'Vader's Little Princess' by Jeffrey Brown

So imagine a world where Darth Vader was a doting single father, trying to raise a set of headstrong twins while climbing the world domination ladder. We all know how difficult it is to find good childcare, so Daddy Vader is pretty hands-on–except for the occasional deployment of a trigger-happy droid. And he is wrapped around his darling daughter’s little finger. This is what Jeff Brown gives us with Vader’s Little Princess, the follow-up to his super popular Darth Vader and Son.

Vader’s Little Princess is one of those books that had me turning to my husband after every page and announcing, “This is so going to be you in a few years!” Darth Vader calling up warm and fuzzy feelings of parental camaraderie in the face of raising a daughter? That’s what makes this book so awesome.

We follow Vader’s attempts at reigning in his beloved daughter Leia from childhood all the way through to her rebellious teenage years. I mean, literally rebellious. “You are part of the Rebel Alliance!” is met with a bored “Whatever.” He tries to remember what happened to the loving little girl who didn’t seem to care that he was the biggest megalomaniac in the known universe.

But daughters grow up.

*Sigh* indeed. This is a hilarious and surprisingly insightful take on fathers and daughters. I felt for Vader a little bit by the end.