• December 16 – France, Italy, Denmark, most of continental Europe
• December 17 – UK, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong
• December 18 – US, Canada.

It has been over ten years since the last Star Wars film graced our movie screens.  As excitement builds ahead of this new release, it is a great time to gather your friends for that Star Wars-themed party or movie marathon.  But do you know that there are other ways to brush up your Star Wars knowledge ahead of the big day?  Here’s an overview on the rich and diverse mythology around Star Wars, and a sneak peek at some new Star Wars books that are available right now.

 The Force Awakens is more than just a film

To accompany the release of The Force Awakens, Disney Publishing and Lucasfilm (current owners of the Star Wars franchise) have developed a big publishing program called “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.  This series of novels, comics, reference guides and activity books are available in both print and digital format, with titles to appeal to all age-groups.  Some relate specifically to The Force Awakens, while others elaborate upon past eras.  Publication has already started, with at least 20 titles in the pipeline.  Highlights include:

Smuggler’s Run: a Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure by Greg Rucka

Available now
This is the Han Solo story the fans have been waiting for.  The Smuggler and his trusty co-pilot run a secret mission for the Rebellion.  Can they succeed while avoiding bounty hunters and the Imperial forces?

Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

Available now
Starting soon after Return of the Jedi, Aftermath is an adventure-thriller about pilot Wedge Antilles, a character from the original films. It provides insights into how the destruction of the second Death Star, and the establishment of the New Republic, has affected the Star Wars galaxy. First of a new trilogy.

Star Wars: the Force Awakens Visual Dictionary by DK Children

Release date December 18, 2015
A complete visual guide to everything you want to know about The Force Awakens.  Comprehensively illustrated in true DK style.

5-Minute Star Wars Stories

Release date December 18, 2015
12 exciting Star Wars stories adapted from all seven Star Wars films. Perfect for bedtime reading with your favourite little Padawan.

An important feature of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens series is that all of these titles are deemed part of the Star Wars canon, meaning that they contain the official version or “facts” about the Star Wars universe, and are consistent with the films and other canonical works.

What constitutes the Star Wars Canon?

The Star Wars “canon” is the collection of media depicting the officially-recognised characters and storylines of the Star Wars universe.  The Canon currently includes:

• The six released Star Wars films plus the three planned sequels (Episodes VII, VIII and IX)
• Star Wars: the Clone Wars animated film and tv series
• Star Wars Rebels tv series, and
• All Journey to Star Wars: the Force Awakens books and media.

All future authorised Star Wars material will also be canonical, as Disney/Lucasfilm re-establishes greater control over the Star Wars universe.  The relationship amongst canonical works is shown in this beautiful timeline by Outerspaces

But wait, there’s more – Star Wars Legends

If the prospect of 20-odd new Star Wars books doesn’t sound nearly enough, there is also a back catalogue to dive into – Star Wars Legends.  Star Wars Legends is previously known as The Star Wars Expanded Universe, and comprises a large collection of media – books, comics, animations, games, toys – created over the last 35 years.  These works cover thousands of years’ worth of Star Wars chronology, and include well-known items such as the two Ewoks films and the web-based Lego Star Wars series.

The Expanded Universe was testament to how the Star Wars story had captivated imaginations; its premise, at once new (high tech science-fiction) and ancient (a classic quest based on mythological motifs), encouraged deep and extensive world-building.  While Lucasfilm did not create in the Expanded Universe, it did help to maintain consistency amongst variously story lines.  Many of the books were written by established sci-fi writers including Alan Dean Foster (https://booko.com.au/9780345320230/Splinter-of-the-Mind-s-Eye), Kevin J Anderson (https://booko.com.au/9780553648393/Star-Wars-Jedi-Trilogy-Boxed-Set) and Timothy Zahn.  Stories such as The Thrawn Trilogy (https://booko.com.au/9780553296129/Star-Wars-01-Heir-To-Empire) were highly regarded, and introduced hugely popular characters such as Jacen and Jaina Solo, twin children of Han and Leia.  Many of these Expanded Universe titles were considered canon prior to a major redefinition in 2014.

While the Expanded Universe content is now considered legends rather than canon, it contains a wealth of great stories that can keep fans happily occupied for years.  The Legends books will continue to be re-published to satisfy market demand.  Moreover, Disney/Lucasfilm have not ruled out re-introducing Legends material into the Canon.  A good starting point for exploring Star Wars Legends is the detailed chronology at Wookieepedia, a wiki-based Star Wars encyclopaedia.

Nopi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi

Nopi: The Cookbook features over 120 of the most popular dishes from Ottolenghi’s wonderful restaurant NOPI. Written by Ottolenghi and his long time collaborator and Head Chef Ramael Scully, Ottolenghi’s collection of recipes has been modified to make them accessible to the average home cook. This recipe book will challenge and inspire you to create some of the famous restaurant dishes we have heard so much about. His ‘Persian Love Rice’ sounds amazing!

The NoMad Cookbook by Daniel Humm, Will Guidara, and Leo Robitschek

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara are owners of the innovative and beloved acclaimed restaurants Eleven Madison and The NoMad. Full of stunning photography, the book features ‘genre-defying’ recipes and also has a surprise cocktail recipe book at the back, making it an amazing collection of both sweet and savoury dishes as well as some funky cocktail recipes.

The Great Australian Cookbook  by Kylie Kwong, Charmaine Solomon, George Calombaris and Maggie Beer.

Penned as the ‘Ultimate’ Australian cookbook, this is a comprehensive collection of dishes from over 100 of Australia’s best-loved cooks. Featuring 165 recipes from cooks, chefs, bakers and with beautiful original photography shot on location, this collection of quintessential Australian recipes is perfect for the home cook.

A Year of Good Eating by Nigel Slater

With a fresh, inspiring take on seasonal eating, ‘A Year of Good Eating’ is the third installment of Nigel Slater’s classic Kitchen Diaries series. It explores the balance of eating well right throughout the year. Nigel Slater is one of Britain’s best-loved Food writers and is the host of BBC’s series ‘One’s Eating Together’. These book features beautifully simple recipes, such as roasted summer vegetables with sausages, quick baked eggs or a salmon pie with herb butter, making eating well both inspired and easy.

Bondi Harvest by Guy Turland and Mark Alston

From the super popular TV series of the same name, Bondi Harvest features over 100 recipes in its now famous casual cooking style. With a focus on seasonal flavours, whole foods and simple but beautiful recipes, this cookbook doubles as a coffee table book with its sumptuous photography.

Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver

Partnering with a nutritionist for this book, Jamie Oliver has developed a range of recipes that are less than 400 calories (breakfast) or 600 (lunches and dinners) per portion. The recipes are low in salt and saturated fat. The theme of the book is having a ‘balanced plate’ combining the right amounts of protein, fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, dairy and sugar/fat. This book complements the focus on nutrition and balanced eating that Jamie has, making it easy for people to plan and eat healthily.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

If you want to purchase 1 book as your ‘bible’ of Italian cooking, this should be it.   Marcella Hazan is known as one of the best Italian cooking writers in the world. The beauty of this book is that it is aimed at every level of cook, from beginner to experienced. It has been featured in ‘The Best 50 cookbooks’ and is a true classic. Bellissimo!

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

I was introduced to this book by the film ‘Julie and Julia’ starring Meryl Streep. That’s how famous Julia Child is: she inspired a book. And a movie! First published in 1961, Child’s book features more than 100 instructive illustrations and is literally a guide through each step of a recipe to its final creation.

Spice Temple by Neil Perry

Spice Temple reveals the inspiration behind Neil’s restaurant, of the same name and offers over 130 recipes for dumplings, hot entrees, Merah Putih noodles, seafood, vegetables, desserts and more. Perfect for those with a love of modern Chinese cooking.

The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson

Written by Magnus Nilsson, head chef of Sweden’s Fäviken Magasinet restaurant. This book jumps head first into exploring the food of Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands. There is a directory that helps you source ingredients to tackle the 700 recipes it features. This is a perfect gift for someone that has travelled or lived in these regions.

As we enter November, we are constantly reminded that the end of the year is nigh – the festive season is approaching, time to plan and shop for gifts.  While choosing gifts can be stressful, it can also be fun – and the sense of satisfaction at matching a person to their perfect gift is priceless.  Here at Booko we are firm believers of books as the perfect gifts for children – within their pages lie fantastical lands, memorable characters, infectious laughter and a wealth of knowledge.  So here are ten modern classics, in gorgeous editions that would delight both givers and recipients.

Guinness World Records 2016

The Guinness Book of Records has been wowing readers for over 60 years.  The combination of strange- and astounding records, interesting facts and colourful illustrations has made it a perennial favourite for both boys and girls.
For those who love computer games, there is the Guinness World Records 2016 Gamers Edition which is devoted to trivia, stats and news about gaming.  This year’s edition contains a special section on Minecraft, full of records, tips and challenges.

How Machines Work by David Macauley

How Machines Work is great fun for anyone who loves machines.  Sloth and Sengi are trying to break out of the zoo using what they can find – a bicycle, a crane, hammers and drills.  Through pop-ups, pull-outs and funny illustrations, we learn how these contraptions can help the animals escape, as well as learn the principles behind basic machines such as levers, pulleys and wheels. How Machines Work is aimed at middle-primary students and is a reworking of David Macauley’s bestseller for older readers, The Way Things Work. Both versions are highly recommended for their richly detailed and informative illustrations, as well as their deft balance between education and entertainment.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay

Can you believe Harry Potter has been with us for 18 years already?  (In fact, J.K. Rowling reminds us that Harry is now a father-of-three, whose second child started at Hogwarts this September.)  During this time, the book covers have been updated several times, but never as spectacularly as this all-colour, fully illustrated hardback edition. The illustrations have made this tale of magic, friendship, school-life and adventure especially enchanting.  Not only will this volume be a special keepsake for a current fan, it will also make a wonderful introduction to Harry’s world for a new generation of readers.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (pop up version) by Robert Sabuda

There is something particularly exciting about pop-up books – the magical transformation from 2D to 3D, the anticipation as you turn the page of what spectacle awaits, the ingenuity of the paper constructions.  And what better subject for a 3D rendering, than Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?  Alice celebrates its 150th birthday this year, and its combination of fantasy, adventure and mathematical cleverness is as popular as ever.  Robert Sabuda has transformed the classic Tenniel illustrations into stunning 3D sculptures, while keeping the abridged text faithful to the original.

My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells

Nursery rhymes make a popular gift for a new baby or young child, and are in fact an important part of our cultural tradition.  This Mother Goose collection contains over 60 rhymes, including favourites such as Humpty Dumpty, Pat-a-cake, and Hey Diddle Diddle. They are brought to life by the distinctive illustrations of Rosemary Wells, beloved creator of the Max and Ruby series, who has injected cheeky humour into the antics of her cast of cute kittens, bunnies, and the occasional human. This large format hardback, with its luxurious pages and full-colour printing, is beautiful to read and touch – perfect for gifting, and definitely a book worth cherishing.

At the Beach (book and jigsaw set) by Roland Harvey

Australians are famous for their beach lifestyle and larrikin humour and this book has both.  Mum, Dad, Henry, Penny and little Frankie have piled into their car, with caravan in tow, for a beach holiday in Crabby Spit.  Through a series of letters to Grandma, we learn about what happened: swimming, fishing, surfing, rockpools, sharks (!), and their neighbours in the caravan park.  Much of Roland Harvey’s humour is hidden in the fine details of his busy scenes – like the sign for a camping shop called “Past Tents” – so everyone can have hours of fun spotting hidden jokes.  At the Beach will bring back memories of childhood summers for many adults, and is also an affectionate introduction of this Aussie rite of passage to younger readers.  This edition comes with a matching 100-piece jigsaw, in an unusual and engaging gift set for an older child.

Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight – but noble-born girls are usually sent to the convent to learn to be a lady and a wife.  Her twin, Thom, is about to start knight training, but prefers to become a sorcerer.  So Alanna hatched a plan for Thom and her to switch places – with Alanna disguised as a boy – so they can both pursue their hearts’ desire.  Song of the Lioness quartet (comprising Alanna: the First Adventure; In the Hand of the Goddess; The Woman who Rides Like a Man; and Lioness Rampant) is about growing up, magic, relationships, determination and working hard to pursue your dreams.  Alanna is a brave and resourceful character – one of the first female heroes in fantasy – who has been captivating tweens and teens for almost thirty years.

Pig the Pug (book and soft toy) by Aaron Blabey

Take one googly eyed pug, add humour, rollicking rhymes and some just desserts for bad behaviour, and you get an instant classic! Pig the Pug was only published a few years ago, but it is so loved that it has already spawned a (bestselling) sequel.  It is a fast-paced story that is great for reading aloud.  This beautifully-designed gift set contains a small format book and a cute plush pug that just makes you want to laugh.

Neil Gaiman / Chris Riddell Box Set

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell are both incredibly successful (also popular and talented) author/illustrators in the fantasy genre. Their recent collaborations show undeniable synergy: somehow, Chris Riddell’s meticulous ink drawings make Neil Gaiman’s text that bit more gothic, ironic, and surreal.  This box set contains paperback versions of their first three collaborations – Coraline; The Graveyard Book; and Fortunately, the Milk.  Coraline is a fantasy horror story about a girl who enters an alternate world from a secret door in her flat, and her battle to return home; The Graveyard Book is a darkly humorous thriller about a teen boy who has been raised by ghosts; while Fortunately, the Milk appears to be the silly and convoluted excuse a father gives his children for returning late from shopping – but may just be a true story!

Ruby Redfort 5 – Pick your Poison by Lauren Child

Ruby Redfort is an unflappable, super-smart 13 year-old with superior detective skills.  She is also a secret agent with a mentor/ sidekick who happens to be her butler.  Each of her novels is funny, fast-paced and tense, featuring puzzling mysteries, dastardly villains, cool gadgets and lots of danger.  Ruby Redfort is a spin-off from the award-winning Clarice Bean series, which author Lauren Child created after many requests from her fans.  It has developed into a witty, stylish series in its own right.  These stories have intellectual cred (with fiendish codes devised by a cryptology expert) and a retro sensibility reminiscent of vintage Batman episodes.  Pick Your Poison is the latest instalment (Book 5) of this series.

The beauty of scary books are that they are psychologically frightening and use your imagination in such a way that you will seriously be kept up at night.

Here’s some that scared the pants off us:

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

In equal parts crime story and supernatural thriller, Lauren Beukes’s Broken Monsters is the graphic, twisted tale of Gabriella Versado. Versedo is the lead detective on a violent case where the body of a young dead African American boy was found fused to the body of a deer. It’s disturbing and yet utterly engrossing, just the thing to freak you out.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

With more than 50 mystery novels to her name, Agatha Christie is the Queen of  suspense. In her classic mystery novel, 10 people are lured to an island mansion, each with a dark secret, and each with a ticking clock on their lives. With everyone dying one by one, you can’t help but wonder…who is going to be next?

A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Temblay

Mixing schizophrenia, reality television, and a religious exorcism together results in a brand new kind of nightmare. A Head Full of Ghosts, Paul Tremblay’s recent thriller is a brilliant mix of terror, suspense, and good old fashioned horror. Completely original, this book will shake you to your core.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark by Alvin Schwartz

Halloween would not be complete without an evening spent reading the stories from this gruesome, terrifying collection. Including the tales that once scared you in your youth but still manage to completely freak you out. If the haunting retelling of scary stories isn’t enough to frighten you, then the illustrations certainly will. It took all of my strength to get past the cover!

Threats by Amelia Gray

Gray’s novel doesn’t set out to be a horror book, but rather an analysis of how disassociating the experience of grief can be. David’s wife has died, but he isn’t sure why, or how. All he knows is he can’t exactly think straight, and he keeps finding mysterious pieces of paper scattered around his house. They contain threats that are loud and disturbing. Gray’s ability to pack even the shortest of sentences densely with emotion makes this book a super jumpy read.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

This book is something of a cult classic–a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child’s scream in the fog, and, most terrifying of all, a ghostly woman dressed all in black. Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming solicitor who is sent to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client. The house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but Kipps is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind its sheltered windows. The routine business trip quickly takes a horrifying turn when he finds himself haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and images.