The Star Wars: Jedi Academy series, aimed at elementary schoolers and published by Scholastic, presents non-canon stories within the Star Wars universe. These young-reader novels were initially penned by Jeffrey Brown, and later by Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Amy Ignatow.
The initial books center around the escapades of Roan Novachez, a young resident of Tatooine. He discovers, much to his surprise, that he is sensitive to the Force and receives an invitation to study at Jedi Academy, located within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The second set of books, starting with Jedi Academy: A New Class, follows the journey of a new Padawan named Victor Starspeeder. Jedi Academy: Revenge of the Sis is a third story arc, and it follows Christina Starspeeder.
The original run consisted of three books, concluding with Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully on June 30, 2015. Additionally, Jedi Academy: Attack of the Journal served as a companion book, and a box set containing the core trilogy was released on September 29, 2015.
A further three books comprise the second series. It all started with the release of Jedi Academy: A New Class on July 26, 2016. A new author and illustrator, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, took over the series, introducing a fresh set of characters. Victor Starspeeder, whose youthful exuberance frequently results in detention under the supervision of Yoda, is the main character.
A third story arc was launched in 2019.
Despite the series' continuation into 2019, the stories remain within the Star Wars Legends timeline, incorporating recognizable locations and concepts from the Expanded Universe. To emphasize a middle-school atmosphere, the books are set long before the events of the prequel trilogy, avoiding the significant events and political turmoil of that period. However, the arc that begins with Jedi Academy: Revenge of the Sis makes reference to elements from the new canon timeline.
In Jedi Academy, the series' inaugural book, Novachez departs from his family on Tatooine to attend Jedi Academy. He cultivates friendships and embarks on his initial training in the Force. Initially feeling overwhelmed among more experienced students, he gradually gains confidence and skill.
Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan depicts Roan's return to classes following a summer holiday. He faces challenges in starfighter pilot training under the strict Mr. Garfield and becomes entangled in cyberbullying after joining the academy's Holobook social media platform. Balancing academic and personal demands, he worries about jeopardizing his relationship with his crush, Gaiana.
Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully chronicles Roan's final year at Jedi Academy. Novachez trains as Mr. Garfield's personal Jedi Padawan in this book. While striving to avoid the issues of the previous year, he also faces a cloned Voorpaks crisis and a scheme to get him into trouble with the entire school.
Jedi Academy: A New Class highlights a new group of Padawans, particularly Victor Starspeeder, an enthusiastic newcomer. He befriends Zach, an older student, but problems soon arise. The following two books are Jedi Academy: The Force Oversleeps, which was released in the summer of 2017, and Jedi Academy: The Principal Strikes Back, which was released on July 31, 2018. Jarrett J. Krosoczka, a new author and illustrator, was responsible for these three books. After Brown chose to step down to work on other projects, Kroscozka was asked if he wanted to continue the series. Krosockza called Brown "a graphic artist who I admire immensely."
With Jedi Academy: Revenge of the Sis, which was released on March 26, 2019, a new story arc got underway. Amy Ignatow wrote this book, and Krosockza came back as the illustrator. On September 3, 2019, Jedi Academy: Attack of the Furball was made available. Jedi Academy: At Last, Jedi, the arc's last book, was released on April 21, 2020.
- " Blaster " — Star Wars Insider 151