Following the tradition of the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this story is a hybrid novel / graphic book, with pages alternating between comic book presentation and written text. And while the story is also similar to the Wimpy Kid series in that it follows a boy's year in school, this boy is a Jedi in training, and the school is in the Star Wars universe. So that's cool.

The plot revolves around Victor Starspeeder, who is joining his older sister at Jedi Academy. He is psyched to be attending this prestigious school, but also nervous. It has a reputation for being rigorous and strict, and Victor has a history of getting into trouble with his energetic and unpredictable ways. Although Victor tries to toe the line, he quickly finds himself making mistakes and enduring detention with Yoda. Yoda nonetheless sees potential in the padawan, and offers him advice and encouragement.

Unfortunately, he befriends a boy who is clearly bad news; at least, clear to everyone except Victor. He also keeps taking missteps when he's around Maya, his crush. Victor means well, but he has a lot to learn about real friends and what it means to be a Jedi. Yoda decides to intervene - he forces Victor to join the drama club as a stagehand for the big show of the year. Yoda, being the wise master that he is, assigns Victor the perfect task to figure things out. Victor begins to realize the true nature of the people around him, and he also must step up to save the show from the sabotage his so-called friend has planned for it.

As a reader of books of many genres and an avid comic book and graphic novel groupie, I enjoy this approach to children's books. Well, any book, really. This book has the added allure of its Star Wars branding. The tone, however, is definitely more comic. Aside from a few familiar faces from the movie franchise and the focus on Jedis, the book is quite different from Star Wars materials. Most of the plot is a sequence of funny episodes, but it does wrap around a sweet moral about finding oneself and valuing people for their personalities and what really matters.The extras - details like articles from the school newspaper, online rumors, and yearbook entries - are also a nice touch. It's certainly predictable, but still a fun read, enjoyable enough to pique my interest for other books in the series. ( )

A new class, a new author, and a new set of problems. There are definitely some good moments, but this addition seems a little more derivate of pop culture than its predecessors. ( )

Book 4 ( )