Melissa Villy 
Go on an adventure with Lando Calrissian and L3-37 in the Middle Grade novel Lando’s Luck.
While on the icy world of Hynestia, Lando’s luck begins to run thin when he’s caught smuggling an illegal beverage. In order to get out of trouble he agrees to deliver Queen Forsythia’s tribute, the Solstice Globe, to the Empire. But when Princess Rinetta stows away on the Falcon insisting that he instead return the orb to its rightful owners on Livno III, things might not turn out in Lando’s favor after all.
Lando’s luck is always precarious, and this story drives that point home as he barely escapes not only the wrath of Queen Forsythia, but the underworld bosses he owes a lot of credits to. Of course, we all know he’ll make it out alive, which might lessen the danger a bit, but it’s no less exciting trying to find out how in the blazes he’s going to get out of the mess he’s gotten himself and L3 into this time.
The story is enhanced by the inclusion of twelve-year-old Rinetta, which gives readers the perspective of someone their own age rather than just adult characters. So far, this is the only Middle Grade Star Wars book to do that, as the others all featured the adult characters. Furthermore, making her a young girl means the book has a wider appeal to both male and female Padawans by balancing out the characters.
Flight of the Falcon
This story is part of the Flight of the Falcon series that tells tales of the adventures the Falcon’s various owners have gone on with the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. This one fills in some of Lando’s and L3’s past before they met Han Solo and Chewbacca. Other books in the series include two “Choose Your Destiny” books and Pirate’s Price featuring Han, Chewbacca, and Hondo Onaka.
Author Justina Ireland is the author of several Young Adult books, including the recent Dread Nation, which was a New York Times bestseller in Young Adult Literature. This is the first novel of hers I’ve read, and while Dread Nation does not personally appeal to me (I’m not a Zombie fan), I would definitely read more of her work if she were to do more Star Wars novels. She is the author of the upcoming Middle Grade book “Spark of the Resistance” featuring Rey, Poe, and Rose for the Journey to the Rise of Skywalker books.
Illustrator Annie Wu previously illustrated DC’s Black Canary and Marvel’s Hawkeye. Her previous Star Wars work includes the Join the Resistance series by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker and “Mattis Makes a Stand” from Star Wars Adventures Vol. 2.
I recommended this book to all fans of Lando and the Millennium Falcon.
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I’m Mina, the Jedi Librarian. I’m a Program Specialist Librarian, lover of all the books, and a lifelong Star Wars fan. I’m also secretly a Jedi.
