Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Return of the Padawan

This series isn't throw-away or paint-by-numbers, though the concept easily lends itself to be that. Brown declines the easy out, provides a clever story in which Roan's tests are outside the classroom, though he doesn't realise it: a saber duel with a friend provides a strong temptation to cheat; pilot training is a central source of identity yet following the rules seems likely to ensure his failure and perhaps dismissal from academy; and a situation with the class pet offers up a false dichotomy without this being explained to him. Just like school, just like life.

Read aloud, it doesn't require familiarity with the Star Wars universe (one of its strengths) but leverages that to comic effect for those who are familiar.

The Second book in Jeffrey Brown's Jedi Academy series, we get much more with Roan, the Jedi in Training (the place where he gets trained also quite seems like a Middle School) This is his second year of Jedi Training and he's super excited because they get to learn how to pilot Jedi Starfighters. Some how he manages to get to the school a week early (oops) and from there his year sorta goes down hill.

Cronah and his friends are still bullying Roan and pretty much everyone else in the school, but it's the stuff that goes on with Roan's friends, Pash and Gaiana and Roan that's the most interesting part of the story.

I still like the diary style with other scrapbook stuff added in as well. I know that Brown is not the only one who creates show more children's/middle reader books in that style, but I like how he does it just a bit more than others I've seen.

It's basically a book about bullying. Both getting bullied and also a bit of it is about how people can become bullies themselves and not even realize it right away.

It was a cool book and just as fun as the previous one.

I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Scholastic hoping that I would review it. show less

{My thoughts} – Roan is in his second year at the Jedi Academy. He starts out having a great year, but then things start to get a little sticky. He starts to struggle with his friendships and begins making friends with the wrong crowd.

This is something that happens so often with children in school. Sometimes, they make friends with the wrong crowd because the wrong crowd are the only ones that will talk to them and or give them the time and day. This happens often when their actual friends push them away for some reason or another.

I think this book is nicely put together, it shows that even though friends go through rough spots. In the end it is very much possible for it all to work out in the end. This book also helps to show show more children that grades in school aren’t the most important thing to worry about. That all you have to do is really try and the more you try the more likely you will see that things can and will improve.

I think that any child that loves Star Wars will enjoy reading this book. I love the illustrations within the pages. They give you a lot to look at and explore. I enjoy reading books like this because they are fun reads. I think that any child would be lucky to have this book added to their home or school library. show less

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited when I saw this on Netgalley because I remember seeing the first book and wanting to read it. I hadn't read the first one, but I didn't think it would matter (and it didn't).

The story is about a Jedi in training, Roan, as he goes through the difficulties of middle school Jedi Academy. He deals with bullies, fake friends, strict teachers and teachers who aren't partial to him. It's drawn like a cartoon, and feels a but like a cartoon/graphic novel. Actually, it reminded me a lot of the [b:Diary of a Wimpy Kid|389627|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)|Jeff Kinney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388183826s/389627.jpg|2617009] books. It has humor, and show more a good simple story. I felt like it would be better suited to kids in middle school, versus some of the middle grade books I read that have dual layers which adults can identify with. But don't get me wrong, it's a very cute book. The storyline does pick up where the first book left off, as this is another year for Roan at Jedi Academy. And the next book will see him next year at the Academy training under a Jedi.

I'd recommend it for girls and/or boys who are in middle school or early high school, Star Wars fans, and anyone who likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! Oh, and who can resist a cartoon Yoda making jokes?! ;) show less

An excellent book, the author has done very well to fit the book perfectly into the larger Star Wars universe. I found no errors of any kind in the book. I have been interested in the Star Wars universe since the 1980s when I watched the original three films, since those days I have maintained my ongoing interest, the story line is excellent and grips your concentration right until the end, and on route to the end the story line never drags and never becomes boring, I wanted to read all the book, sometimes half way through a book I am bored and start counting the number of pages left, but not with this book, the story line constantly kept me interested. The author make the novel easy to follow, and I quickly within the 1st chapter show more drifted off into the Star Wars university. I really enjoyed reading the book, and cannot find anything wrong with the story-line or plot, having read a few star wars books recently, maybe the only fault I can come up with is that it is time that they include a few pictures in the book, maybe to the rear, showing things like the designs of space-ships, because sometimes when new space-ships are introduced (that I have not seen in the movies) it is hard to picture them, but I suppose that is the fun of reading, ever reader will picture such new space ships slightly different from each other. The reason I have brought this topic to light is that I was reading one of the chapters to my young daughter, and half way through the chapter she asked me what a so, and so space-ship looked liked. There are many Star Wars books out there, and upon the shelves in the university library were I work, and it is hard for any Star Wars related book to stand-out when surrounded by all those Star Wars books out there, but in my own personal opinion, and not in the opinion of everybody this Star Wars book really stands out from the masses of other Star Wars books, maybe it is because the characters in the book are my favorite characters in the whole Star Wars Universe, and the book story line is about a segment of the Star Wars universe that really interests me, other people will have different views because all of us will have different favorites. I think the key to enjoying a Star Wars book from the masses out there is to concentrate on the segment of the Star Wars Universe that interests you, some Star Wars fans like the Jedi stories, while other like the Sith stories. show less

Kids will give this 4 or 5 stars...it's ok for an adult, but not great.

More of the same, but it's quick filler when you're on the toilet. Heh. Yep.