I was reading the book to my kids in bed and we were all completely incapacitated for a good five minutes. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in the book and one particular section had me laughing so hard, the tears were streaming down my face and my belly hurt. Whilst careful not to excuse the bullying, or leave the perpetrator unpunished, it is a clever way of showing that there is often a reason that bullies act the way that they do. When the truth is finally revealed, Brown sensitively tackles the issue from the bully’s point of view, revealing the insecurities behind the behaviour. In this story, Roan is constantly the victim of pranks (some of which are actually VERY funny), but the chief suspect always has a handy alibi. Like the previous books in the series, The Phantom Bully tackles serious issues like friendships and bullying in a way that young readers will be able to relate to. Jedi Academy is the perfect book series for reluctant readers who don't like traditional reading books, as the comic-strip format and humorous illustrations will draw them in and keep them hooked. Although aimed at the tween market, there really is something in this book to appeal to all ages, especially older Star Wars aficionados like myself, keen to spot the 'in jokes' hidden in the text and pictures.
I loved the first two books in the series so much that I couldn't wait for the latest one to come out and eagerly devoured the whole thing in one indulgent sitting. Everything is riding on his performance this year, as flunking out will mean being held back a year and his friends moving on without him. Bullying is still a real issue for Roan this term, as it seems that someone has made a personal mission of setting him up to fail.
As always, there are plenty of twists and turns, teen troubles and relationship issues mixed in with the force-wielding, piloting and lightsaber battles. Doesn't time fly? It only seems a short time ago that Roan Novachez was starting his first term at Jedi Academy Middle School, yet here he is, all grown up and ready to start his final year.
0 kommentar(er)
