Star Wars: Jedi Academy 5: The Force Oversleeps

Jedi Academy #5

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Victor Starspeeder is back at Jedi Academy for year #2, but it's not going the way he'd planned. He was excited about Drama Club and hoped to get the lead in this year's musical... But a new kid got the role. He keeps oversleeping and getting to class late . . . Worst of all, his big sister Christina is getting ready to graduate from Jedi Academy, and there are rumors going around that she's a Sith! What's a Padawan to do? In times when he feels more alone than ever, Victor will have to trust the ways of the Force and his friends if he's going to survive year two in this all-new chapter in the Jedi Academy series.

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2017

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]

More space opera fun, more comic strip parodies, and more wonderful artwork! Just like the previous ones I've read, I had a blast with this one!

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book with the new character Victor, and this time we have a temptation by the Dark Side, waking up isn't the easiest, jealousy (not a quality that fits with a Jedi in training), sister problems, and much more.

I have to say that Victor just seemed to have forgotten all he learned in the previous book. He was right back in the same place as the last time. He is arrogant. As soon as he learns that his new impressed friend is already friends with everyone, and is as good as he is in many things, he get jealous and quite rude. He once again stresses about school, and doesn't talk to anyone about it. And I could go on. He became better, like the previous book, as the story progresses. But really, is this going to be a trend for each book? We still have at least one year to go, and sorry, if he is going to act crappy again in the next book... I am not sure if I will read it.

I loved the whole sister drama/mystery that was going on in this book. I won't spoil much, but as I read I just couldn't imagine her going to the Dark Side. I was worried, but also thought there may be more to it. Again, she is just too good. I am sure nothing can sway her from that. I loved when everything came together in a great conclusion.

It was quite fun to see Victor get all excited about one thing and then not think of anything else. :P Poor mom, poor sister, poor stepdad. I can imagine that they have gone a bit crazy from his constant chatting about the topic. But I quite like it. I know the feeling of having something so awesome that you want to share everything you know with everyone around you.

We also have a new girl, Elara, and I just adored her from the start. She was a bit stalkerish, but she was also sweet, and I was just rooting for her feelings to be accepted by Victor (who after all should just give up on that other girl, she clearly has no feelings for him/isn't interested in him beyond friendship (ooohhh friendzoned :P)). I loved how supportive she was of Victor.

The new character? Probably due to how Victor viewed him, and we are reading from his POV, I just couldn't like the guy. He just seemed to be trying a bit too hard, plus I found it a bit too easy how he came into their group. I know that a few of them knew him, but they just accepted him without seeing if everyone felt OK with it. Also was it really needed to make him that much of a clone of Victor?

Of course, like all the other books, this book is full with Stargrams (Instagram) pictures, illustrations, comics, newspapers, the comics in the newspapers (again, same problems I had like last time, they were just a bit too much of a copy/paste from the original ones only now with Star Wars characters), lesson plans, and much much more. It made the book really fun to read. You just can't stop reading, you want to know what is on the next page, and the one after that, etc.. :)

Well I hope that in the next book Victor will retain what he learned in this book, and not have a magical case of amnesia. :| I am also curious what the next book will bring, and what the title of the book will be.

All in all, I would still recommend this book to everyone

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Colleen Earle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don’t like these as much as the first ones
A cute story
Will continue in series

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was surprisingly adorable. not quality literature by any means, but fun. the only part i didn't really like was the ending, which was entirely too cheesy, even for a middle-grade star wars book.

[Shadow Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's awesome!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor's second year isn't exactly going according to plan. And neither is his sister's last year. Could Christina really be going over to the Dark Side?!

[Penny Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fun things you get to read when you have kids! 😁

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another fun volume that transforms the middle school experience into a Star Wars stories based on tweens (*ahem* younglings) attending the Jedi Academy. Once again we are joining Victor Starspeeder as he returns for his second year at the school. This time, readers get to experience a bit of cyberbullying, crushes, dealing with a new (perfect) kid joining a group of friends, missing one's dad and dealing with havnig stepfather (even a good one!), and even the challenges of attending the same school with an older sister.

Despite all of the "lessons" included, the book is still fun and funny. Krosoczka continues the inclusion of multiple formats to help the story. These include pages from the weekly student newspaper, Victor's illustrations, Stargram (*ahem* Instagram) posts and a blending of graphic novel and narrative styles.

I always look forward to reading books in this series.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I hope they continue to write more! It's the best to sit down and read one of these in one sitting because I can't put them down.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite of the series, I felt the story was a bit weaker and with less of a narrative line, but still handles the topic of family in a very interesting way
Once again, a great read for young children who love Star Wars :)

[Carina Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool 😎 just good.

[Gypsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good I like how the sister pretends to be on the dark side

[Gage Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok

[Stella McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this isn't truly the first author that made the previous ones this was a great touch to the series! I love Star Wars and this actually had sections in the book that were about Star Wars (the whole book was about Star Wars but some sections had a little more) and described what it would be like if we had a Jedi Academy!

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of good. But not the best of the Jarrett J. Krosoczka's books!

[Victor Chiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book with the new character Victor, and this time we have a temptation by the Dark Side, waking up isn't the easiest, jealousy, sister problems, and much more.

I have to say that Victor just seemed to have forgotten all he learned in the previous book. He was right back in the same place as the last time. He is arrogant. As soon as he learns that his new impressed friend is already friends with everyone, and is as good as he is in many things, he gets jealous and quite rude. He once again stresses about school, and doesn't talk to anyone about it. And I could go on. He became better, like the previous book, as the story progresses. But really, is this going to be a trend for each book? We still have at least one year to go, and sorry, if he is going to act crappy again in the next book... I am not sure if I will read it.

I loved the whole sister drama/mystery that was going on in this book. I won't spoil much, but as I read I just couldn't imagine her going to the Dark Side. I was worried but also thought there may be more to it. Again, she is just too good. I am sure nothing can sway her from that. I loved when everything came together in a great conclusion.

It was quite fun to see Victor get all excited about one thing and then not think of anything else. :P Poor mom, poor sister, poor stepdad. I can imagine that they have gone a bit crazy from his constant chatting about the topic. But I quite like it. I know the feeling of having something so awesome that you want to share everything you know with everyone around you.

We also have a new girl, Elara, and I just adored her from the start. She was a bit stalkerish, but she was also sweet, and I was just rooting for her feelings to be accepted by Victor (who after all should just give up on that other girl, she clearly has no feelings for him/isn't interested in him beyond friendship. I loved how supportive she was of Victor.

The new character? Probably due to how Victor viewed him, and we are reading from his POV, I just couldn't like the guy. He just seemed to be trying a bit too hard, plus I found it a bit too easy how he came into their group. I know that a few of them knew him, but they just accepted him without seeing if everyone felt OK with it. Also was it really needed to make him that much of a clone of Victor?

Of course, like all the other books, this book is full of Stargrams pictures, illustrations, comics, newspapers, the comics in the newspapers, lesson plans, and much much more. It made the book really fun to read. You just can't stop reading, you want to know what is on the next page, and the one after that.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder and his friends have returned for their second year at the Jedi Academy on Coruscant. Victor believes that he's gonna really shine this year as he will finally get to fly in a starspeeder simulator. But things aren't quite going his way as usual. For some reason Victor keeps oversleeping for his first class of the morning. Then there's the new kid who everyone likes and seems to do things better than Victor. Plus, there's rumors going around that his sister Christina could be turning to the Dark Side by becoming a Sith!

This is book five of the Jedi Academy series and I have rather enjoyed each of them. But the first half of this book was really starting to get old to me. The pattern is always this: a young Padawan builds it up in his head that he's going become the Chosen One at the Academy. Then things don't go his way and his love for a fellow classmate is complicated by jealousy or miscommunication. He struggles in class and might actually get expelled for poor grades. Plus, there's always a bully or disapproving teacher. But then something happens in the second half of this book that really won things back over for me.

When Victor starts to suspect that his sister is the galaxy's newest Sith Lord, he starts to reflect on his family life which is of a blended family. Some of Victor's pals reflect on similar circumstances. One of the things I love about Star Wars is that hard hitting issues aren't really what the movie series is trying to tackle. Unlike Star Trek that has a moral edge, Star Wars is more about fun and adventure. Yet I was actually okay with this book tackling a serious issue for once. They didn't make it preachy and it was very welcoming on how they approached the subject in making it gel with the overall theme of the Star Wars series: family!

There's one more book due in this series as it's needed to complete the Victor Starspeeder trilogy. But after book #6, I think I'd be fine if they don't do a third trilogy. UNLESS- maybe that new trilogy could have Roan from the first trilogy and Victor come back as instructor's at the Academy training the next generation of padawans. I would love that idea.

The Force Oversleeps was a book that started off as something that I seriously felt like I had read before- and I had! But it really matures like the padawans do at the turn of the second act. A great read for Star Wars fans of all ages.

[Rick Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the second series of Jedi Academy. This series features Jarrett J. Krosoczka taking over for Jeffrey Brown, and doing a good job of maintaining the style and feel of the first three books. I skipped the first book in this second trilogy, but it was easy to jump in here.

Victor Starspeeder is the transferred into Jedi Academy halfway through the previous year, and now he's a second-year student starting his first full year of studies. He's got a new rival, a new admirer, and a bunch of rumors that Sith forces have been lurking around the school.

But when those rumors begin to focus in on his sister during her graduation year, Victor begins to worry that she may be under the influence of the Dark Side.

The Force Oversleeps keeps up the clever humor and rapid-fire movie references (I particularly liked the student musical production of Little Sarlacc of Horror) and in-jokes that make this series fun.

Ms. Catara, the Gungan guidance counselor and school newspaper advice columnist was an amusing addition to the series, and she had some of the best humorous moments.

There is more high-stakes action here, although the major plot points feel crammed into the end. There are also some potentially emotional events that felt rushed or glossed over.

In general, this book did a better job with the small jokes than with the serious plot elements and character development. There are some good insights, especially about family, but they are thrown in so quickly that it is easy to miss them.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – Victor is back at Jedi Academy this year. He is participating in his first full year of school there. He has proven that he is strong in the Force and that he has a lot of potential. His sister Christina is also strong in the Force with a lot of potential. This is his sisters last year of school and there is a gossip leak about her being a Sith and joining the Dark Side going around school. This doesn’t make Victor feel very proud of his sister, but he stands beside her and tries to prove that she is good and not bad.

When the book wraps up so much has happened and so much has changed, that it had a nice twist. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the characters within it. I do admit that I still miss the original characters. However, I think these are starting to grow on me. This book was a nice addition to the story and gave more insight to what kind of characters they are and what to kind of expect in future books. I look forward to reading the next book in the series very soon.

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.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deciding to continue the series, I picked this one up today. I am either back in the groove or this book improved over #4. I liked this one better.

VIctor is back at Jedi Academy with a pretty good attitude. Then he meets a new boy. He graciously helps him out but quickly becomes jealous of him as Zayner is a lot like Victor, but perhaps a tad better. Maya is no longer within Victor's reach, but a new girl has her eyes set on him. Ooo la la.

The big story, however, is Victor's sister Christina. She seems aloof and Victor is concerned. Later, rumors began that she had turned to the Dark Side. Ut oh.

The group takes a field trip to see the speedbike races. Victor is hooked! Mom warns him not to become too obsessed. She cautioned that Victor's father had become too obsessed with them too.

In the end, the two storylines converge with a twist I did not see coming. My son read over my shoulder loving it. He had read this previously and was so excited that I had come to the conclusion. Ha! He's so cute.

Fun story.

[Tricia F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder is starting his second year at the Jedi Academy. He's excited to see his friend and favorite teachers, and to continue his Jedi training. What he doesn't expect is to be jealous of the new kid in school, Zavyer. Why are all of his friends, including his best friend, impressed with this new kid? And why does this new kid seem to be better at everything that Victor was known for?

If this wasn't bad enough, there are warnings that the dark force is close by and Victor's sister, Christina is acting weird. Weirder than normal. Can Victor figure out how to win his friends back, how to fight the dark force, and how to get his sister to open up to him before the end of the school year? And will he be able to do all of this without oversleeping?

Fans of Jarrett K. Krosoczka's work will appreciate this tale. The story telling is true to the series and the artwork is pure Krosoczka. A quick and fun read!

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the story and artwork, and the plot twists are interesting. This is Victor's second year at the academy after a lackluster first and his sister's last year. Victor is still arrogant ( how surprising for a middle school kid) and Christina is very focused, but is she focused on the right things. I enjoyed how Victor started to be more caring for his friends and especially his sister since they have been at odds with each other as only siblings can be. The fact that Victor perceived himself as a shoo-in for starfighter pilot only to get sick every time he flies is quite funny and a little bit humbling to Victor. I was not overjoyed by the first book, but I am really liking the characters as I get to know them better. Hope we continue to stay in contact with Christina, the older sister, as the series progresses.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder is in his second year at the Jedi Academy, and although he has great hopes for succeeding there, he is thwarted by a talented new classmate that everyone seems to like. Plus, his sister Christina is the subject of some nasty rumors, and Victor's arrogance and impulsiveness may keep him from reaching his potential. Readers will enjoy seeing some of their favorite Star Wars-related characters here and meeting some new ones. The identity of the mysterious person who's been recruiting Christina won't be much of a surprise, but readers will enjoy the book's humor, provided, in part, by the characters themselves but also by comics and newspaper articles about the academy and the world around it.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder is back at Jedi Academy for year two, but it's not going the way he'd planned. He was thrilled about Drama Club and hoped to get the lead in this year's musical... But a new kid got the role! What gives?! Plus, he keeps oversleeping and getting to class late . . . Worst of all, his big sister Christina is getting ready to graduate from Jedi Academy, and there are rumors going around that she's a Sith! What's a Padawan to do? In times when he feels more alone than ever, Victor will have to trust the ways of the Force and his friends if he's going to survive year two in this all-new chapter in the Jedi Academy series.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not like Star Wars, but I read book #4 and didn't mind it, so I didn't think I would mind this one. I like the style of the new author better than the first author. It's actually pretty cute. I like the mix of comics and entries. The "Stargazer" photos are a fun touch.

Victor is back at school and a little dismayed that the new kid is taking his spotlight. Then there's his sister who may or may not be joining the dark side. Victor doesn't want to believe it but the rumors are stacking up.

Not being a Star Wars fan, I didn't get a lot of the cannon references, but the book was still cute. There's lots of stuff that kids can relate to.

[Carolyn Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mom review — these books are cute fun and full
Of kid humor (a lot of which went over my kids heads). In this book Victor’s sister Christina has started acting weird and their are rumors of her joining the dark side — Victor try’s to figure out what is going on with Christina while keeping up with his grades and drama club.

My sons both enjoy looking at the pictures and seeing what happens to the characters though the material is a bit advanced for them I feel like 8-12 is a better age than 5&6. However, my belief is to read the book and talk about it as best you can if they want to keep reading them we absolutely will!

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victor Starspeeder returns to Jedi Academy for his second year as a student. He auditions for the school musical and gets a bit part and continues to pine for the lovely, but unattainable Maya. A new first year kid is giving Victor a run for his money by being interested in and good at all of the things Victor is – there’s some jealousy on Victor’s part. Then, amidst struggles with homework and grades, Victor discovers that his sister, Christina, may be turning to the Dark Side. An exciting and drama filled year for the Starspeeders and another fun installment in this series.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boys weren't as enthralled with this installment has they have been with the rest of the series. I wonder if they've outgrown the storyline. My oldest gave it two stars saying it's not canonical with the rest of the Star Wars universe. My youngest gave it three stars stating that's the lowest rating he's ever given a book. I enjoyed it and hope that they will finish out the series with me when book 6 comes out.

[Carly Warren]

This was a fun book in a fun series! In this book, Victor struggles to get his crush to like him and to become a better Jedi. In the meantime, rumors are spreading that his sister is a Sith! He has to decide for himself whether to believe the rumors and how to best care for his sister. This book teaches the importance of searching for truth and defending the people you love. I would definitely include this in my classroom.

[Ronald III · Rating 5 out of 5]

a young boy name victor starspeeder is going to his 2nd year of jedi academy.His first problem is hes runs into another kid who good at what he is good at,but he stars talking to him and they become friends.His 2nd problem is that his sister is going undercover as a dark side aprentise,but he thinks she has turned to the dark side.His father turns out to be the sith but him and his sister stop together
and his sister is rewarded for her bravery