Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back So You Want to Be a Jedi?

by Adam Gidwitz, Iain McCaig (Illustrator)

Overview

Acclaimed, New York Times best-selling author Adam Gidwitz delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back like you've never experienced before, infusing the iconic, classic tale of good versus evil with a unique perspective and narrative style that will speak directly to today's young readers while enhancing the Star Wars experience for core fans of the saga.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484709146
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/22/2015
Edition description:	Illustrate
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Adam Gidwitz is the New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm, In a Glass Grimmly, The Grimm Conclusion, and The Inquisitor's Tale. He grew up in Baltimore, where he went to a school with very few rules and still managed to break them all. He then moved to Brooklyn, where for eight years he taught big kids and littler kids. He now writes full-time—which means he writes for a couple hours each morning and then spends the rest of the day lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2015
Gr 5 Up—In this adventure, readers take on the persona of Luke Skywalker. Following the events of the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, readers fight in the Battle of Hoth, get frostbite, meet Yoda, battle against Darth Vader, and save Leia and Chewbacca. At the end of each chapter is a hands-on exercise for readers to try and harness the energy of the Force. Illustrations, both interspersed throughout the text and full-page spreads at the beginning of each part, are well done and reminiscent of the original characters and scenes. The plot is true to the original movie while offering a new and unique perspective. The narrative style, told throughout in the second person, may prove difficult for some but also serves to lighten the mood and draw in more reluctant readers. Lessons provided are fun and will appeal to anyone who has ever wanted to be a Jedi. VERDICT Hand this to "Star Wars" fans as well as lovers of space-based science fiction.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT

School Library Journal

2015-09-05
Gidwitz turns to second-person narration in his retelling of The Empire Strikes Back. In an author's note, this reteller of fairy tales explains that a certain type of protagonist—Luke, for instance—has a fairly empty characterization, enabling readers to "inhabit" the hero. This sets up the novel's proper introduction, in which the narrator directly addresses readers who wish to become Jedis, explaining that simply telling Luke's story isn't enough and that they "need, for the duration of this story, to become Luke." Substituting "you" for Luke, Gidwitz proceeds with his story. After fleeing a discovered rebel base, Luke follows a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi to the swamp planet Dagobah, where the Jedi Master Yoda lives. There, Gidwitz takes advantage of the novel's format to allow readers to share Luke's frustration with Yoda's emphasis on patience. Meanwhile, in conventionally narrated chapters, Leia, Han, and the gang engage in daring exploits to evade Darth Vader only to be betrayed by Han's old friend, Lando. Vader uses them to set a trap for Luke, who, still so early in his training, is not ready to face the full force of the dark side, resulting in a major blow to the heroes. In between chapters, the narrator instructs readers in various Jedi training meditation exercises; sometimes they detract from the story's rhythm, but generally they're decent fun. An enthusiastic, mostly successful experiment to make old new again. (Science fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews