'The Force Awakens' Little Golden Book Revealed

By: Benjamin Hart

Previously the original six films were adapted into the beloved format of Random House's Little Golden Books children's series. Now it appears they are moving into the new era of Star Wars with a brand new book based around The Force Awakens. Penguin Random House has release the cover art and some info about the book, which will reportedly be released on April 12th. It will include 24 pages and costs $4.99. You can see the cover art below:

They also provided a brief description of the book:

"The epic space saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is retold in the iconic Little Golden Book format! Featuring stunning retro illustrations, this book is perfect for Star Wars—and Little Golden Book—fans of all ages!"

It is currently available for pre-order here in hardcover and ebook form.

Source: Penguin Randon House
Via: Jedi-Bibliothek

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BNC Catalogue Listing Found for 'Ultimate Sticker Collection: Star Wars Rebels Season 3'

By: Dominic Jones

Star Wars Rebels Season Two is well underway on Disney XD at this point, but naturally we can't help but wonder if there will be a third season.  Looks like we may have got out answer.  Even though there are still 16 episodes left in Season Two, the plans for the marketing for Season Three look to have gotten started.  Our pals over at Jedi News spotted a listing in the BNC Catalogue for Ultimate Sticker Collection: Star Wars Rebels Season 3.

Obviously this is a good sign for fans of the series.  While nothing is confirmed, it looks like Disney and Lucasfilm are preparing for at least one more Season of adventures with the crew of The Ghost.   

The next episode of Star Wars Rebels, "Wings of the Master" airs this Wednesday November 11th at 9:30pm EST on Disney XD.

Source: BNC Catalogue

Via: Jedi News

 

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Lucasfilm Unveils List of Books Coming December 18th

By: Dominic Jones

As if seeing a new Star Wars film wasn't enough, Lucasfilm has released a list of 19 books (and most of their covers) that will hit shelves on December 18th to coincide with the release of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.  Some we've heard about before, but most are new.  Without further ado, here they are (via: StarWars.com),

The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Step inside the Lucasfilm art departments for the creation of fantastical worlds, unforgettable characters, and unimaginable creatures. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will take you there, from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco to the fever pitch of production at Pinewood Studios to the conclusion of post-production at Industrial Light & Magic — all with unprecedented access.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

The complete guide to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this Visual Dictionary reveals all of the characters, creatures, droids, locations, and technology.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ultimate Sticker Collection 

Join the heroes of the galaxy on their amazing adventure. Explore incredible worlds, meet bizarre aliens, and face sinister new villains. 

 Star Wars: Before the Awakening

A companion piece to the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens character novels, Star Wars: Before the Awakening is an anthology book that focuses on the lives of Rey, Finn, and Poe before the events of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

 Star Wars: Rey Meets BB-8 (Level 1 Reader)

Rey’s life is turned upside down when she meets a little droid named BB-8.

Star Wars: Finn & Rey Escape! (8×8, w/stickers)

When Finn and Rey find themselves on the run, they must work together to escape from the evil First Order.

Star Wars: Han & Chewie Return! (8×8)

Everyone’s favorite smugglers are back! Han Solo and Chewbacca return in a heroic new adventure set in a galaxy far, far away.

5-Minute Star Wars Stories

Blast off into hyperspace with these 11 action-packed Star Wars tales! Jedi Master Yoda has a lightsaber showdown with the dreaded Count Dooku; Luke Skywalker and the Rebels race against time to destroy the Death Star; and the brave but lonely Rey makes a new friend when she meets the astromech droid BB-8. Each of these stories is the ideal length for reading aloud in five minutes — perfect for galactic adventures at lightspeed.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Flashlight Adventure Book

Grab your flashlight and discover hidden surprises as you explore planet Jakku with Rey, Finn, and BB-8. This box set features a board book with pop-ups on every spread, and a real working flashlight that plays five different sounds from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Lightsaber Rescue

The galaxy is in trouble again! Activate your lightsaber and help join the fight! The Lightsaber Rescue storybook features a non-removable lightsaber module with six sounds to bring the story of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to life.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Mix & Match

Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren, Poe, Rey, and Finn are featured in this book that blends spectacular action with three-panel pages to create confounding combinations! Mix and match the heads, bodies, and legs more than 200 different ways to create crazy mash-ups between the Resistance and the First Order!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Rey’s Survival Guide

Complete with stories, secrets, and insights, this guide will immerse readers in the world of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Discover what you need to survive the hostile planet, Jakku. What secrets lurk inside the ship graveyard? What do you want to salvage? What should you avoid to stay alive? Includes gatefolds with exclusive artifacts including starship schematics and more!

Still to come on 12/18:  Star Wars: Finn and the First Order; Star Wars: Look and Find; Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections; Star Wars: The Force Awakens New Adventures; Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adult Novelization, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Junior Novelization

Wow!  That's a lot of reading to do!  The one that intrigues me the most, besides the "Art of" book, is Greg Rucka's Before the Awakening.  I'm sure that once we leave the theatre after seeing The Force Awakens, we'll be wanting some more stories with our new heroes and that sounds like the best place to find them. 

Source: StarWars.com

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Covers & Excerpts From Original Trilogy Adaptation Novels Revealed

By: Benjamin Hart

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens marks the beginning of a new story, but also the continuation of one that started nearly 40 years ago. There are many who have not yet heard the gospel of the 'Wars and may not be familiar with the Saga as a whole. To counter this, Lucasfilm is looking for new ways to introduce Star Wars to a new and perhaps younger audience. One of those ways is a new set of books they have introduced that will get readers up to speed on at least part of the established story. Star Wars: A New Hope — The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — So You Want to Be a Jedi by Adam Gidwitz and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — Beware the Power of the Dark Side! by Tom Angleberger, all with illustrations by Ian McCaig, will retell the original trilogy in a whole new way. For starters, these authors will be presenting their interpretations of the films, focusing closely on the characters and getting "inside their heads" as StarWars.com describes. Recently the site revealed the cover art, along with the aforementioned subtitles, along lengthy excerpts from all three novels. You can see the covers above and read the excerpts by clicking here! Also, check out this video interview with the authors that was released last year.

What's very interesting about these novels is that they take a very different approach to adapting the story. More than simply retelling the iconic scenes from the movies, the words go beyond what we see on screen and explain what happened between the scenes. For example, in the excerpt from The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy, the story focuses on Leia after she's been captured and follows her as she makes an attempt to escape from Imperial custody while onboard a Star Destroyer. Although it has not been explicitly stated, we can assume these adaptions are at least somewhat canon, which could allow us to gain some never before learned insight into the films themselves.

Be on the lookout for all three of these books when they hit stores on September 22nd!

Source: StarWars.com

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Report: New Star Wars Little Golden Books Revealed

By: Benjamin Hart

With Episode VII: The Force Awakens hitting theaters this December, it's now time for us fans to make sure those around us have watched the existing Star Wars films, especially our younglins. For Children, some of whom may have been born since the last Star Wars film was in theaters, have an entire Saga to catch up on, and thanks to Random House, sitting down and watching the films may not be their only option for experiencing the original movies. Jedi-Bibliothek is reporting that a book retailer has revealed the covers, authors and artists for a new set of six "Little Golden Books" that will retell the first six Star Wars films in an illustrated form. You can check out the artwork info below:


Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

• Written by Courtney Carbone
• Art by Heather Martinez

Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones

• Art by Ethen Beavers

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Patrick Spaziante

Star Wars: A New Hope

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Caleb Meurer

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Chris Kennett

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Ron Cohee

All of the books will reportedly feature 24 pages and will be available for $4.99 each. They are slated to be published on July 28th, 2015.

Source: Jedi-Bibliothek
Via: Star Wars Upcoming Books & Comics(Facebook)

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'Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully' Cover Revealed

By: Dominic Jones

The cover for the third installment in author Jeffery Brown's young readers series Star Wars: Jedi Academy now has a cover.  StarWars.com revealed the cover for Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully today.  Check it out below,

For those unfamiliar with the series, StarWars.com describes the book (and series) as,

Featuring Brown’s trademark cartoon-meets-storybook art style and humor, the cover finds that for all a Jedi’s powers, loose-leaf paper is still a great threat. In addition, there’s the pressure of having Yoda and a Zabrak for teachers! But who is the phantom bully…? Here’s the official summary of the upcoming book:

It’s hard to believe this is Roan’s last year at Jedi Academy. He’s been busier than ever learning to fly (and wash) starships, swimming in the Lake Country on Naboo, studying for the Jedi obstacle course exam, and tracking down dozens of vorpak clones — don’t ask. But now, someone is setting him up to get in trouble with everyone at school, including Yoda. If he doesn’t find out who it is, and fast, he may get kicked out of school! Why can’t middle school just be easy. . .

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.

Even though I'm probably not the target audience for this series, I can't tell you how much I loved the first two installments (read my review of the fist book here).  I love the way Brown seamlessly blends the Star Wars galaxy with very real experiences that anyone who survived middle school can understand.  No word yet on The Phantom Bully will be released.

Source: StarWars.com

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Video: Star Wars Saga Children's Books: Meet the Authors

By: Dominic Jones

Lucasfilm and Disney Press have released a new video introducing the audience to the young readers authors that will be adapting the original Star Wars trilogy into illustrated novels coming in Spring 2015.  The authors Alexandra Bracken, Adam Gidwitz, and Tom Angleberger will each adapt one film from the trilogy.  Bracken will adapt A New Hope, Gidwitz will adapt The Empire Strikes Back, and Angleberger will adapt Return of the Jedi.  All three will feature art by Ian McCaig, who worked as a concept artists on the prequels and The Force Awakens.  Check out the video introducing the writers and artist below,

This project first announced back in April (albeit with a different author for the ANH adaptation).  Still no word on a specific release sate.

Source: Star Wars (YouTube)

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'The Force Awakens' Young Readers Tie-In Novels Coming September 2015

By: Dominic Jones

Just think, in less than a year shelves in book stores everywhere will be filled with tie books for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.  The team over at Jedi-Bibliothek spotted the first batch of upcoming young readers books, coming in September 2015.  They are:

• Journey to Episode VII: Princess Leia Middle Grade Novel (September 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $12,99 USD, 9781484724972)
• Journey to Episode VII: Han Solo Middle Grade Novel (September 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $12,99 USD, 9781484724958)
• Journey to Episode VII: Luke Skywalker Middle Grade Novel (September 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $12,99 USD, 9781484724965)
• Journey to Episode VII: The Fall of the Empire/The Rise of the Rebellio (September 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $17,99 USD, 9781484724989)

Also, coming in December 2015:

• Star Wars Episode VII Character Novel (22. Dezember 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $12,99 USD, 9781484728222)  
• Star Wars: Episode VII Picture Book (22. Dezember 2015, Hardcover, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $16,99 USD, 9781484705582) 
• Star Wars: Episode VII 8×8 #1 (with stickers) (22. Dezember 2015, Paperback, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $4,99 USD, 9781484704783) 
• Star Wars: Episode VII 8×8 #2 (with stickers) (22. Dezember 2015, Paperback, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $4,99 USD, 9781484704790) 
• World of Reading Star Wars: Episode VII: Level 1 Reader (22. Dezember 2015, Paperback, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $3,99 USD, 9781484704806) 
• World of Reading Star Wars: Episode VII: Level 2 Reader (22. Dezember 2015, Paperback, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, $3,99 USD, 9781484704813)

It's a great time to be a Star Wars fan!

Source: Jedi-Bibliothek

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'The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight' Book Trailer

By: Dominic Jones

Lucasfilm has released a special book trailer/behind the scenes featurette for the upcoming children's picture book The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight.  The book is written by author Toni DiTerlizzi and tells the story of the original trilogy, using the legendary artwork of Ralph McQuarrie. The video features DiTerlizzi discussing his process for creating the book, as well as his excitement about working on the project.  Check out the video below,

 

I must say, this book looks great.   DiTerlizzi seems like an excellent choice to write it and of course it is wonderful to see the works of Ralph McQuarrie being introduced to the next generation.  I'm hoping that we'll also be seeing a prequel version of this book, featuring the great artwork of Doug Chiang, Ian McCaig, and others.  Even though this is targeted at younger readers, I will definitely be picking up a copy for myself!

You can follow Dominic on Twitter: @DominicJ25

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