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flibbityflob's review against another edition
2.0
look - the second person narration fucks and i enjoy the writing style. what i did NOT enjoy was the way it constantly derided the "kissing parts." the emotional core of esb is one of love, and ignoring that and casting it off as something that isn't enjoyble just feels weird. esb is a story of love. star wars is about love. i know this book is aimed at kids but like. cmon.
danib11's review against another edition
4.0
Story ***
Audio version *****
Great reader and sound effects on audio cd’s version. Fun family road trip listen. Though I did find the second person annoying, kids (6 & 8) didn’t seem to notice or mind.
Audio version *****
Great reader and sound effects on audio cd’s version. Fun family road trip listen. Though I did find the second person annoying, kids (6 & 8) didn’t seem to notice or mind.
caffeine_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I am disappointed in this installment! I loved A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy so I was going into this book with high hopes. Yes, I realize this is a novel geared toward younger readers but this felt like an excessively juvenile book that didn't add any depth to the movie like the previous book did. The one slightly redeeming quality was its little meditation lessons disguised as Jedi Training spread throughout the book.
chrstn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
beyondevak's review against another edition
5.0
Listening to Star Wars via audio is just as exciting as watching the movie!
rlbeatty91's review against another edition
This retelling of The Empire Strikes Back puts the reader in Luke's place as he begins--and tests--his Jedi training. Adam Gidwitz brings his own voice to a very well-known story.
The good: This book is *perfect* for 8-10 year olds who want to become Jedis, from the humor and storytelling (skipping the "mushy" parts) to the Jedi Tests after each chapter (breathing, standing on one foot, batting away balled-up socks as they are thrown at you). I can see myself as a young nerd enjoying this more than I did now, but I was also part of a group that thought growing Jedi braids was cool. There are sketches of characters and ships as they are introduced, keeping young readers engaged.
The bad: The idea of training as a Jedi in Luke's place seemed like an interesting one, but the second-person narrative started to get annoying halfway through the book. I had similar feelings about the Jedi Training--while it seemed like a cool idea at first, the tasks became more and more of a stretch (go into the creepy basement of a library without telling anyone?) and broke up the story's flow of action.
Overall, this story was fun and engaging, but not what I was expecting based on the other two books in the trilogy. At times, it almost read more like a parody than a straight retelling (the lengthy conversations with R2-D2 or Chewbacca; Gidwitz's description of space creatures: "Just imagine a bunch of weird dudes"). On its own, it could be an enjoyable read, but it may be a disappointment for those who were looking forward to the sequel to The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy.
The good: This book is *perfect* for 8-10 year olds who want to become Jedis, from the humor and storytelling (skipping the "mushy" parts) to the Jedi Tests after each chapter (breathing, standing on one foot, batting away balled-up socks as they are thrown at you). I can see myself as a young nerd enjoying this more than I did now, but I was also part of a group that thought growing Jedi braids was cool. There are sketches of characters and ships as they are introduced, keeping young readers engaged.
The bad: The idea of training as a Jedi in Luke's place seemed like an interesting one, but the second-person narrative started to get annoying halfway through the book. I had similar feelings about the Jedi Training--while it seemed like a cool idea at first, the tasks became more and more of a stretch (go into the creepy basement of a library without telling anyone?) and broke up the story's flow of action.
Overall, this story was fun and engaging, but not what I was expecting based on the other two books in the trilogy. At times, it almost read more like a parody than a straight retelling (the lengthy conversations with R2-D2 or Chewbacca; Gidwitz's description of space creatures: "Just imagine a bunch of weird dudes"). On its own, it could be an enjoyable read, but it may be a disappointment for those who were looking forward to the sequel to The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy.
lkthomas07's review against another edition
2.0
Eh. Emily and I enjoyed the first audiobook of this series and so she decided we should listen to them all. First of all, I didn't realize they were all by different authors... Weird, but okay. Second, the writing style was just SO different!! It was basically in second person POV. So strange. Thirdly, they didn't have different people doing the voices, so Princess Leia (hers was especially jarring) and everyone else were all done by the same reader. Imagine a man doing a young woman's voice. Yikes. Overall, this wasn't a winner in my book. But Emily enjoyed it, and she's closer to the demographic, so.... whatever :-P
jedster247's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting re-imagining written in the second person. The right amount of sarcastic self-awareness makes it feel like a fresh take.
rebecanunez's review against another edition
4.0
Soy fan de la saga y cómo me paso con los anteriores, siento que me completa un montón la historia de las películas, además la lectura fue súper ágil.
maureen_fox's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining. Given the difficulty of some of the vocabulary, and the switching back and forth between second and third person, I'd give this to 5th grade and up.