The Ultimate Star Wars Pop-Up Book!

If you haven't explored the world of modern pop-up books you owe it to yourself to look at Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy.

The latest Star Wars pop-up book from the incredible paper engineer Matthew Reinhart is an impressive marvel to explore and animate.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy (2019 Insight Editions) takes things up another level (literally) from Reinhart's previously released Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure (2012) and Star Wars: A Pop Up Guide to the Galaxy (2007). Not only are there 5 major spreads, there are 24 pop-ups in total as each corner has it's own smaller but no less imaginative pop-up.

But that's not the end of the excitement: the entire book can be basically turned inside out and laid out as a massive table-topping 37" x 44" 3D diorama!

Diorama is a fitting word as this is almost as much a playset as it is a book. There's plenty to do, to make happen, and really the closer you look into the details the more nuggets you'll discover. There are hidden gems and little surprises everywhere. For example, despite the focus on the films, fans of Star Wars Rebels will notice a very familiar ship make an appearance.

Reinhart is the author here as well as the designer, taking us through a chronological retelling of the Star Wars films, including moments from Rogue One and Solo. The final pop-up is a space battle moment from The Rise of Skywalker.

The artwork is all by Kevin M. Wilson, so the whole book has a more "realistic" look than the previous Reinhart Star Wars pop-ups which were far more stylized.

The only drawback with the book is the construction of it. Once you completely open it up to create the full diorama, it never really holds together as well as it did before, making repeat read-throughs kind of awkward. That's a small price to pay for a book that is a really an experience to be had. The mechanics of the movement is really delightful here!

Speaking of price, this is not an inexpensive book by any means and is not necessarily even a children's book as many of the pop-ups are very delicate. However for fans young and old this would make a wonderful gift, and great way to explore the Star Wars saga together!

Learn The Secrets of the Jedi

Wouldn't we all like to know the secrets of the Jedi? How to attune ourselves with the Force and become a powerful guardian of peace in the galaxy?

That may not be entirely possible just yet, but a new book from Insight Kids (Insight Editions) seeks to give young Jedi a start on their path of unraveling all of the Jedi order's mysteries...and secrets.

The Secrets of the Jedi is journal of sorts, told by Luke Skywalker himself (actually Marc Sumerak), detailing a brief history of Jedi lore, techniques, philosophies and more. Presumably Luke took a few hours to himself to get all his thoughts down before appearing at the battle of Crait at the end of The Last Jedi.

Over 32 beautifully illustrated pages (illustrations by Sergio Gómez Silvan), "Luke" discusses topics like the Old Republic, The Force, The Light Side, The Dark Side and more. He also goes into detail about lightsabers, Jedi combat techniques, and Force abilities.  

The Secrets of the Jedi really feels like an extension of the earlier book The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallace, like it's Luke's additional notes on that text. In fact one of the sections inside is titled The Jedi Path.

Not only is this large-size hardcover book illustrated, it also contains fold-outs, pop-ups, envelopes to open, and a poster of the cover artwork.

Author Marc Sumerak (Star Wars: Droidography) truly captures the voice of the troubled older Luke, looking back on the successes and failures of his teachers and his own teachings. He reflects on what he had learned from Masters like Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, but also what younger students like Ben Solo and Rey taught him. Luke frequently refers to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader as his father, personally connecting himself to these stories.

Not to be confused with this one!

Occasionally Luke here knows something where one must stop and ponder HOW Luke would know that. Some are easy to sort out, others pose interesting questions. Like how did Luke know the true circumstances of Mace Windu's death? Only Darth Sidious, and newly named Darth Vader, walked out of that office alive. Perhaps through the Force he was able to learn the truth. The official Imperial account of the events would have been much different.

I have mentioned this in previous more recent book reviews, but it bears repeating, that one of the wonderful aspects of the Disney era of Star Wars books is that the entire saga can be used and referenced. There are many examples here of Luke discussing not only details we saw in the movies, but also characters and events from The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels too. Treating the saga as one big story really makes it feel like a cohesive and interconnected galaxy. Years ago had this book been written, it would be much more limited in scope.

For younglings, Padawans, and older fans looking to dive into the teachings of the Jedi, and especially Master Luke Skywalker, The Secrets of the Jedi is an excellent start.

(Publisher's Recommendation: 8 - 12 years)
 
See also:

Also "by Luke Skywalker"