Tag Archives: books for boys

Jedi Apprentice Book Series Review

book reviews by a tween, YA book reviews, , , ,

Jedi Apprentice by Jude Watson: Best Star Wars Book Series

jediapprenticebookcover

Can’t get enough of all things Star Wars? Did you know that Star Wars characters live on in a number of different book series, many of them aimed at youth readers?

My son is a huge Star Wars fan, so we checked out every Star Wars book in the LA County library system, plus we bought plenty many for the collection on his shelf.  I’ve read most of them as well.  By far, our favorite series is the Jedi Apprentice Series by Jude Watson (one book is by Dave Wolverton).

Jude Watson writes with great suspense, character development, and continuity of the Star Wars story.  She tells each story in a way that not only builds drama, but also reveals the Jedi ethos. She tells a good story that appeals to kids as well as adults.

Jedi Apprentice books have Accelerated Reading Tests. The AR interest level for Jedi Apprentice is between 4-6 and the AR points for Jedi Apprentice are usually about 4 points.

You can read each book out of order and it will make sense. But if you read the Jedi Apprentice series in order you will see references to prior books and the details keep continuity.

We have read other Star Wars book series, and they are OK, but Watson’s are the best.  Highly recommended. All the Jedi Apprentice Books at Amazon are available at this link.

A summary of the plot of each book at Wikipedia is below.

  • The Rising Force by Dave Wolverton (45 BBY) (Y)
  • The Dark Rival by Jude Watson (45 BBY) (Y)
  • The Hidden Past by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Mark of the Crown by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Defenders of the Dead by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Uncertain Path by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Captive Temple by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Day of Reckoning by Jude Watson (44 BBY) (Y)
  • The Fight for Truth by Jude Watson (43 BBY) (Y)
  • The Shattered Peace by Jude Watson (43 BBY) (Y)
  • The Deadly Hunter by Jude Watson (43 BBY) (Y)
  • The Evil Experiment by Jude Watson (43 BBY) (Y)
  • The Dangerous Rescue by Jude Watson (43 BBY) (Y)
  • The Ties That Bind by Jude Watson (41 BBY) (Y)
  • The Death of Hope by Jude Watson (41 BBY) (Y)
  • The Call to Vengeance by Jude Watson (41 BBY) (Y)
  • The Only Witness by Jude Watson (41 BBY) (Y)
  • The Threat Within by Jude Watson (40 BBY) (Y)
  • Special Edition #1: Deceptions by Jude Watson (41 BBY – 29 BBY) (Y)
  • Special Edition #2: The Followers by Jude Watson (40 BBY – 28 BBY) (Y)

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    Percy Jackson Book Series: Review

    book reviews by a tween, YA book reviews, , , , , , ,

    Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Greek Mythology Meets Modern 12-year-old

    Lightening Thief, the first book in the Percy Jackson series


    My almost 10-year-old son and his friends all love the Percy Jackson series, in which a young boy helps the Greek Gods battle mythological monsters in modern-day America.  My son has read almost all the books (we still gotta get the latest that just came out) and can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out next month.

    The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by bestselling-author Rick Riordan is about a 12-year-old kid who figures out  is a demigod . . . his mom is human, but his dad, (who left his mom before he was born) was a god.  Percy has to solve the mystery of his identity and discover what powers he possesses.  Percy and his demigod friends train in the ways of the Greek gods at Camp Half-Blood. They end up helping to save the world by fighting a seriously powerful bad guy, the titan lord Kronos and his mythological monsters. In the first book of the series, The Lightning Thief, Percy and his pals journey across the US to catch a thief who stole Zeus’ master lightening bolt. Other books in the series present Percy with other tough challenges. They all come complete with characters straight out of Greek mythology.  What’s fun is to see how Riordan devises ways for the mythological creatures to act in our time and to see how a typical 12-year-old would act with mythological powers. Along the way, of course, Percy learns things about himself.

    The book is written from Percy’s point of view, complete with phrases and attitudes typical of a 12-year-old. Percy is just a guy with all the insecurities and issues any boy might have, but he is also a powerful superhero. My son and all his friends in 4th, 5th and 6th grade love these clever, fast-paced books.  The Percy Jackson series has garnered tons of awards and been on best-seller lists. A top choice for boys who love adventure, although girls might like it, too.  The books are on the Accelerated Reader lists, so if your school uses AR tests, you can get AR points for reading them. The first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, has an AR interest level for middle grade students, a book level of 4.7 and possible AR points of 13.

    An added learning bonus: kids learn all about Greek mythology.

    The movie—The first book is being made into a movie, now in post-production, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by 20th Century Fox, scheduled for release February 12, 2010. The title role is played by Logan Lerman, 18, of Beverly Hills. Filming took place in Vancouver, Canada, but portions of filming also took place in Nashville, Tennessee, at a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. A second film on the next book in the series is also planned. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012.

    You can sign up now at Amazon to be notified when the DVD or Blu-Ray of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is available.

    A Percy Jackson Video Game for Nintendo based on the first book and movie is also out. The video game is a tactical role-playing game for Nintendo DS that puts players in command of Percy Jackson and his fellow demigods as they battle for survival in a world ruled by vengeful Greek gods. Several Percy Jackson toys based on the books and movie are also out.

    The Percy Jackson Books
    The Lightning Thief
    The Sea of Monsters
    The Titan’s Curse
    The Battle of the Labyrinth
    The Last Olympian

    By the way, Amazon has a great deal on a box set of the first three books.

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    Artemis Fowl book series review