Meredith Rusu is an American children's book author and editor who specializes in books based on television series and movies. For the Star Wars franchise, Rusu has written a plethora of young reader titles. Her first licensed stories were adaptations of episodes from the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels, including Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap from Disney–Lucasfilm Press.
Rusu would go on to write many more children's titles for the publisher, including stories in the 5-Minute Star Wars Stories series of books and the Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection. Additionally, she authored Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, a chapter book tying into the animated series of the same name.
Ezra's Wookiee Rescue, Rusu's first Star Wars title
Meredith Rusu is an American children's book author and editor. Rusu's early contributions to the Star Wars franchise include adaptations of the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels. Ezra's Wookiee Rescue, Rusu's first Star Wars title, adapts the mission to free Wookiee prisoners from the end of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, the series' premiere, which first aired on October 3, 2014. Published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press on October 21 of the same year, the title is accompanied by an audio disc, narrated by Nolan North, and features sound effects and dialogue from the series.
The Inquisitor's Trap, Rusu's second Star Wars Rebels title, was published on December 9, 2014. The illustrated storybook adapts the events of the first season's fifth episode "Rise of the Old Masters," which premiered on Disney XD on October 27 of the same year. On December 22, 2014, Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap were collected in Star Wars Rebels: Storybook Library, a limited-release box set of various storybooks adapting events from the series. Both books received new cover art, with Ezra's Wookiee Rescue being reprinted without its accompanying audio disk. Rusu's final Rebels title, Always Bet on Chopper, was released on May 5, 2015 and adapts the events of the episode "Idiot's Array," which premiered on Disney XD on January 19 of the same year.
Rusu adapted events from Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi for The Original Trilogy Stories.
On September 1, 2015, Disney–Lucasfilm Press published The Original Trilogy Stories, a collection of short stories adapted from the original trilogy films. For the anthology, Rusu contributed two stories, "Return to Dagobah" and "Leia and the Ewoks," which adapt sequences from the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Rusu also contributed three stories to the follow-up anthology, The Prequel Trilogy Stories, published on September 26, 2017. Her first story, "Droid Attack!," adapts the events of the Battle of Naboo from the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Rusu's latter two stories, "The Secret Army" and "A Deadly Plot," retell sequences from the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. On March 19, 2019, all of Rusu's stories from both anthologies were adapted into an unabridged audiobook.
For the storybook collection 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back, published on December 15, 2017, Rusu authored two short stories, "Trapped in the Death Star" and "The Fight in the Forest," adapting events from the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens respectively. On October 3, 2022, both stories were adapted into audio form in the unabridged audiobook 5-Minute Star Wars Stories 2.
Two short stories by Rusu were scheduled to be published in the United States in 5-Minute Star Wars Stories, a refresh of the 2015 anthology of the same name featuring new artwork and stories, though the book never saw release. The short stories eventually saw publication internationally, starting with an Italian publication on January 20, 2021. Rusu's stories, "A Duel Against the Dark Side" and "The Final Battle" adapt events from the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker respectively.
Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection and other anthologies featuring stories by Rusu
October 2, 2018 saw the release of Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection, an illustrated anthology that adapts Star Wars comic books from Marvel Comics and junior novels from Disney–Lucasfilm Press. For the collection, Rusu wrote two stories. Her first story, "The Rebellion's Biggest Heist," adapts events from the twenty-second and twenty-third issues of the 2015 comic series Star Wars by Jason Aaron. The issues were published on August 24 and September 28, 2016, respectively. The second story, "R2-D2 and the Renegade Rescue," adapts the comic series' thirty-sixth issue, which was published on September 13, 2017. Two unabridged audiobooks featuring Rusu's stories, Star Wars Adventure and Star Wars Adventure 2, were released on March 1 and July 26, 2023 respectively.
Rusu also wrote Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, a children's chapter book tying into the 2018 animated micro-series of the same name. The book, which was published on September 17, 2019, introduces younger readers to key characters and concepts from the Star Wars franchise alongside art from the micro-series.