Meredith Rusu, an American author and editor, focuses on children's books, particularly those connected to television shows and films. Within the Star Wars universe, Rusu has penned numerous books targeted at young readers. Her initial contributions involved adapting episodes of the animated series Star Wars Rebels from 2014, including titles like Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press.
Subsequently, Rusu continued to create a variety of children's books for the same publisher. These included entries in the 5-Minute Star Wars Stories book series and the Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection. Additionally, she wrote a chapter book called Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, which is linked to the animated series of the same title.
An American children's book author and editor, Meredith Rusu, made her first forays into the Star Wars world by adapting episodes from the animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014). Rusu's inaugural Star Wars work, Ezra's Wookiee Rescue, is an adaptation of the mission to free Wookiee prisoners from the conclusion of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, the premiere of the series, which originally aired on October 3, 2014. Published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press on October 21 of the same year, the book includes an audio disc, featuring narration by Nolan North, along with sound effects and dialogue taken directly from the series.
Published on December 9, 2014, Rusu's second Star Wars Rebels book, The Inquisitor's Trap, is an illustrated storybook. It retells the events of the first season's fifth episode, "Rise of the Old Masters," which debuted on Disney XD on October 27 of that same year. On December 22, 2014, Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap were compiled into Star Wars Rebels: Storybook Library, a limited edition collection of storybooks adapting events from the series. Both books featured new cover art, with Ezra's Wookiee Rescue being reprinted without the accompanying audio disc. Rusu's last 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.
The Original Trilogy Stories, a collection of short stories adapted from the original trilogy films, was released by Disney–Lucasfilm Press on September 1, 2015. Rusu contributed two stories to this anthology, "Return to Dagobah" and "Leia and the Ewoks," which are adaptations of segments from the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Rusu also contributed three stories to The Prequel Trilogy Stories, a follow-up anthology, 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 two remaining stories, "The Secret Army" and "A Deadly Plot," retell events from the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.
Rusu penned two short stories for the storybook collection 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back, which was published on December 15, 2017. These stories, "Trapped in the Death Star" and "The Fight in the Forest," adapt events from the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, respectively.
In the United States, Rusu had two short stories slated for publication in 5-Minute Star Wars Stories, a refreshed version of the 2015 anthology of the same name, featuring updated artwork and stories. However, the book was never released. These short stories were eventually published internationally, starting with an Italian edition 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, correspondingly.
Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection, an illustrated anthology adapting Star Wars comic books from Marvel Comics and junior novels from Disney–Lucasfilm Press, was released on October 2, 2018. Rusu contributed two stories to this collection. The first, "The Rebellion's Biggest Heist," adapts events from issues twenty-second and twenty-third of the 2015 comic series Star Wars by Jason Aaron. These issues were published on August 24 and September 28, 2016, respectively. The second story, "R2-D2 and the Renegade Rescue," adapts the thirty-sixth issue of the same comic series, which was published on September 13, 2017.
Rusu also authored Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, a chapter book for children that complements the animated micro-series of the same name from 2018. Published on September 17, 2019, the book introduces younger readers to significant Star Wars characters and concepts, incorporating artwork from the micro-series.
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- Meredith Rusu on Amazon.com (backup link)
- Books by Meredith Rusu on Disney.com (backup link)
- Meredith Rusu on Goodreads' official website (backup link)
- Meredith Rusu on Simon & Schuster's official website (backup link)