REY AND PALS / AUTHOR: JEFFREY BROWN / PUBLISHER: CHRONICLE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
The Jeffrey Brown series of Star Wars books for kids have become a mini phenomenon, regularly hitting the tops of the book charts and staring a franchise within a franchise that can run and run, mixing characters from across the Star Wars timeline in what is by design an undeniably cute series. His latest entry in the series, Rey and Pals, follows on from the hugely successful Darth Vader and Son series (which has sold over a million copies), Vader’s Little Princess, Goodnight Darth Vader, and Darth Vader and Friends, and the Jedi Academy series. This steps us forward into the sequel era, introducing Browns versions of Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, Kylo, and friends.
It’s clearly pitched at kids, but to be perfectly honest there’s plenty in here for Star Wars fans of any stripe to enjoy. Presented in it’s usual square-bound style, it’s a format that keeps on delivering. It pokes gentle fun at the characters and situations with a charm that makes it an instant page turner and again, while it’s from a kid’s point of view – and thankfully with scant regard for ‘canon’ – it’s a visual treat for the kids and a fun browse for the grown-ups.
In fact, it nails the characterisations so well you can practically hear the voices of the characters as you read them, and I dare you not to transpose those classic Charlie Brown voices onto these versions of the characters. If Brown was willing and able to expand the reach of these iterations from beyond the pages of his hit series of books – maybe if Lucasfilm and Disney decided to make it into an animated series in the Brown style – then they’d have yet another hit on their hands.
Chronicle and Lucasfilm are very well aware of what they have here, and it’s a style and format that can run and run. We’ve had Darth Vader, the Jedi Academy and now the sequel trilogy – or should we say the Age of Resistance – era characters, and there’s no reason why there couldn’t be The Mandalorian, Cassian Andor (imagine Cassian and K-2SO bickering in this format) and more.
If you’re looking for a Christmas stocking filler you won’t go far wrong with this, no matter the age of the fan you’re buying it for, and Brown should be commended for continuing his winning series with such a charming and vibrant book. Sometimes, all it takes is a release like this to remember just why Star Wars grabs kids at a young age and doesn’t let go.
