The Principal Strikes Back

There's a new principal at Jedi Academy, and Victor Starspeeder senses a great disturbance in the force! The sixth book in the New York Times bestselling series.

There's a new principal at Jedi Academy, and Victor Starspeeder senses a great disturbance in the force! The sixth book in the New York Times bestselling series. As told through a mix of comics, doodles, and journal entries, it's Victor Starspeeder's third year at Jedi Academy! It's also his first year EVER without his sister, Christina. Plus, things at Jedi Academy are... weird. After last year's security breach, Principal Marr has been demoted and replaced with Commander ZC-04, a big, scary droid. There's a curfew, new regulations, and everyone is on edge. But when Victor and his friends dig a little deeper into the changes at the school, they find that there's a lot more to this story than the droids want to admit! It's an all-new, out-of-this-world Jedi Academy adventure as The Principal Strikes Back!

"Victor Starspeeder is back at Jedi Academy for year two, but it's not going the way he'd planned. He was thrilled about Drama Club and hoped to get the lead in this year's musical... But a new kid got the role! What gives?! Plus, he keeps oversleeping and getting to class late . . . Worst of all, his big sister Christina is getting ready to graduate from Jedi Academy, and there are rumors going around that she's a Sith! What's a Padawan to do? In times when he feels more alone than ever, Victor will have to trust the ways of the Force and his friends if he's going to survive year two in this all-new chapter in the Jedi Academy series."--

As told through a mix of comics, doodles, and journal entries, it's Victor Starspeeder's third year at Jedi Academy! It's also his first year EVER without his sister, Christina. Plus, things at Jedi Academy are... weird. After last year's security breach, Principal Marr has been demoted and replaced with Commander ZC-04, a big, scary droid. There's a curfew, new regulations, and everyone is on edge. But when Victor and his friends dig a little deeper into the changes at the school, they find that there's a lot more to this story than the droids want to admit! It's an all-new, out-of-this-world Jedi Academy adventure as The Principal Strikes Back!

An unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestseller Gordon Korman Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone's looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever. The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face-not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past. With Linked, Gordon Korman, the author of the acclaimed novel Restart, poses a mystery for all readers where the who did it? isn't nearly as important as the why?

The hilarious, clever, and much-anticipated follow-up to the breakout hit, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda! It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . . This is the second case file in the blockbuster bestselling Origami Yoda series, written by Tom Angleberger, author of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side, showcasing his proven knack for authentically capturing the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school in “a satisfying tale of friendship and just resistance to authority” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Praise for Darth Paper Strikes Back STARRED REIVEW“Angleberger’s just-as-funny follow-up to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda delves deeper into the mystery of the helpful paper Yoda in a satisfying tale of friendship and just resistance to authority.Pitch-perfect middle-school milieu and enough Star Wars references (and laughs) to satisfy fans and win new ones.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “In this imaginative sequel…author Tom Angleberger has his finger puppet squarely on the erratic pulse of middle-school life, with its shifting allegiances, squeals, moans and misgivings.”—Washington Post “As with this story’s predecessor, the well-observed middle-school dynamics (and Angleberger’s sharp sense of humor) are greatly amplified by the book's design, which includes faux wrinkled pages, abundant doodles, and other scrawled marginalia. It's a natural step up from the Wimpy Kid series, with more text and narrative complexity, but just as much on-target humor and all-around fun.” —Publishers Weekly “This book is honest, funny, and immensely entertaining. The illustrations and design will engage readers. Based on the positive reception Origami Yoda has received, kids will be clamoring for this sequel. They won’t be disappointed.” —School Library Journal “The Force is with Tom Angleberger in this sequel to his funny and clever novel/comics hybrid, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. A sequel to equal the funny and clever novel/comics debut of the Origami Yoda, as Dwight’s friends try to save him from reform school.—Shelf Awareness “With the same deft touch that made The Strange Case of Origami Yoda a pleasure, Angleberger takes readers through the ups and downs of adolescence.” —Portland Book Review “Darth Paper offers further proof that Angleberger really understands middle-schoolers and the daily dramas that engulf them, while still finding the humor inherent in their situations.—Scripps News

China's extraordinarily rapid economic growth since 1978, driven by market-oriented reforms, has set world records and continued unabated, despite predictions of an inevitable slowdown. In The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?, renowned China scholar Nicholas R. Lardy argues that China's future growth prospects could be equally bright but are shadowed by the specter of resurgent state dominance, which has begun to diminish the vital role of the market and private firms in China's economy. Lardy's book arrives in timely fashion as a sequel to his pathbreaking Markets over Mao: The Rise of Private Business in China, published by PIIE in 2014. This book mobilizes new data to trace how President Xi Jinping has consistently championed state-owned or controlled enterprises, encouraging local political leaders and financial institutions to prop up ailing, underperforming companies that are a drag on China's potential. As with his previous book, Lardy's perspective departs from conventional wisdom, especially in its contention that China could achieve a high growth rate for the next two decades—if it reverses course and returns to the path of market-oriented reforms.

Christina Starspeeder graduates in this 9th volume in the New York Times bestselling series Star Wars: Jedi Academy!