Thursday, April 9, 2015

The Phantom Bully (Jedi Academy #3) by Jeffrey Brown –OPTIONAL

Brown, Jeffrey The Phantom Bully (Jedi Academy #3) 176 pgs, Scholastic, (June) 2015. $12.99
Roan is in his final year of middle school at the Jedi Academy. He is worried because his assigned mentor doesn’t seem to like him, and Roan really wants to succeed at becoming a star pilot. Thing are moving forward with his crush, Gaiana, from double dates, to single dates, to kissing on the lips. Something that isn’t going right is that Roan is still being bullied and he is having a hard time standing up for himself. Having always had the goal of passing versus excelling, will Roan be able to even accomplish graduation?
In case you are not familiar, this series is told from Roan’s perspective as he writes in a journal, e-mails, posters, comics, and grading sheets. Its simple but fun illustrations are so creative and interesting to read. I have loved this series, and have previously reviewed the first two books of this series as essential and for lower elementary. Why lower elementary? They are wholesome, that’s where the big fans Star Wars fans are, as well as those reluctant readers that might benefit from the varied comic style. The plot is simply not interesting enough for older readers, its just a pretty basic school day type of thing. However, this book, #3 includes a ton of romance, dating, and kissing! The big readers of this series are 2-3 grades boys, who would not be interested in that in the slightest. If your school’s fan base is more upper grades, this would be a fun addition, but I won’t be adding it to my collection.
EL(K-3) –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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