February 1, 2017
Mattis Banz dreams of one day joining the Resistance to defeat the First Order, a looming post-Empire threat. Abandoned at an orphanage, human teen Mattis imagines that his parents are Rebellion fighters who had to leave him in order to fight the Empire. Mattis doesn't realize that he has been watched on his home planet of Durkteel by Resistance scouts who've noticed his leadership capabilities and now recruit him to train for the Resistance. As introduced in the film The Force Awakens, the Resistance is a splinter group that has separated from the Republic's military, disturbed by the Republic's passivity to the rise of the First Order. Under the leadership of Star Wars' favorite commander, Adm. Ackbar, 14-year-old Mattis joins other new recruits, a scruffy band of young potentials who don't always follow the rules. To teach them a lesson in discipline, Adm. Ackbar sends the squabbling crew on its first mission to the murky swamp planet of Vodran where near-death experiences force team members to overlook their differences as they encounter darker forces ahead. Fans well-read in Star Wars lore will likely find Mattis Banz something of a lightweight dreamer--not a potential hero for any rebellion. The authors stay loyal to the Star Wars tradition, offering a cliffhanger ending that holds out hope for Mattis to redeem himself in the next book. An incomplete character arc makes this outing less than satisfying. (Science fiction. 10-12)
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April 1, 2017
Gr 4-6-Mattis Banz longs for a better life in this Star Wars-inspired story. He's currently living in an orphanage on the planet Durkteel and is desperate to become one of the fighters in the Resistance against the First Order of the evil Empire. After a few close calls that showcase Mattis's bravery and wily skills, his dream finally comes true when he is recruited to join the Resistance. Mattis is put together with a group who, at first glance, seem like an underwhelming bunch. After some disagreements, Mattis and company are sent to Vodran, a dangerous, gloomy swamp planet with few if any inhabitants. Mattis and the others must learn to work together as one in order to defeat the evils on Vodran and gain the skills necessary to advance higher within the Resistance. Star Wars fans will delight in seeing familiar faces appear throughout (Admiral Ackbar plays an important role as the group's sage and trusted leader). However, even though Mattis is a new character, those who aren't well versed with the Star Wars world will find themselves lost, as numerous places, groups, and events are referenced with little to no background information. A cliff-hanger ending ensures that readers will have more adventures with Mattis and company to look forward to. VERDICT Purchase where the Force of Star Wars fandom is strong.-Christopher Lassen, BookOps: The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 15, 2017
Grades 4-7 Mattis knows the Force is within him; it just hasn't visibly manifested yet. So he's excited when he's recruited by the Resistance to train as a pilot. However, within minutes of landing at the base, he falls in with Dec and his droid brother, AG-90, and gets labeled a troublemaker. When his group of trainees discovers one among them might be a First Order sympathizer, their plan to expose the traitor lands them scavenging for raw materials on Vodran. Only the planet is not as deserted as the Resistance believes. While there are a few too many characters, many of whom are described one-dimensionally based on their race or culture, which could confuse readers unfamiliar with the Star Wars franchise, this will be a hit among fans of the saga looking for a humorous story about a ragtag group of tweens. A particular highlight is AG-90, a quirky character with a rebellious sense of humor. The popularity of Star Wars is still unabated, so expect this series opener to fly off the shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2018
Fourteen-year-old Mattis joins the Resistance to become a hero fighting the First Order. But first he and his troublemaking fellow recruits will have to become a team. This decent if uneventful new series set in the Star Wars universe focuses on establishing characters rather than on actual adventures, though a climactic encounter with monstrous rancors and a cliffhanger ending nicely set up the next installment.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)