena has a cryptic past that leads her on a journey to find both her origins and herself. This being the first book in the series, there is a lot of informative information and character introductions but it's a great lead in to what is sure to be a fantastic series. Yalena is an interesting character who surprised me a bit as she found her own voice in a sea of overachievers.

 

I really enjoyed the world building elements that Zeeland includes. Brief history lessons that you attend with Yalena and her classmates make this space world more and more interesting. Of course, what's a good novel without some romantic interests and competitive drama to keep things interesting. STAR Academy is a college level specialty school by invitation only. It is an elite group of students expected to become the next best thing in their respective fields, no pressure there.

 

I highly recommend this book to science fiction fans, especially those who enjoy young adult as well. Space is the next frontier and there is so much to learn from the next generation of explorations. The Unsound Theory has a little bit of everything in it and I can't wait for the next installment of this series!

4 Stars, Buy it

 

I’m a little sad that there is a new artist to the series.  The book is half dairy, part newsletters, part various other vinettes about the Star Wars Jedi Academy.  I have to admit, I got a little anxious because Victor Starspeeders only friend is a real jerk and he can’t see that.  Overall a good addition to the series. Very cute and I like the art.  I got used to the new artist and ended up thinking it was definitely good. Worth reading and buying for yourself or your kids.

 

Description from Amazon: Victor Starspeeder is psyched to be starting school at the Jedi Academy. His sister, Christina does not share an enthusiasm for Victor's newfound educational path. She's horrified that her annoying baby brother will be there to cramp her style.

While Victor means well, his excess energy leads him to spend a lot of time in detention with the little, green sage, Yoda. Yoda wants to channel Victor's talents, so he makes the young Padawan join the drama club. Victor is not pleased. "Learn to control your anger, you must! Successfully manage their emotions, a good Jedi can. Box step and jazz hands ... hee hee ... young Padawan will!"

Victor will have to make new friends, get on his sister's good side, learn to use the force, and hope the year's drama club performance ("Wookie Side Story"? "Annie Get Your Lightsaber"?) goes off without a hitch!

4.5 stars

So glad I checked this out of the library. Roan wants one thing - to be pilot. Too bad his dreams are crushed when his application to the Pilot Academy is rejected. Resigned to attending plant school, Roan thinks his life is over before he even enters middle school. Then a surprise invitation to attend Jedi Academy arrives, and since he's so desperate to get off of Tatooine, he accepts.

Told through comics, journal entries, and letters home, Star Wars: Jedi Academy follows Roan during his first year of middle school. Finding new friends isn't always easy, using the Force is incredibly difficult, and being so far away from home is harder than he expected. This humorous look at tackling typical challenges when you're away from home for the first time, as well as being expected to be able to lift a pile of books using only the power of your mind is a delight for adult fans of the movies. I'm sure kids will get a kick out of it, too!

So, it appears that something special is going on today, but what was it again? I forget. Oh yeah! The newest Star Wars movie is opening. Looks like I'll be seeing it later tonight with my parents for my Dad's birthday. I was told that the very first movie I ever went to see was Return of the Jedi as an infant, though of course I don't remember any of it. 

 

I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan, as I know next to nothing about the "extended universe," but I do enjoy the movies (or, at least, the Original Trilogy, nothing too surprising there!) so I'm pretty excited about this next one. It seems to be attracting mostly positive attention so far, but even with the trailers, I had a good feeling about it. In order to get in the mood, I've been reading cartoonist Jeffrey Brown's Jedi Academy comics.

 

I have been a fan of Jeffrey Brown since I discovered his touching, relatable, confessional relationship memoir comics like Clumsy and Unlikely and his weird, geeky homage comics like Incredible Change-Bots and Sulk. His emotional resonance and love of pop culture really suit this genre, and it seems he's gotten pretty much a dream gig being put behind Disney's young adult Jedi comic series- there's probably not another cartoonist more suited to the role! Certain to appeal to many kids with its drawing on all things Star Wars, and its very realistic take on Middle School life with the ever popular "magical school" theme. I find it awesome how well Brown recalls the reality of being in middle school, the sudden swings in mood and relationships with especially when you have Yoda as your homeroom teacher. 

 

 

The Jedi Academy series follows the journal young Roan, a normal kid from Tatooine, as he finds himself at the Jedi Academy after expecting to go to the Pilot Academy. Roan, previously unaware of the Force, struggles to adjust with the help of Yoda and the other teachers and begins to find his way. As budding comic artist himself, Roan fills his journals with mini-comics, zines, and clippings from the school newspaper, report cards, Holobook (i.e., Facebook), etc. Brown's humor mixes a lot of situations and feelings familiar to your average middle school students (bullying, grades, first inklings of romance ) with the lightsabers, Wookies, and droids of Star Wars, for a great "chocolate and peanut butter" taste. It is great to see some daily life in the galaxy.

 

I also flipped through Jeffrey Brown's latest entry in his Darth Vader series, Darth Vader and Friends which puts everyone's favorite Sith Lord and other Star Wars characters into amusing everyday situations, in particular family situations. This one is a little less focused than the others, and are mainly one panel, Far Side-esque gags involving various Star Wars characters. Fun, but slight. May make a good gift for the Star Wars fanatic in your life who has yet to have had children! 

Wow, what an amazing ending to a fantastic series. Go Roan!