4 yummy and nostalgic soft gingerbread cookies with frosting.
Cover Love: YES!!! I love this cover so much I want to marry it. Even if I didn't want to read these books I would want them displayed on my shelves at home because they are so amazing. Disney should sell big versions of these covers so I could hang them on my library wall!!
Why I Wanted to Read This:
This is not a novelization of the movie. If it was I wouldn't want to read this. This is a retelling for younger readers. Here is the synopsis from GoodReads:
The galaxy is at war.
Although
the Rebel Alliance has won a few battles against the Empire, hope is
fading. The Empire is about to unveil the greatest weapon the galaxy has
ever seen--the Death Star. The Rebels' only chance to defeat it now
lies in the unlikely hands of a princess, a scoundrel, and a farm
boy....
Romance?: Nope
My Thoughts:
First off, read the Author's Notes at the beginning. They totally made me tear up. This movie came out when I was 5 years old and I remember seeing it in the theater. I remember how much it affected my brother (who was 8) and sister and because they loved it so much, so did I. The funniest thing is that my impressions of that movie are still young and now watching it I catch things that I never even thought of back then. And each time I watch it I catch more. Like the fact that Han, Leia and Luck had only known each other about a day, and when Leia kissed Luke before they swung across on the bridge, she had barely known him for an hour! Reading this book brought those things to mind.
The first chunk of the movie is told from Leia's point of view in the book, the second from Han's and the third from Luke's. And that makes sense, because even though we don't see a lot of Leia in the first part of the movie, that is her emotional arc for sure. And the second is getting to know Han and the third is Luke starting to embrace his destiny. I am getting more goosebumps just writing this.
I love that this is not a novelization of the movie or a rehash of the script. I The author has taken the movie, the script, and several other sources to fill in the gaps and flesh out Leia, Han and Luke and she does a great job. It is a retelling, without being a retelling, if that makes sense.
This book made me want to watch the original Star Wars movie (which was only called Star Wars when I was young, not A New Hope),
right now.
To Sum Up: This is a great introduction to the Star Wars universe for young readers, both ones that have seen the movie and those that haven't. I think these books will be checked out most of the rest of the year, especially after The Force Awakens is released!
Book sent to me by Dina at Disney. Thanks so much!!
