- This item is eligible for our 4-for-3 promotion. Eligible products include select Books and Home & Garden items. Buy any 4 eligible items and get the lowest-priced item free. Here's how (restrictions apply)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Much-loved YA author Patricia Wrede (Dealing with Dragons, Calling on Dragons) retells here the storyline of Episode I, The Phantom Menace from opening shot to final scene. Since much of the action in Phantom Menace centers on 14-year-old Queen Amidala and 9-year-old Jedi-to-be Anakin Skywalker, Wrede takes the opportunity to focus on the thoughts and struggles of these two scrappy youngsters. And young Star Wars fans will appreciate that Wrede's adaptation is faithful to the screenplay--the events and dialogue mesh seamlessly with memories from the movie, only complementing the action with added details and inner dialogue. (We all knew what Anakin was thinking when he rolled his eyes at Qui-Gon's mollycoddling, but this book confirms our suspicions as Anakin groans to himself, "Grown-ups!") An inset section with 28 color stills from the movie adds a nice visual touch to a well-told story. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
True to the Movie, With Greater Emotion and Depth,
By A Customer
This review is from: Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Junior Novelization) (Paperback)
This was a really good summation of the movie, with enough of a look into some of the characters' thoughts to make it enjoyable. Patricia C. Wrede is a great fantasy writer (I adore her novel 'Snow White and Rose Red'), so this doesn't surprise me. She has a great feel for writing beautiful prose that is engaging for children and adults alike. Obviously Wrede had read, or at least heard about the concept of, the two Jedi Apprentice novels, since she refers to them on pages 4 and 5 of the book. At the beginning Qui-Gon is thinking about Obi-Wan, and how they complement each other, and wondering if that was what Yoda foresaw when he "brought Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan together as Master and Padawan apprentice." (4) We also get this line from Qui-Gon's thoughts: "Obi-Wan Kenobi had great skill, no question of that, but sometimes he was so...intense." (4) It was the insight into the thoughts of the characters that really sold me on this novel, especially the thoughts of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Amidala and Anakin. We read of Qui-Gon groaning inwardly at Obi-Wan's "battle humor", and resigning himself to it, remarking that at least Obi-Wan showed evidence of *some* sense of humor, however dark. We discover that Qui-Gon is most disturbed by the power that the handmaiden Padme seems to have over the Queen, and he is rather curt with the individual he views as the "Queen's favorite." We learn of the despair Anakin felt when he realized he has lost everyone who ever meant anything to him. There's a strange dialog between Padme and Anakin in this book that we don't see in the movie. When he first meets Padme in Watto's junk shop, right after he tells Jar Jar to "Hit the nose!" of the droid, he turns to Padme and calmly states that when he grows up he's going to marry her! Padme is stunned, yet feels a cold chill go through her at the boy's certainty of this. We learn that after their disagreement over Anakin and the Council upon leaving Corscant, there was a coldness between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the journey to Naboo. When he walks up to Qui-Gon in the swamps of Naboo to apologize, Obi-Wan is upset that he and Qui-Gon are about to go into battle with a rift between them. He spent most of his time on the journey to Naboo in the cockpit with Ric Olie and Anakin, and recognizes the boy's talents. He's still wary of Anakin, but sees his master's position. Obi-Wan was angry in the Council Chambers when Qui-Gon announced he wanted to take Anakin as his Padawan. He felt like Qui-Gon was chosing Anakin over him - like an only child becoming jealous of a new baby in the house. Perhaps the most poignant new information from the novel is that when he is standing behind the force field watching Qui-Gon and Darth Maul fight, Obi-Wan is overcome by the sensation that everything is wrong as a cold chill runs through him. He seems to see the black figure wearing a black helmet, and knows that *he* should be the one fighting him, not Qui-Gon. He tries to shake off the feeling as he watches the battle. All in all, this novel faithfully relayed the story, and made it more accessable to children, certainly. I found some good insights in it as well. I'd recommend this as a quick reference for the movie. It's not as detailed in dialog as the screenplay, but it certainly tells the story faithfully as a coherent whole, which I don't think you get with the screenplay (Or with the Terry Brooks adult novelization, for that matter).
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Patricia C. Wrede strikes again !,
By A Customer
This review is from: Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Jr. Novelization) (Paperback)
It's amazing how, she started out and finished writing a "CHILDREN'S MIDDLE-GRADE novelization of the new "Star Wars" movie" and it came out better than the "Terry Brooks's "big" adult novelization".I've been a fan of her work for a while now, she manages to write interesting books, yet keep them simple, where you can't put it down. Perhaps my overall favorites are the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, if you liked this book, be sure to read all of the EFC. Also several reviews mentioned how the battle scenes weren't described too much, well, that's how she writes, going into the story, rather than pointless facts about some 10 digit coded names of ships or droids. Also one mentioned how she didn't use "complex words", a book does not need unneccesory complications to it, will those words make the book better ? more enjoyable to read ? I can't understand these people. The whole point of the book is to enjoy the story, not judge how complex the words are and how much they can be twisted. It all comes to less is more. Again, this wasn't aimed for general public, middle-grade levels preatty much. Ohh and by the way, it's Mrs. Wrede.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely well written,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Junior Novelization) (Paperback)
My children have enjoyed reading this series several times.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
