I'm a big fan of this entire series, and Mission to Disaster was another positive addition to the collection. I buy these books for my classroom and often push them towards reluctant readers who I know like Star Wars. This will be a great book for a lower level reader who is interested in Star Wars stories.

*** Disclaimer: I am a uber Star Wars nerd and I LOVE all Star Wars audiobooks. I was given an ARC of this one by NetGalley (thank you!) and Disney Books (thank you!) in exchange for a honest review; however, I am biased because this is my favorite genre and my favorite audiobooks.

As always, this one was a space opera in my ears! I felt like I was fully immersed into the galaxy as the sound effects and character voices were on point as always.

The high republic takes place LONG before the George Lucas trilogies takes place. There are still Jedi masters and their padawans; however, the biggest threat to the order of hope and light isn't storm troopers and the empire, it's the Nihil: a rowdy and destructive group of space pirates. This novel opens with Avon, a super smart sciency kid, being kidnapped in a raid by the Nihil. Of course, the Jedi are dispatched to track down the kidnapped kids and rescue Avon if possible. I love how the narrative alternates between Avon's point of view and the Jedi trying to rescue her. Verne and Imri are probably my new favorite master/padawan duo.

I also LOVE Justina Ireland - shout to her! If you haven't read Dread Nation yet - you need to. I love that she has branched out to the Star Wars universe.

This is a lovely audiobook for the middle grade audience. It is well produced and edited with Star Wars sound effects and music throughout, which makes the story feel elevated from the written word on the page. The narrator is dynamic and energetic, and does a great job at giving each character a unique identity. Overall, this is a Star Wars audiobook I'd highly recommend!

Avon is kidnapped by the Nihil. While she plots to get away, Jedi Knight Vernestra and her Padawan, Imri try to save her. Plenty of action and questions of ethics.

This is only my third Star Wars book, and actually my second by Justina Ireland! Second middle grade as well and second audiobook.

This book takes place a couple hundred years before The Phantom Menace so I didn't recognize anyone. Which was cool! I recognized places but not people so it kind of stood on its own for me instead of wrapping it into the SW 'verse. Disney just slays with their audiobooks' background sound effects. THAT'S how I knew I was in SW territory. And Jedi, obv. Lol.

But it was fast-paced and exciting and easy to follow. I really liked Avon and Vernestra, it's a very girl power SW book following in Rey's footsteps (though very very pre-Rey) and I really enjoyed it!

I enjoyed the last middle grade book installment of phase one of the High Republic. We see the return of one of my favorite High Republic Jedi, Vernestra Rwoh, her Padawan Imri, and friends Avon Starros and Honesty. I read and listened to the audiobook for this book. The book I was able to check out from my library's OverDrive collection, unfortunately the eaudiobook is not available for libraries. This saddens me deeply as our patrons are missing out on an excellent narrator, fun sound effects, and the score of the audiobook. I hope that future audiobooks will be available for libraries!

I really liked this book. It was fun to listen to. I thought the narrator did a great job, and it was a fun enjoyable read for kids.

3.5 stars
Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.

I am not the target audience for this story, but as an educator I always like to recommend good stories to young reads as well as teens. This story guides and lets a young reader use their imagination.
The audiobook is great; the sound effects give the feeling of being part of the action!
Additionally Keylor Leigh, the narrator did a great job performing the characters,

Want to thank NetGalley and Disney Audio Disney Lucasfilm Press for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 1, 2022.

I have absolutely loved the High Republic publishing initiative and the stories the writers have crafted in this new space. Mission to Disaster is one of the better stories Justina Ireland has brought to the series but still struggles to be an enjoyable ride. The characters Ireland writes are enjoyable and have so much depth but the entire story is plagued with tedium. Rarely does the story feel like it has any momentum at all as the amazing characters just feel wasted as lifeless set pieces in a drab story. The book is passable for a young reader but I greatly preferred Older's "Race to Crashpoint Tower" over Ireland's Mission to Disaster. Finally my biggest complaint has to be the ending where the author used the most heavy handed explanations to hint at a certain character's duplicity.

The audiobook was enjoyable with a good narrator and great sound effects that tried to bring the story to life.

(This is the same review I wrote for the print version, but I read this as the audiobook!)

The entire High Republic is an absolute treat, but people skipping the middle grade novels are missing out on some of the best characters and fleshing out of the world and time period. I always look forward to Justina Ireland’s work, and Avon Starros has quickly become a favorite character. The heartbreak of reading this book after the Fallen Star, since it takes place beforehand, just makes it all the worse for my poor sad Star Wars fan heart, but knowing Avon’s propensity for crystal research and her mother representing Hosnian Prime leads to the Death Star and eventually Starkiller Base destroying Hosnian Prime makes this middle grade have such a deeper meaning in the SW canon. Just another banger from the High Republic, can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with this advance listener copy.

Description from NetGalley:
The Jedi think the dreaded Nihil marauders have been all but defeated. Their leader is on the run and their numbers have dwindled. Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh hopes this means she will finally have time to really train her Padawan, Imri Cantaros—but reports of a Nihil attack on Port Haileap soon dash those hopes. For not only have the Nihil attacked the peaceful outpost, they have abducted Vernestra and Imri’s friend, Avon Starros. The two Jedi set off for Port Haileap, determined to figure out where the Nihil have taken their friend. Meanwhile, Avon must put her smarts and skills to the ultimate test as she fights for survival among the Nihil—and uncovers a sinister plan. Can Vernestra and Imri find their friend before disaster strikes?

Let me be up front: this is the first of The High Republic series that I have read/listened to. I want to read them but haven’t found a lot of time lately. I was told that you could listen to each of them as stand alones, not matter which reading level. That’s not entirely true. As long as you know the basics about Star Wars, you will be fine. However, at least for these middle grade ones, you might want to read them in order. It’s not confusing. You’re just missing some of the characters’ history together.

This is a fast, fun middle grade story set in the Star Wars Universe. The characters all feel unique. I love the banter between the characters. The writing is swift, and the narration pulled me into my beloved fandom. Everyone is dealing with what is expected of them and what unfolds in what I felt was a very organic way. The multiple POV felt very cohesive and moved the story along very nicely.

Overall a very enjoyable Star Wars story. 4/5

The narrator and the producer did a fantastic job with this book. Each of the voices were well done, the background music enhanced the story, and it was easy to follow along even at 1.25 speed.

Review for the book:

"Mission to Disaster" is the next adventure of Jedi Vernestra Rwoh and Padawan Imri Cantaros. It is a continuation of Justina Ireland's previous books in the High Republic series, and all of her main characters from the previous books have major roles in this story. Overall the book doesn't advance the High Republic metanarrative much, but it does develop Ireland's main characters in a way that previous two did not. "Vern" seems to have matured a bit and is not as much of a self-conscious teen, Imri has settled into his force abilities and progresses as a Padawan, and Avon Starros seems to develop the most throughout the story, especially in her abilities as a scientist and critical thinker.

If the reader is reading the entire High Republic metanarrative, they should read this book before Claudia Gray's "The Fallen Star."

**4.5-stars**

Mission to Disaster is a Junior Star Wars novel set in the era of the High Republic. Releasing on March 1, 2022, this novel is part of the second wave of HR materials set to be published by Disney and LucasFilms Press. The events in this novel follow those of the 2021-HR releases, but still 200-years prior to The Phantom Menace.

After the startling events of the Republic Fair, the galaxy has been put on alert. The Nihil are much more of a threat than the Jedi initially anticipated. They're cunning and calculated, seeming to have influence everywhere.

Kicking off this novel, I was quickly reunited with one of my favorite new characters from the HR releases, Avon Starros. Avon, the daughter of a Senator, is gifted in science and invention. She's currently stationed at Port Haileap, due to her mother's wishes, but is finally getting the opportunity to research kyber crystals, so that's a win. Avon hopes to discover new ways to harness the power of the crystals in a way that will help everyone; think clean energy research. She finds herself in her lab on the day the spaceport comes under attack.

After receiving an alert call from Port Haileap, Jedi Vernestra Rwoh and her Padawan, Imri Cantaros, get sent to investigate. Arriving to Avon's lab, Vernestra and Imri are able to discover a survivor of the attack, but she tells them Avon is gone, perhaps captured by the Nihil!

Following clues discovered during their investigation, Vernestra and Imri find themselves on Dalna in the Outer Rim Territories; a known area of operation for the Nihil. There they work with the government and people of Dalna to the best of their ability, to find Avon and any other children the Nihil may have captured. They face some difficulties there, as the people of Dalna aren't too fond of the Jedis.

Avon, for her part, is in fact a hostage of the Nihil. Even worse, she is made to aid the Nihil's version of an evil scientist, Dr. Mkampa, in assembling horrifying weapons. It's a race against time, as the Jedi try to help the people of Dalna and hopefully defeat the evil Nihil organization once and for all. Will they be able to rescue everyone before true disaster strikes?

I had such a great time reading this story. I actually listened to the audiobook and as is known with Star Wars audios, the production was magnificent. All of the sound effects make you feel like you are a part of the action!

I was excited to get another HR novel from Justina Ireland. She puts a lot of heart into her stories. The characters are so well developed. I loved being reunited with many characters from this era. I feel like I am really getting to know them. Following the Great Disaster, the galaxy is unstable and these young characters have had a lot to deal with. I feel like they've all shown incredible growth, now rivaling the maturity level of the adults around them.

This was super fast-paced and exciting. There was never a dull moment. Additionally, I loved learning more about the mysterious Nihil. The full picture is really starting to become clear as far as they are concerned.

I'm really looking forward to continuing on with the High Republic era. This was a quick one, but don't let the length of this novel fool you. There is a ton of stellar content packed in here!!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney and LucasFilms Press, for providing me with the audiobook to listen to. It was such a treat!