Star Wars: Jedi Academy 6 - The Principal Strikes Back

Jedi Academy #6

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

There's a new principal at Jedi Academy, and Victor Starspeeder senses a great disturbance in the force! The sixth book in the New York Times bestselling series. As told through a mix of comics, doodles, and journal entries, it's Victor Starspeeder's third year at Jedi Academy! It's also his first year EVER without his sister, Christina. Plus, things at Jedi Academy are... weird. After last year's security breach, Principal Marr has been demoted and replaced with Commander ZC-04, a big, scary droid. There's a curfew, new regulations, and everyone is on edge. But when Victor and his friends dig a little deeper into the changes at the school, they find that there's a lot more to this story than the droids want to admit! It's an all-new, out-of-this-world Jedi Academy adventure as The Principal Strikes Back!

Genres: Star Wars, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Childrens, Comics, Middle Grade, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2018

About the author

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, known since boyhood as "JJK," is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores over the past twenty years.

In addition to his work in print, Krosoczka produced, directed, and performed in the full-cast audiobook adaptations of his graphic novels. The Hey, Kidoo audiobook garnered both Audie and Odyssey Awards for excellence in audiobook production. The Lunch Lady audiobook cast is led by Kate Flannery (The Office) and is rounded out by famed audiobook narrators and real kid actors! Krosoczka has been a guest on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, has been profiled in The New York Times, was featured on Good Morning America, and has delivered three TED Talks, which have accrued millions of views online. Krosoczka has garnered millions of more views online via the tutorials he has produced for YouTube and TikTok. As well as working on his books' film and television adaptions, Krosoczka has also written for The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+) and served as a consultant for Creative Galaxy (Prime Video), and appeared in live segments for the show.

Realizing that his books can inspire young readers beyond the page, Krosoczka founded School Lunch Hero Day, a national campaign celebrating school lunch staff. A consummate advocate for arts education, Krosoczka also established the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships, which fund art classes for underprivileged children in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Krosoczka lives in western Massachusetts with his spouse, their three children, pugs Ralph and Frank, and a French bulldog named Bella Carmella.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars is a fabulous franchise, but it can be repetitive at times. How many lightsaber duels and interstellar dogfights can one person watch, read about, or "participate in" via a video game?

Well, this book takes Lucas' space opera in a much different direction. While the story here is still inspirational, there is also plenty of humor and hijinks to be found here. My personal favorites were the comics pages, with "Wookie Circus," "Younglings," and especially "Huttfield"; as someone who grew up with the daily funnies, and as a lifelong Tubby Tabby fan, that make me smile big time.

To be honest, I haven't read the previous books in the series; I only read this one today because it's due at the library tomorrow, and I can't renew it. My experience with it shows me that I definitely need to check the others out...and soon!

[Colleen Earle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting plot.
Cute.

[Lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so sad that only I need to read 2 more books until I complete the series!!

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not the best book I've ever read!

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – Victor is about to embark on his final year at Jedi Academy. He is less then enthusiastic about the fact that his sister isn’t going to be attending school with him this year. He also isn’t to thrilled about all the changes that start taking place shortly after the school term begins.

Victor is a good kid and he is strong with the Force. He has a great head on his shoulders and many wonderful friends that like him for being him. His teachers accept him and understand that he does whatever he is capable of doing in regards to school to the best of his ability. There really isn’t a whole lot that can be done when a child does their best and sometimes falls short of it being good enough. In his case he seems to work hard enough that he passes most of his classes with a C or higher.

This year he has the lead in the school musical and he is looking forward to it, however he is also working on the set and trying to keep his studies up. He learns all to quickly that he has over extended himself and decides to step down from set design. Once her does that all these new changes start taking place at Jedi Academy. The principal is forced to step down. Their favorite teachers are fired and or their favorite droids get scheduled to be reprogrammed. It’s a lot of change. It takes Victor and his friends to get to the bottom of it and sort it all out. They soon figure out what’s been going on and do everything they can to right the wrongs that have been taking place within the school.

As I was reading this book I was wondering if it was going to be the last in the series. It doesn’t appear to be the case though. I noticed on GoodReads that there is a book seven listed. I am looking forward to seeing when this book is released and reading it. These books are very much beneficial to children. They help them to see that other children deal with many of the same issues that they do on a regular basis and that they are not alone in how they think and feel about things.

I think that any child that loves Star Wars will enjoy reading this book. I love the illustrations within the pages. They give you a lot to look at and explore. I enjoy reading books like this because they are fun reads. I think that any child would be lucky to have this book added to their home or school library.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder is heading back or his third and final year at the Jedi Academy. For the first time, he is not sure he is looking forward to being there. First, it doesn't help that his older sister Christina is not joining him since she has graduated, but the real problem (he thinks!) is dealing with the fallout from last year's dangerous security breach at the school by the Sith. The problem is that he thinks that problem will be more personal.

Changes have definitely settled in at the school. Principal Marr has been demoted to office manager while a group of security droids have been assigned to guard the school. The chief droid, Commander ZC-04, has been assigned as principal and new policies have been put in place. The kids are definitely not liking the new restrictions. Victor in particular is having trouble dealing with the changes.

It probably doesn't help that he is trying to make the most of his final year at the school and with his friends. He is a bit overwhelmed by everything he has signed up for, and it doesn't help that everyone is struggling with the fact that things simply don't seem to be playing out the way they should at the school. It becomes even scarier when some of the faculty starts disappearing. Can Victor and his friends get to the bottom of things before the worst happens?

I am not sure if this is the final book in the series, but it does seem like things have been set up that way. On the bright side, the series is closing with a bag that is no shortage of fun. The book has everything that made the previous volumes so great. This includes fun illustrations and alternate formats including comics, Stargram (think Instagram) posts , school newspaper articles, and Victor's own drawings.

I can't help but wonder if the series will continue with a third author and a third new set of characters. I hope it does. These books really are great for middle schoolers as they also touch on so many of the things tweens face in their everyday lives ... only they are set in a galaxy far, far away.

[American Mensa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is related to the Star Wars franchise and it takes place in a school called Jedi Academy. The antagonist of the story is the principal, Commandeer ZC-06 who happens to be a loud mouth droid. The students are suffering because of this mean new Principal. One student named Victor Starspeeder believes that something is off at the school and with the help of his friends, he wants to find out what. Some of the main characters include Elara, a friend who just happens to be in love with him, Artemis a book loving friend, and last and possibly least according to Victor, Mr. Zephyr the meanest teacher in school.

This is a fiction book, and it is an easy read that is geared towards kids. I give it 3 stars because it didn’t feel as full to me. This is most likely because I have not read other books in the series and because I haven’t watched many Star Wars movies. I believe if you did watch Star Wars and read other books in the series, that this will be a great book for you. However, if you haven’t read any of the other books, you will be a little lost.
Jace O, age 11, Tidewater Mensa

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s Victor Starspeeder’s last year of training at the Jedi Academy and he wants to make it the best, but he’s still dealing with the aftermath of his Sith father’s attempts to turn him to the Dark Side. He thinks a lot of kids blame him for his dad’s infiltration of the school last term and now the new security measures that have been put into place - namely a security droid called Commander ZC-04. Victor also takes on way too much trying to ace all of his classes, star in the school musical, and lead the set design team. Things go from bad to worse when ZC-04 replaces the principal and uses its increased powers to fire teachers, reprogram droids, and control student activities. Victor and his friends have their suspicions about ZC-04, but they’re going to have to find some evidence that something fishy is going on. Will Victor manage to graduate amidst all of this turmoil? Jedi training, middle school drama, mystery, and mayhem! Fans of the series will enjoy this entry.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in a Scholastic order thinking my son would like it. Of course, that prompted me to pick this series up again. Banged those out in the last 24 hours. Liked the last three of the series, but maybe not as much as the first three.

This last book seemed a bit forced. ;) I figured out, much to my son's wonderment, the reveal before it happened.

Didn't think the plot was all that interesting in this one.

Victor came around to appreciating everything about school that adults wish children would. I suppose they'll be a new character and a new author, but it would be kind of interesting to follow Victor (and maybe even Christina) in their pursuits after Jedi Academy.

[Cody Gruber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and all others in the series! This one in particular is by far the best in Krosoczka's trilogy. I especially liked how some new principal comes in out of nowhere, completely taking everyone by surprise, and the students go to save the school from the new rules, which I won't name because of spoilers.

I also thought the story was well-writtern in general. I always loved how the stories are told in a comic book/journal kind of way. The way the comic panels and characters are drawn is absolutely fabulous! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Star Wars and comics.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

This is the first Jedi Academy book I've read. I think this is probably a series that's better to read in order, but I wasn't totally lost. I just didn't know all of the characters and their connections (I also think the ending didn't have the emotional impact it might have were I more familiar with the series). The book has humor, friendship, and first crushes but isn't overly goofy or drama-filled. It's mostly about loyalty and doing the right thing. I will try to read the rest of the series at some point because I did enjoy this volume, even without all the backstory.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third year at Jedi Academy should be a breeze for Victor Starspeeder. After all, he has plenty of friends and knows the routines. But things just aren't the same this year, mostly due to the new rules and regulations imposed by the new school principal, Commander ZC-04. With the aid of his friends and even Yoda, Victor decides not to sit idly by as things go from bad to worse. After all, there's something rather odd and rather familiar about that commander. As he has done in the earlier books in this series, the author includes newspaper articles and online chats and snippets to tell the story. Things look dismal for most of the book until the students turn them around.

[Adon · Rating 4 out of 5]

vitor starspeeder checking in for my third year at jedi academy. i hate to be downer but things here are really,really not cool. principal marr got demoted and replace with commander zc-o4, a big, loud droid who is always mad about SOMETHING. He gave us a curfew and instituted new regulations, and even master yoda seems stressed out. it'd be a lot easier if my sister were around, but christna graduated last year. so, my friends and i are on our own. somthing tells us Zc-04 is hiding somthing. and we,re not going to rest until we find out what!

[Cathy Sheetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of diary entries, fact sheets and cartoon-like pages fill this book about a boy's last year at Jedi Academy. Many characters resemble aspects of traditional Star Wars characters, but slightly different. Victor, the main character, has a hard start to the year because he has learned his father is a Sith. However, he remains undaunted and the adventures begin.

Classroom library for 4th through 6th grade.

[Joseph Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder completes his last year at the academy by implementing the skills he’s learned to save the school from the new principal and his load of strict rules. He relies on his friends, mentors, and family for help.

This is a good graphical book for fourth and fifth graders or anyone who has enjoyed the previous five books.

[Carmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the quality of the illustrations in this final edition by this author. I found the writing very small and considerably more words to tell a similar ending to other editions. Although my son suggested it was still an easy read for a 9 yr old, I’m not sure all primary aged students would have the same opinion?

[Susie Ochs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I can't wait till next

Oh man I really son’s have much to say. I mean that plot twist with the fake droid. And that big light saber battle so cool. Better than force over sleeps, ya know with my review and all, the whole “ I mean I am your father that so old.” But this was better. So in the end, just so... So emotional. I mean that was the end for original series but then, I read his sisters book. Than back to roan.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hope you like this book as much as I did

Bye y’all
✌️
(Review by the kid, age 9)

[Jenny T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 6th book in the Jedi Academy series which has Victor Starspeeder in his last year at the school. A droid, ZC-04, becomes principal with very strict rules and eliminates all fun. It's up to Victor and his friends to use their Force skills to save the school. A quick Star Wars read for the middle school age group.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Principal Strikes Back is the weakest edition of the Jedi Academy series. Riddled with typos and with a stilted lack of contractions, it honestly felt hard to read in a way that is very uncharacteristic for this series. What happened? The plot is weak, too.

[Kate N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. The plot of the story was Amazing. I didn't know that the bad principal was Zachary O'Halleran (The bad student who left Jedi Academy). But Zachary looked kind of weird in that droid costume. But at least Victor saved the school. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Michael V. Galarneau Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the rest of the series - a quick and enjoyable read! I like that this book came back full circle to book 4 with the villain. I also liked the growth of the main character in regard to his romantic interests.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor has problems his senior year.

[Edmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think these books are best for any age.

[Emily Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to the series!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what they are, these books are fun and engaging for kids. I prefer the Jeffry Brown books, but this one was good, too, and my son is happy they’re continuing the series.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good!

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun story!!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Elara, Artemic, and Cole.

[Gustavo Eydallin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

Such agreat book i chose a 5 out of 5 because its very much like star wars it has lots pf action as wel

[Michelle Sonnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the rest of this series this is a solid and entertaining book that my son enjoyed and had enough interest that I enjoyed bedtime reading too.