A lot of nice pictures of the people, places and events that Padme encounters throughout Episode l. Easy enough for kids to read and understand on their own. Very nice, short, sweet... I would recommend.

The release of Star Wars books for young people has always been related to a theatrical promotion. In a world that has a seen all six films, a new wave of DK Readers is much appreciated. It gives us comfort that even though the movies are finished, the Star Wars experience isn't completely 'done.' As the title suggests, "A Queen's Diary" looks into the life of Queen Amidala of the Naboo. In the beginning of her diary, Amidala discusses what it's like to be queen. We get to find out who she is as a person as she describes how she feels about her position. Eventually, the book discusses the time when the Trade Federation invaded her planet. Queen Amidala met some Jedi and a boy named Anakin Skywalker. Eventually, she and her people are victorious. The diary ends by the Queen wondering if she'll ever see that Anakin boy again. As with many of these books, Padmé Amidala is the token Star Wars character for girls. As in "Queen in Disguise," she is a humble heroine. Despite depicting a great role model for girls, this title is not 'girly.' The feminine dynamics simply add some balance to the usual testosterone that should make this appeal to both the guys and gals. "A Queen's Diary" offers some redundancy in the Star Wars pantheon. It is remarkably similar to 2000's "I Am a Queen." It also has overlap with Queen Amidala's "Episode I: Journal." Despite such overlapping, it is forgivable when considering that the other books mentioned are all out-of-print. This book keeps the Queen's story alive for a younger generation of readers. In terms of the illustrations, the vast majority were lifted from "the Phantom Menace." While the pictures are high quality, the writing is also good. This new series has books for most levels of elementary readers. Given the length and vocabulary, this title is best suited to readers on a third grade level. "A Queen's Diary" offers a personal look at Padmé Amidala during Episode I.