HEIRS OF THE FORCE

The Solo children join the Jedi Academy, and are introduced to new friends.  Jaina repairs a crashed TIE fighter found in the jungle.

  They attend lecture sessions given by Luke, or by Tionne, the historian.  They practice levitation and meditation, but want their own lightsabers. 

  Han and Chewie come to deliver supplies, messages, food for Jacen's myriad animals, and a hyperdrive for Jaina to fiddle with.  Some of the news must have been distressing, because Luke goes off Yavin 4 for a while (conveniently until the end of the book, actually).

  Lowie has a translation droid called M-TD, which was programmed by C3PO, so we get the requisite droid chatter.  He's actually quite funny, when he's not annoying. 

  Lowie has his own small craft, which he likes to explore with through the jungle.  He misses home, so he goes out exploring often.  He discovers a TIE fighter that must have crashed during the Battle of Yavin.  Jaina thinks this is the most wonderful find, and she gets her friends to help her work on fixing the ship up.  They do so, around their other duties and studies. 

  Suddenly, when they are almost finished, the TIE pilot arrives.  He has survived all this time living by his wits.  Tenel Ka and Lowie escape, but he captures the twins, and forces them to finish the repairs to his ship.  He also knows that Jaina has installed the hyperdrive her father brought her into this craft. 

  Finally, he takes off, intent on causing as much damage to the Academy as possible, but Jaina had never fixed the weapons systems.  So he takes off into hyperspace in search of other Imperials. 

  Han and Chewie were called down from Lando's new gem-mining station orbiting Yavin to deal with the crisis, since the Academy doesn't have any ships.  He is furious to learn that Jaina installed a hyperdrive in the TIE.  But he forgives her by the end.  She was just jealous of Lowie, after all. 

  The biggest problem I have with this book is the TIE pilot.  A lot has happened on Yavin 4 since the Battle of Yavin.  I just don't believe he could have survived like that, especially so close to the Academy.

  But it was still a decent opening to the Young Jedi Knights.