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For other uses, see Meredith.

"I actually used to want to write for children's television. I watched a lot of cartoons growing up. A LOT. And probably until I was far older than the intended target audience. I always loved paying attention to the storylines, dialogue, underlying plots, themes, and moods. And I used to imagine how I would have done the story differently. I never realized that could translate into writing book tie-ins for children's television and toys so well, but it does!"
―Meredith Rusu[2]

Meredith Rusu is an American children's book author and editor who specializes in books based on television series and movies. For the Star Wars franchise, Rusu has written a plethora of young reader titles. Her first licensed stories were adaptations of episodes from the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels, including Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap from Disney–Lucasfilm Press.

Rusu would go on to write many more children's titles for the publisher, including stories in the 5-Minute Star Wars Stories series of books and the Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection. Additionally, she authored Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, a chapter book tying into the animated series of the same name.

Biography[]

Star Wars Rebels beginnings[]

EzrasWookieeRescue

Ezra's Wookiee Rescue, Rusu's first Star Wars title

Meredith Rusu is an American children's book author and editor.[1] Rusu's early contributions to the Star Wars franchise include adaptations of[3] the 2014 animated series[4] Star Wars Rebels. Ezra's Wookiee Rescue, Rusu's first Star Wars title, adapts the mission to free Wookiee prisoners[3] from the end of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion,[5] the series' premiere, which first aired on October 3, 2014.[4] Published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press on October 21 of the same year,[6] the title is accompanied by an audio disc, narrated by Nolan North, and features sound effects and dialogue from the series.[3]

The Inquisitor's Trap, Rusu's second Star Wars Rebels title, was published on December 9, 2014.[7] The illustrated storybook adapts the events of[8] the first season's fifth episode[9] "Rise of the Old Masters,"[8] which premiered on Disney XD on October 27 of the same year.[10] On December 22, 2014,[11] Ezra's Wookiee Rescue and The Inquisitor's Trap were collected in Star Wars Rebels: Storybook Library,[12] a limited-release box set of various storybooks adapting events from the series.[11] Both books received new cover art, with Ezra's Wookiee Rescue being reprinted without its accompanying audio disk.[12] Rusu's final Rebels title, Always Bet on Chopper, was released on May 5, 2015[13] and adapts the events of the episode "Idiot's Array,"[14] which premiered on Disney XD on January 19 of the same year.[10]

Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy Stories[]

Return of the Jedi 6 stories in 1 cover

Rusu adapted events from Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi for The Original Trilogy Stories.

On September 1, 2015, Disney–Lucasfilm Press published The Original Trilogy Stories, a collection of short stories adapted from the original trilogy films.[15] For the anthology, Rusu contributed two stories, "Return to Dagobah"[16] and "Leia and the Ewoks,"[17] which adapt sequences from[18] the 1983 film[19] Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.[18]

Rusu also contributed three stories to the follow-up anthology,[20] The Prequel Trilogy Stories, published on September 26, 2017.[21] Her first story, "Droid Attack!," adapts the events of the Battle of Naboo from[22] the 1999 film[23] Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.[22] Rusu's latter two stories, "The Secret Army"[24] and "A Deadly Plot,"[25] retell sequences from[20] the 2002 film[26] Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.[20] On March 19, 2019, all of Rusu's stories from both anthologies were adapted into an unabridged audiobook.[27]

5-Minute Star Wars Stories[]

For the storybook collection 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back, published on December 15, 2017,[28] Rusu authored two short stories, "Trapped in the Death Star"[29] and "The Fight in the Forest,"[30] adapting events from[29] the 1977 film[31] Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and[29] the 2015 film[32] Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens respectively.[30] On October 3, 2022, both stories were adapted into audio form in the unabridged audiobook 5-Minute Star Wars Stories 2.[33]

Two short stories by Rusu[34] were scheduled to be published in the United States in 5-Minute Star Wars Stories, a refresh of the 2015 anthology of the same name featuring new artwork and stories, though the book never saw release.[35] The short stories eventually saw publication internationally, starting with an Italian publication on January 20, 2021.[36] Rusu's stories, "A Duel Against the Dark Side"[37] and "The Final Battle"[38] adapt events from[37] the 2005 film[39] Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and[37] the 2019 film[40] Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker respectively.[38]

Galactic Adventures and Galaxy of Adventures[]

Books by ST Bende

Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection and other anthologies featuring stories by Rusu

October 2, 2018 saw the release of Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection, an illustrated anthology[41] that adapts Star Wars comic books from Marvel Comics and junior novels from Disney–Lucasfilm Press.[42] For the collection, Rusu wrote two stories. Her first story, "The Rebellion's Biggest Heist," adapts events from the twenty-second and twenty-third issues of[43] the 2015 comic series[44] Star Wars by Jason Aaron.[43] The issues were published on August 24[45] and September 28, 2016, respectively.[46] The second story, "R2-D2 and the Renegade Rescue," adapts the comic series' thirty-sixth issue,[47] which was published on September 13, 2017.[48] Two unabridged audiobooks featuring Rusu's stories, Star Wars Adventure[49] and Star Wars Adventure 2, were released on[50] March 1[49] and July 26, 2023 respectively.[50]

Rusu also wrote Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures, a children's chapter book tying into[51] the 2018[52] animated micro-series of the same name. The book, which was published on September 17, 2019,[53] introduces younger readers to key characters and concepts from the Star Wars franchise alongside art from the micro-series.[51]

Bibliography[]

Year Title Format
2014 Ezra's Wookiee Rescue Children's storybook[3]
The Inquisitor's Trap Children's storybook[7]
2015 Always Bet on Chopper Children's storybook[14]
"Return to Dagobah" — The Original Trilogy Stories Children's short story[16]
"Leia and the Ewoks" — The Original Trilogy Stories Children's short story[17]
2017 "Droid Attack!" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories Children's short story[22]
"The Secret Army" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories Children's short story[24]
"A Deadly Plot" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories Children's short story[25]
"Trapped in the Death Star" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back Children's short story[29]
"The Fight in the Forest" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back Children's short story[30]
2018 "The Rebellion's Biggest Heist" — Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection Children's short story[43]
"R2-D2 and the Renegade Rescue" — Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection Children's short story[47]
2019 Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures Chapter book[51]
2021 "A Duel Against the Dark Side" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Children's short story[37]
"The Final Battle" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Children's short story[38]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 About on Meredith Rusu, Children's Book Author (archived from the original on May 2, 2022)
  2. FAQ by Rusu, Meredith on Meredith Rusu, Children's Book Author (archived from the original on May 2, 2022)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ezra's Wookiee Rescue
  4. 4.0 4.1 StarWars Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion Premieres Friday, October 3 on Disney Channel on StarWars.com (backup link)
  5. Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
  6. Amazon-Favicon Star Wars Rebels Ezra's Wookiee Rescue (Read-Along Storybook and CD) on Amazon.com (backup link)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Disney Star Wars Rebels: The Inquisitor's Trap on Disney.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  8. 8.0 8.1 The Inquisitor's Trap
  9. StarWars Star Wars Rebels on StarWars.com (backup link)
  10. 10.0 10.1 SWInsider "Star Wars Rebels Recounted" — Star Wars Insider 156
  11. 11.0 11.1 Hachette-logo Star Wars Rebels: Storybook Library (BTMS Custom Pub) on the official Hachette Book Group Business Portal website (content now obsolete; backup link)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Star Wars Rebels: Storybook Library
  13. Disney World of Reading: Always Bet on Chopper on Disney.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Always Bet on Chopper
  15. Disney Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Stories on Disney.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  16. 16.0 16.1 "Return to Dagobah" — The Original Trilogy Stories
  17. 17.0 17.1 "Leia and the Ewoks" — The Original Trilogy Stories
  18. 18.0 18.1 The Original Trilogy Stories
  19. Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 The Prequel Trilogy Stories
  21. Amazon-Favicon Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Stories (Storybook Library) on Amazon.com (backup link)
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 "Droid Attack!" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories
  23. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  24. 24.0 24.1 "The Secret Army" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories
  25. 25.0 25.1 "A Deadly Plot" — The Prequel Trilogy Stories
  26. Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  27. Amazon-Favicon Star Wars Storybook Collection: Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Stories and Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Stories on Amazon.com (backup link)
  28. Disney 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back on Disney.com (backup link)
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 "Trapped in the Death Star" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 "The Fight in the Forest" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back
  31. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  32. Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
  33. Amazon-Favicon Star Wars 5-Minuten-Geschichten 2: CD Standard Audio Format, Lesung. Ungekürzte Ausgabe on Amazon.de (backup link)
  34. 5-Minute Star Wars Stories
  35. EdelweissPlus-Logo 5-Minute Star Wars Stories (Refresh) on the official Edelweiss website (backup link)
  36. Amazon-Favicon Racconti per avventure da altri mondi. Star Wars. Ediz. a colori on Amazon.it (backup link)
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 "A Duel Against the Dark Side" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 "The Final Battle" — 5-Minute Star Wars Stories
  39. Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  40. Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
  41. Disney Galactic Adventures on Disney.com (backup link)
  42. Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection
  43. 43.0 43.1 43.2 "The Rebellion's Biggest Heist" — Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection
  44. StarWars SDCC 2014: Inside Marvel's New Star Wars Comics – Exclusive on StarWars.com (backup link)
  45. Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars (2015) #22 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  46. Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars (2015) #23 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  47. 47.0 47.1 "R2-D2 and the Renegade Rescue" — Galactic Adventures Storybook Collection
  48. Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars (2015) #36 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  49. 49.0 49.1 Amazon-Favicon Star Wars Adventure on Amazon.de (backup link)
  50. 50.0 50.1 Amazon-Favicon Star Wars Abenteuer 2 on Amazon.de (backup link)
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures
  52. StarWars Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures to Debut on New "Star Wars Kids" Website and YouTube Channel on StarWars.com (backup link)
  53. Amazon-Favicon Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures Chapter Book on Amazon.com (backup link)

External links[]

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