Read, You Must: Complete Vehicles New Edition

A whole lot of Star Wars has happened since the last North American edition of Complete Vehicles!

Despite only being 7 years ago, this book was due for an update. Now available from DK Publishing: Star Wars Complete Vehicles Incredible Cross Sections (New Edition)!

For those of you not familiar with these lavishly illustrated, extremely detailed "Cross Sections" books, here's our previous reviews of The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections and Star Wars Complete Locations.

This new "Complete" version is like a "Best of" of all the previous cross-section vehicle diagrams previously published in various DK books, with the addition of two brand-new spreads: The Knights of Ren's Night Buzzard ship and the massive Sith Star Destroyer, both from The Rise of Skywalker. It is a 264-page treasure trove of rich details, stunning images and tons of information about the vehicles of the Star Wars galaxy.

From the smallest one-person transport to the colossal Death Star, this book spans the entire Skywalker saga. This "New Edition" includes vehicle diagrams from The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One and Solo, all released after the previous 2013 edition.

Since this is a compilation of works from previous books, there is a whole team of authors and illustrators involved. Many of the biggest names in Star Wars books have been involved in this one!

Unlike many of the recent books about Star Wars, this one seems to solely focus on the theatrical movies. There doesn't seem to be any content from The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance or even the smash hit The Mandalorian. There could easily be a 2nd volume made to focus on the vehicles in those TV series!

Also a noticeable change from previous books is that there are no fold-out pages this time. 

For detail-oriented Star Wars fans, especially those who missed out on previous Cross-Sections books, this hefty compilation of amazing technical illustration is a must-have!

Upcoming The Mandalorian Books!

Scheduled for release this January is the first official junior novel tie-in to the smash hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian!

Here is the official description so far from Disney/Lucasfilm Press:

Relive the excitement of the first season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian!
After the fall of the Empire but before the emergence of the First Order, a lone bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian travels the outer reaches of the galaxy. When his newest bounty hunting target turns out to be a small Child, the Mandalorian decides the Child must be protected at all costs. Relive all the excitement of the first season of the smash-hit streaming series in this action-packed junior novel by Joe Schreiber! Includes an insert of color photos from the show!

So it seems in one novel, the main events of the entire first season will be covered. That's a LOT to pack into one book! But since neither the Mandalorian nor The Child speak much, maybe it will fit nicely into one volume.

The author, Joe Schreiber, is no stranger to young Star Wars readers after writing the junior novelization of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Schreiber is better known to adult readers as the author of the most gruesome, violent and horror-based Star Wars novels like Death Troopers, Red Harvest, and Maul: Lockdown. 

This is not to say Schreiber only writes dark and horrific stuff for grown-ups. He is also the author of several middle-grade novels including Game Over, Pete Watson and Lenny Cyrus, School Virus. 

Younger fans of The Mandalorian can look forward to the upcoming picture book A Clan of Two, due out in December. As well, the World of Reading series has a The Mandalorian early reader (Level 2) called Allies & Enemies also out in December!

In case you missed it, The Mandalorian Little Golden Book was also recently released!

Read, You Must: Even MORE Little Golden Books

The Skywalker Saga is now complete in Little Golden Book form! 

With the recent release of the Little Golden Book adaption of The Rise of Skywalker, it is now possible to read the entire saga as part of this classic children's book series.

The interior art is by Alan Batson (We Are the Resistance, I Am a Pilot, The Last Jedi), with a cover by Caleb Meurer (The Force Awakens, A New Hope). For some reason no author is credited for this book unlike the previous Star Wars Golden Book titles.

In the typical retro cartoonish art style of the previous books, The Rise of Skywalker retells the events of the film in a fun and kid-friendly way.

With this release, young fans can now enjoy reading all nine Skywalker saga "episodes" as well as Solo. The only Star Wars film to date that has not been adapted to this series is Rogue One. 
 

Also out now: The Mandalorian: This Is the Way Little Golden Book! Written by Christopher Nicholas and Illustrated by Shane Clester (I Am a Padawan), The most exciting Disney+ series gets its own picture book. There are more cool The Mandalorian books coming for young readers, but this appears to be the first one available.

Click the links above to see more fun Little Golden Books Star Wars adventures!

Spooky Star Wars Stories

In the past few years there have been plenty of options for young Star Wars readers to enjoy all aspects of the saga. Whether you prefer funny adventures like C-3PO Does Not Like Sand! or serious tales of the galactic struggle like Spark of the Resistance, there is a Star Wars story for everyone. 

Even fans of the SPOOKY side of the Force can find plenty to give them nightmares!

Here's a few of our favourite chilling tales in a galaxy far, far away... (Click on each for our original review)

Dark Legends by George Mann is a spine-tingling set of spooky tales has much in common with Myths & Fables as the stories are generally cautionary tales set in-universe in the Star Wars galaxy. Perhaps these are the stories that kept young padawans up at night?

The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! by Tom Angleberger is a middle-grade adventure novel featuring creepy chills and thrills hiding around every corner, or lurking in the next tree. Wookiees may not be afraid of the dangers that lurk ahead, but will you be?

Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex is a fun picture book where New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Adam Rex tries to answer the question of what could possibly scare the most terrifying villain in the galaxy. Spoiler alert: not much!

Tales from Vader's Castle are comics from IDW and part of the Star Wars Adventures series. These creepy comics have an over-riding story but also short stories within, featuring many familiar Star Wars characters facing horrors and frights! A follow up series called Return to Vader's Castle was also released. Both have been collected as graphic novels from IDW books.

Adventures in Wild Space is a series of middle-grade chapter books featuring all sorts of creepy crawlies and chilling brushes with danger. Exciting and fun, if you are brave enough!

And of course for those of you who are willing to dig deep and hunt them down, the original Galaxy of Fear chapter book series from 1997-98 is a must-read for terror and suspense in the Star Wars galaxy. The Adventures in Wild Space books and The Mighty Chewbacca

both owe a bit of debt to these Goosebumps-inspired thrillers! 

And while it's not a story, exactly, fans of the hairy, scary, scaly and creepy creatures of the Star Wars galaxy will want to check out DK Adventures' What Makes a Monster? by Adam Bray. This collection is recommended for any detail-oriented reader who’s enthusiastic to learn more about the furry, slimy or slithery beasts in the Star Wars saga.

What's the scariest Star Wars story you remember? Comment below!

Read, Dare You? Dark Legends

The creative team behind 2019's Myths & Fables returns with another collection of stories for younglings, but this time not for the easily frightened!

Star Wars: Dark Legends (Disney-Lucasfilm Press) is a 200+ page middle-grade hardcover collection of stories from author George Mann with eerily wonderful illustrations by Grant Griffin.

This spine-tingling set of spooky tales has much in common with Myths & Fables as the stories are generally cautionary tales set in-universe in the Star Wars galaxy. Perhaps these are the stories that kept young padawans up at night?

Continue on...if you dare!

If you enjoyed the creepier stories in Myths & Fables you'll love Dark Legends too. The stories are all Star Wars, but certainly some resemble horror stories of earth. Featured among these tales are the Star Wars equivalent of vampires, werewolves and witches. There's a few that have a strong "be careful what you wish for" message, and twist endings right out of the Twilight Zone.

Like Myths & Fables, everything about the Dark Legends presentation is like an old-fashioned book of tales for children, from the look of the book, the cut of the paper, the style of the artwork and the language of the narratives. It is a real treat to see these kinds of books and the attention to detail that goes into them.

Also available!

The "Legends" within Dark Legends are not connected to each other, cross the Star Wars timeline in interesting ways, and can be enjoyed in any order.

The only thing close to a complaint would be that this book is much smaller than Myths & Fables. It's digest size is dwarfed by the previous collection. Together they don't really look like the set they appeared to be.

That aside, Dark Legends is another great collection in a fun new direction in Star Wars publishing!

Publisher's recommendation: 8 - 12 years