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Jedi Academy #2
Star Wars: Jedi Academy 2 - Return of the Padawan
After surviving his first year at Jedi Academy, Roan Novachez thought his second year would be a breeze. He couldn't have been more wrong. Roan feels like he's drifting apart from his friends, and it's only made worse when Roan discovers he's not the amazing pilot he thought he'd be. When the school bullies take him under their wing, he decides they aren't so bad after all -- or are they?
This year, Roan will have to face alien poetry tests, menacing robots, food fights, flight simulation class, online bullies, more lightsaber duels, and worst of all . . . a girl who is mad at him.
This incredible, original story captures all of the humor, awkwardness, fun, and frustrations of middle school -- all told through one boy's comics, journal entries, letters, sketches, e-mails, and more.
This year, Roan will have to face alien poetry tests, menacing robots, food fights, flight simulation class, online bullies, more lightsaber duels, and worst of all . . . a girl who is mad at him.
This incredible, original story captures all of the humor, awkwardness, fun, and frustrations of middle school -- all told through one boy's comics, journal entries, letters, sketches, e-mails, and more.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2014
About the author
Jeffrey Brown
198 books1,344 followersJeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book 'Clumsy' in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster published his latest graphic memoir 'Funny Misshapen Body.' In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Paris. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.'
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 398 reviews
June 16, 2016
actual rating:4.5
it wasn't like this first one, but it was really good!
----
Roan now is in his second year.. great challenges, face he will (talking like Yoda)
building a driod, flighting at last, being friend with bullies, and lose your real friends!
*Roan's comic
*food fight
And at last
it wasn't like this first one, but it was really good!
----
Roan now is in his second year.. great challenges, face he will (talking like Yoda)
building a driod, flighting at last, being friend with bullies, and lose your real friends!
*Roan's comic
*food fight
And at last
May 4, 2020
These books are a different take on Star Wars...but a very fun one! They're sort of like a Disney XD sitcom set in a galaxy far, far away. It's not all comedy, though; there were some dramatic moments as well. You may have seen the movies umpteen times, but, after countless interpretations of A New Hope, Lucas' space opera needed some new stories...and this one is enjoyable.
April 29, 2015
See my review of Star Wars: Jedi Academy by the same author to get my feelings on this.
Basically: lame middle school-type plot, meh drawings, typical characters who are predictable, and last but not least, a truly stupid "holobook" (read: Facebook) subplot. I mean, come on. Way to date your book that's supposed to take place in the far future, or a galaxy far, far away. The Facebook bullying subplot was insipid, uninspired, and uninteresting.
Skip this book unless you're such a rabid fan you just can't miss it.
Basically: lame middle school-type plot, meh drawings, typical characters who are predictable, and last but not least, a truly stupid "holobook" (read: Facebook) subplot. I mean, come on. Way to date your book that's supposed to take place in the far future, or a galaxy far, far away. The Facebook bullying subplot was insipid, uninspired, and uninteresting.
Skip this book unless you're such a rabid fan you just can't miss it.
June 9, 2019
Another great book for kids, where I question how this school does nothing when it's obvious these kids admire and plan to become Siths... I know they can't expel them, but some therapy would be good. And they visit the senate in this one which means I'm reminded that they will all be slaughtered by Anakin...
On the bright side, Roan's feelings were very relatable... that confusion and pain and wondering how much you're worth, and how much you matter to your friends
Again, I would recommend this series to any child under 10 :)
On the bright side, Roan's feelings were very relatable... that confusion and pain and wondering how much you're worth, and how much you matter to your friends
Again, I would recommend this series to any child under 10 :)
November 6, 2014
I'm no Star Wars nut, but I grew up in the 80s, so I've seen the original trilogy. It's good. This book (and truthfully all of Jeffrey Brown's Star Wars books) is so good. It's smart, funny, has positive messages, and is a really fun story. I've recommended the first one to both kids and adults while working at the Children's Desk at the library. I'm happy this seems to be an ongoing series.
August 26, 2015
I really like this book because I like that they use the force and do funny things.
My favourite character is Yoda because he is funny. I like that he tells jokes, like when Roan is meditating and a rock hits Cronah in the face and Yoda says he needs more practice meditating. My least favourite character is Cyrus because he is mean to people, he plays mean jokes on people.
My favourite part is when it was Family Day and Roan's brother came and did not want the food from the cafeteria and then came back and asked for more because it was funny. My least favourite part was when Cronah and Cyrus blinded Pasha because it was mean of them and they were trying to make Roan cheat.
I think other people should read these books because they are really good books but I haven't read the third one yet.
My favourite character is Yoda because he is funny. I like that he tells jokes, like when Roan is meditating and a rock hits Cronah in the face and Yoda says he needs more practice meditating. My least favourite character is Cyrus because he is mean to people, he plays mean jokes on people.
My favourite part is when it was Family Day and Roan's brother came and did not want the food from the cafeteria and then came back and asked for more because it was funny. My least favourite part was when Cronah and Cyrus blinded Pasha because it was mean of them and they were trying to make Roan cheat.
I think other people should read these books because they are really good books but I haven't read the third one yet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2015
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
Well, it’s cute.
But a bit too busy for me.
Jedi Academy is about a young Jedi as he returns to school from vacation. Basically, it is every boarding school funny book meets Yoda. Not as funny as it could be because it tries to do too much.
The best parts of the story are not the panel strips, but the letters or newsflashes (as in Yoda shutting down the Jedi version of Facebook). It’s cute, but there really isn’t much, and the Darth Vader and kiddo books are better.
Well, it’s cute.
But a bit too busy for me.
Jedi Academy is about a young Jedi as he returns to school from vacation. Basically, it is every boarding school funny book meets Yoda. Not as funny as it could be because it tries to do too much.
The best parts of the story are not the panel strips, but the letters or newsflashes (as in Yoda shutting down the Jedi version of Facebook). It’s cute, but there really isn’t much, and the Darth Vader and kiddo books are better.
December 26, 2015
With the premiere of the new movie, I couldn't think of a better time to read this book.
Roan Novachez starts his second year at the Jedi Academy, a school that not only contains Master Yoda as a teacher, but also trains the best Jedi Pilots in a galaxy far far away. Despite the science-fiction background, Brown gives us a realistic view of adolescence with the stress of online bullying (kids get Holobook aka facebook) and the eventual disagreements in a group of best friends. Prepare for an inclination toward the dark side.
Roan Novachez starts his second year at the Jedi Academy, a school that not only contains Master Yoda as a teacher, but also trains the best Jedi Pilots in a galaxy far far away. Despite the science-fiction background, Brown gives us a realistic view of adolescence with the stress of online bullying (kids get Holobook aka facebook) and the eventual disagreements in a group of best friends. Prepare for an inclination toward the dark side.
April 2, 2018
I decided to finish the trilogy because my library had all three books. Plus there fast reads.
I saw there were some more books in the series but I think there are different characters and my library doesn't have them so I won't be reading those.
I wasn't expecting to like them but I kind of do. It's funny that I've never watched a Star Wars movie but can hear Yoda in my head when I read his lines.
I saw there were some more books in the series but I think there are different characters and my library doesn't have them so I won't be reading those.
I wasn't expecting to like them but I kind of do. It's funny that I've never watched a Star Wars movie but can hear Yoda in my head when I read his lines.
November 4, 2015
This book was a good book. It had some comedy, friendship stuff, and what not. the book had a good plot, and I personally thought this was better than the first Jedi Academy book. I would recommend this book for Star Wars fans (mostly young fans, like me). It was also pretty short. Now just waiting for my money to get the 3rd one... heh.
February 27, 2017
É fofura demais e esse aqui começa a ensinar umas lições mais sérias e "da vida" pra crianças... COM STAR WARS. Pais do mundo, por favor, né?
May 30, 2018
Another cute and clever installment in Brown’s Jedi Academy series. There was a subtle nod to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in this one, which gained him major geek points, IMO.
On to book 3!
On to book 3!
June 12, 2014
Stuff I Read - Star Wars: Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown Review
Picking up at the start of Roan's second year at the Jedi Academy, this volume of his story is full of very sophomoric problems. There are misunderstandings with friends, and bungled projects, and some slights slips toward the dark side, but like most books geared toward kids, the hero emerges on the other side stronger than ever, and with some good experiences to show for it. Of course, thrown into the mix are a number of Star Wars references and visuals and characters. The little asides alone would make this book worth picking up, though it never seems to quite live up to its full potential, instead treading over the same trails as many other books, but with Star Wars there to give it a fresh feel.
I will admit that I chuckled a number of times while reading this book. As an adult the main storyline is not exactly the most interesting. Roan deals with bullying, accidentally offending his friends, and coming off like a jerk a number of times, and that's all fine. It's just not very interesting to me, because it's the plot of most school stories. After winning his friends in the first book, they must have their squabbles and eventually overcome them. it was all tied up in a bow at the end, despite there not being all that much time for a satisfying resolution. Much more worth it were the mentions of Yoda spending the summer rummaging through cabinets or the Hutt representative to the Senate. Small moments like that were great and part of me thinks this might have been better for me as a comic strip series instead of a book.
Of course, the art is great and seems more suited to comic strips than comic books. The faces are comical and expressive, and the backgrounds simple and not as important. For a Star Wars book that was slightly disappointing, because the settings are what give the universe it's character, but in this case the actual characters did the job nicely. Teachers and students were pulled from all over the Star Wars universe, and it was fun to see them all. The book also blended in non comic sections, like posters or diary entries or report cards. It made for an interesting experience, and I think the tactic was successful in being able to have more exploration of Roan's feelings while not making this an actual novel or chapter book.
And in the end the book is quite fun and funny. It has its charm and its love and respect for Star Wars, and those things make it a good read. The villains are a bit flat, but the main character and his friends, and even the teachers, seem complex and that was a welcome aspect of the story. And this is a story for kids, after all. As such it succeeds in what it sets out to do, but it doesn't do much more than that. For adults it might be a fun and light bite of something Star Wars, but it seemed to me to be much more for the kids, and so I'm giving it a 6.75/10.
Picking up at the start of Roan's second year at the Jedi Academy, this volume of his story is full of very sophomoric problems. There are misunderstandings with friends, and bungled projects, and some slights slips toward the dark side, but like most books geared toward kids, the hero emerges on the other side stronger than ever, and with some good experiences to show for it. Of course, thrown into the mix are a number of Star Wars references and visuals and characters. The little asides alone would make this book worth picking up, though it never seems to quite live up to its full potential, instead treading over the same trails as many other books, but with Star Wars there to give it a fresh feel.
I will admit that I chuckled a number of times while reading this book. As an adult the main storyline is not exactly the most interesting. Roan deals with bullying, accidentally offending his friends, and coming off like a jerk a number of times, and that's all fine. It's just not very interesting to me, because it's the plot of most school stories. After winning his friends in the first book, they must have their squabbles and eventually overcome them. it was all tied up in a bow at the end, despite there not being all that much time for a satisfying resolution. Much more worth it were the mentions of Yoda spending the summer rummaging through cabinets or the Hutt representative to the Senate. Small moments like that were great and part of me thinks this might have been better for me as a comic strip series instead of a book.
Of course, the art is great and seems more suited to comic strips than comic books. The faces are comical and expressive, and the backgrounds simple and not as important. For a Star Wars book that was slightly disappointing, because the settings are what give the universe it's character, but in this case the actual characters did the job nicely. Teachers and students were pulled from all over the Star Wars universe, and it was fun to see them all. The book also blended in non comic sections, like posters or diary entries or report cards. It made for an interesting experience, and I think the tactic was successful in being able to have more exploration of Roan's feelings while not making this an actual novel or chapter book.
And in the end the book is quite fun and funny. It has its charm and its love and respect for Star Wars, and those things make it a good read. The villains are a bit flat, but the main character and his friends, and even the teachers, seem complex and that was a welcome aspect of the story. And this is a story for kids, after all. As such it succeeds in what it sets out to do, but it doesn't do much more than that. For adults it might be a fun and light bite of something Star Wars, but it seemed to me to be much more for the kids, and so I'm giving it a 6.75/10.
August 7, 2020
Great book! I was in agony, poor Roan, but isn’t that what a book is supposed to do?
April 29, 2016
This book was about this kid named Roan, and he was going to this academy that teaches about how to become a Jedi. And he practiced his force at home so he could get good grades on his 2 semester. And then his friends from the dark side are preventing him from becoming a Jedi and turn to the dark side. I like this book because it has lots of funny parts in the book. I recommend this book to Bryce because he likes graphic novels.
February 27, 2015
Beware the dark side...
February 13, 2018
Daha önce söylemiş miydim emin değilim ama ben Roan’ın kız mı erkek mi olduğundan hiç emin olamadım. Bana hep bir nötr gelmiştir. Arka kapak yazısını okuduğumda güldüm, genelde seri olan kitaplarda hep karşımıza arkadaşlıkların sorgulandığı bir bölüm gelir çünkü. O yüzden de çok sıkıldım. Geçiş kitabı gibi geldi bana. Evet eğitici bir tarafı vardı ama o ilk komikliği gitmişti.
“Ne kolay olurdu, gelecekteki hatalardan ders alsak!”
Doğru diyor Yoda.
“Merak ettiğin bir şey varsa bazen sorman gerekir.”
Tema buydu aslında. Joan yanlış kararlar verdi. Bir ara kafasına vurcaktım cidden. Cyrus ve Cronah ile takılması, siyah giymesi falan. Yanlış anlaşılmalarda birbirini kovaladı. Pasha tripli üstüne Gaiana’da tripli. Babası hastaymış kızın. E Roan sorsaydı öğrenirdi ya da başkası daha önce söyleseydi. Pasha ile samimi görünce de delirdi tabi. Yaptığı robot güzeldi. Turnuvada hile yapmaması güzeldi. Yoda yine çok tatlıydı. Hocalar eğlenceyi arttırdı. Ama öğrenciler kötüydü. Roan’dan dahi nefret ettim. O yüzden 3.
“Ne kolay olurdu, gelecekteki hatalardan ders alsak!”
Doğru diyor Yoda.
“Merak ettiğin bir şey varsa bazen sorman gerekir.”
Tema buydu aslında. Joan yanlış kararlar verdi. Bir ara kafasına vurcaktım cidden. Cyrus ve Cronah ile takılması, siyah giymesi falan. Yanlış anlaşılmalarda birbirini kovaladı. Pasha tripli üstüne Gaiana’da tripli. Babası hastaymış kızın. E Roan sorsaydı öğrenirdi ya da başkası daha önce söyleseydi. Pasha ile samimi görünce de delirdi tabi. Yaptığı robot güzeldi. Turnuvada hile yapmaması güzeldi. Yoda yine çok tatlıydı. Hocalar eğlenceyi arttırdı. Ama öğrenciler kötüydü. Roan’dan dahi nefret ettim. O yüzden 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2023
thank you ryder for giving me this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 9, 2018
I forgot to put this on my goodreads account but this is a great book totally recommend this but first I say you should read first one wich I will update my progress I am done with that series great book #Rowan is the best character in book so is pasha
January 12, 2020
3,5-4/5
January 15, 2020
I really like it.
September 7, 2021
good book
Read
September 1, 20220 stars DNF
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/v-NPtgQ_0w0
Enjoy!
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/v-NPtgQ_0w0
Enjoy!
July 26, 2020
weird but still a good book to pick up and read
July 31, 2014
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
How do you hook early readers who are raised in a culture of social media and at-your-finger-tips-videos? You hook them with books such as this, Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan.
Roan is in his second year of Jedi training and young Roan deals with everything that the average middle schooler has to deal with ... bullies, fickle friendships, teachers who seem to have it in for you, and cafeteria food! It's kind of the same plot as so many other pre-teen readers books, but of course with one major difference: Roan is hoping to become a Jedi Knight and there are a plethora of Star Wars references tossed in to the mix.
One interesting aspect of this book was that it didn't always follow a straight narrative line. The storyline was interrupted (or amended) by Roan's journal entries, school newspaper pages, "Things Yoda Said This Week," twitter-type discussion posts, etc. It is all clearly designed to capture the feel of a modern student, and it does this quite well.
Although not specifically described as a graphic novel, that is precisely what this is. The main story is done in comic book format with multiple panels per page, and even the additional pieces have the same style of drawing to them. This is a graphic novel, and as such, the perfect vehicle for the target audience.
The art in this book is very much a comic book, or even a comic strip style, aimed at the elementary school readers. Very cartoonish, meaning friendly and un-threatening and whimsical at all times. It works very nicely.
What doesn't work (for me), is the lettering. Wow ... who ever talks about 'lettering' in a graphic novel? While I assume the decision to hand-letter, or hand-write, this book was done to keep the book feeling as though it were being written by a twelve-year-old, or to connect with the twelve-year-old reader, the book is actually difficult to read because of this. I am making the assumption that this was done by hand rather than choosing a hand-writing font, as I can't see consistency in the individual letters. I read this book in electronic form, on a 10" tablet screen, and reviewed it again on a large computer screen, both which are likely larger than the print format, and there were times I had difficulty making out the words. Making something physically difficult to read is never a good obstacle.
The characters were fun and the cast of students each seemed just different enough to provide some variety, but over-all most elementary school readers will be able to identify with the trials and tribulations of school, and anyone who's already taken the step to pick this up will love the Star Wars universe as presented here.
This is only year two and so clearly there is the opportunity for Roan and his friends to continue their education and for young readers to continue to have fun.
Looking for a good book? Elementary school readers will love to be able to identify with their 'peers' in the Star Wars universe as they begin their Jedi Knight training in this graphic novel.
How do you hook early readers who are raised in a culture of social media and at-your-finger-tips-videos? You hook them with books such as this, Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan.
Roan is in his second year of Jedi training and young Roan deals with everything that the average middle schooler has to deal with ... bullies, fickle friendships, teachers who seem to have it in for you, and cafeteria food! It's kind of the same plot as so many other pre-teen readers books, but of course with one major difference: Roan is hoping to become a Jedi Knight and there are a plethora of Star Wars references tossed in to the mix.
One interesting aspect of this book was that it didn't always follow a straight narrative line. The storyline was interrupted (or amended) by Roan's journal entries, school newspaper pages, "Things Yoda Said This Week," twitter-type discussion posts, etc. It is all clearly designed to capture the feel of a modern student, and it does this quite well.
Although not specifically described as a graphic novel, that is precisely what this is. The main story is done in comic book format with multiple panels per page, and even the additional pieces have the same style of drawing to them. This is a graphic novel, and as such, the perfect vehicle for the target audience.
The art in this book is very much a comic book, or even a comic strip style, aimed at the elementary school readers. Very cartoonish, meaning friendly and un-threatening and whimsical at all times. It works very nicely.
What doesn't work (for me), is the lettering. Wow ... who ever talks about 'lettering' in a graphic novel? While I assume the decision to hand-letter, or hand-write, this book was done to keep the book feeling as though it were being written by a twelve-year-old, or to connect with the twelve-year-old reader, the book is actually difficult to read because of this. I am making the assumption that this was done by hand rather than choosing a hand-writing font, as I can't see consistency in the individual letters. I read this book in electronic form, on a 10" tablet screen, and reviewed it again on a large computer screen, both which are likely larger than the print format, and there were times I had difficulty making out the words. Making something physically difficult to read is never a good obstacle.
The characters were fun and the cast of students each seemed just different enough to provide some variety, but over-all most elementary school readers will be able to identify with the trials and tribulations of school, and anyone who's already taken the step to pick this up will love the Star Wars universe as presented here.
This is only year two and so clearly there is the opportunity for Roan and his friends to continue their education and for young readers to continue to have fun.
Looking for a good book? Elementary school readers will love to be able to identify with their 'peers' in the Star Wars universe as they begin their Jedi Knight training in this graphic novel.
February 14, 2016
Yay, thanks to my boyfriend for finding out why the heck GR didn't want to post all my review. Apparently there was an emoticon that didn't want to work probably, and that just ate all the text. :|
The second book, and also the second year at Jedi Academy, and I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first book.
This had mostly to do with the characters. Roan’s friends were terrible in this one, Roan didn’t make some wise decisions (and went quite the wrong side at one time). I also didn’t like Mr. Garfield, what a dick. He was just basing his grades on how much he liked a student it seemed. Roan did an A+ job at a lot of stuff, but only got C’s. It was just ridiculous, and I wish someone would do something about that teacher. Luckily, Roan is still dedicated, though of course also pissed at things. Which is logical. It just sucks when your teacher doesn’t like you, or when teachers give preference to other students and ignore/give bad stuff to the others.
On to the friends. Sure, Roan wasn’t always nice, or he was quite clumsy, BUT I see another side to this too. They were quite bad as well. Pasha for leaving his best friend outside of the museum, for being angry with him after that accident, for doing several other things. Gaiana for being a bitch, sure, Roan wasn’t really tactful, but he did his best to make contact with her, to make ammends, and she brushed him off. And yes, we find out later why she is such a bitch about stuff, but sorry, did you expect him to be telepathic? I know he has the Force, but if something suckish happens in your life, don’t expect your friends to MAGICALLY know what the hell is happening in your life. If you aren’t happy about something, or something bad is happening, TALK to them. Otherwise I do have to say you have no right of being pissy towards them about stuff.
Roan, he was at times quite great in this book, though well, I didn’t particularly like him in the latter parts. However, I can imagine why he went that route. I am not saying it is good, but I can see why Roan would pick that side. If everything goes wrong in your life, and suddenly people do talk to you, do act like they are friends, I can imagine you might go that side. Even if it isn’t the kindest side of all.
But the book was still packed with fun stuff, disgusting food (I wonder why anyone would eat it, can’t they make some good food for once?), letters, holobook posts, schedules, grade reports, comics and much much more. It is really a feast for the eyes, and you really can’t stop reading once you start this book.
The year seemed to fly by even faster than it did in the previous book, but maybe it is because it was such a filled year. We got all kinds of epic stuff happening, and I especially loved the lessons.
Roan’s family was still fun, though I didn’t like the older brother as much as I did in the first book. He seemed to be more occupied with girls and other stuff, than to care about his little brother.
Ollie however was once again really cute, I loved how Roan could use the force now to amaze Ollie. :)
All in all, even with some bad stuff, I still really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to start with the next one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The second book, and also the second year at Jedi Academy, and I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first book.
This had mostly to do with the characters. Roan’s friends were terrible in this one, Roan didn’t make some wise decisions (and went quite the wrong side at one time). I also didn’t like Mr. Garfield, what a dick. He was just basing his grades on how much he liked a student it seemed. Roan did an A+ job at a lot of stuff, but only got C’s. It was just ridiculous, and I wish someone would do something about that teacher. Luckily, Roan is still dedicated, though of course also pissed at things. Which is logical. It just sucks when your teacher doesn’t like you, or when teachers give preference to other students and ignore/give bad stuff to the others.
On to the friends. Sure, Roan wasn’t always nice, or he was quite clumsy, BUT I see another side to this too. They were quite bad as well. Pasha for leaving his best friend outside of the museum, for being angry with him after that accident, for doing several other things. Gaiana for being a bitch, sure, Roan wasn’t really tactful, but he did his best to make contact with her, to make ammends, and she brushed him off. And yes, we find out later why she is such a bitch about stuff, but sorry, did you expect him to be telepathic? I know he has the Force, but if something suckish happens in your life, don’t expect your friends to MAGICALLY know what the hell is happening in your life. If you aren’t happy about something, or something bad is happening, TALK to them. Otherwise I do have to say you have no right of being pissy towards them about stuff.
Roan, he was at times quite great in this book, though well, I didn’t particularly like him in the latter parts. However, I can imagine why he went that route. I am not saying it is good, but I can see why Roan would pick that side. If everything goes wrong in your life, and suddenly people do talk to you, do act like they are friends, I can imagine you might go that side. Even if it isn’t the kindest side of all.
But the book was still packed with fun stuff, disgusting food (I wonder why anyone would eat it, can’t they make some good food for once?), letters, holobook posts, schedules, grade reports, comics and much much more. It is really a feast for the eyes, and you really can’t stop reading once you start this book.
The year seemed to fly by even faster than it did in the previous book, but maybe it is because it was such a filled year. We got all kinds of epic stuff happening, and I especially loved the lessons.
Roan’s family was still fun, though I didn’t like the older brother as much as I did in the first book. He seemed to be more occupied with girls and other stuff, than to care about his little brother.
Ollie however was once again really cute, I loved how Roan could use the force now to amaze Ollie. :)
All in all, even with some bad stuff, I still really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to start with the next one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
September 17, 2016
Fun graphic novel. Fairly typical young person's story.
August 29, 2015
This is the second book in the Jedi Academy series by Jeffrey Brown. I first discovered this series after reading Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess.
As in the first book, I liked the different characters and the sincere way in which Roan expresses his varying emotions in his journal. The story has a Diary of a Wimpy Kid-meets-Star Wars-kind of feel, with fun graphic-novel illustrations interspersed throughout the narrative.
Overall, it was an engaging story and I want to read more about this character. On to Star Wars: Jedi Academy, The Phantom Bully next.
interesting quote:
"Avoid reading holobook comments, you should. Or consume your day it will." (p. 87)
As in the first book, I liked the different characters and the sincere way in which Roan expresses his varying emotions in his journal. The story has a Diary of a Wimpy Kid-meets-Star Wars-kind of feel, with fun graphic-novel illustrations interspersed throughout the narrative.
Overall, it was an engaging story and I want to read more about this character. On to Star Wars: Jedi Academy, The Phantom Bully next.
interesting quote:
"Avoid reading holobook comments, you should. Or consume your day it will." (p. 87)
January 5, 2021
really cool
August 16, 2014
I've really been looking forward to this sequel ever since I finished the first book. I'd say this one is probably even better than the first because rather than just being a story of events in the life of a first year away at school, this volume actually has a plot. Roan spends the year having a misunderstanding with his closest friends making them grow apart and not really speaking to each other all year. By virtue of being assigned to team up with them for a class project he finds himself with the bully/bad apple kids and starts joining their group feeling good belonging to this "cool" but troublesome clique. They are really only using him though because he is smart and it gives them an in on making it easier to tease the "good" kids. So overall this is a story of friendship and a good read for that. The set up is the same as last time though I'd classify it as a graphic novel as there are probably more classic panel/bubble pages than other forms such as: journal entries, homework pages, school posters, school newsletter, class schedules, report cards, etc. It will appeal to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" fans but is also out to entertain Star Wars fans as well.
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