Sharjah24: The Force was strong at the 15th Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) on Saturday as Star Wars fans and booksellers came together to celebrate May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The 12-day festival, being organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) at the Sharjah Expo Centre, provided the perfect setting for fans of all ages to come together and celebrate their love for the iconic sci-fi franchise.

15-year-old Palestinian Hala Yassin said she was excited to lay her hands on Star Wars books during her visit. “Not many among my friends are fans of Star Wars. So it was refreshing to see books on the series being sold,” said the grade nine student of Al Shola Private school while turning over pages from a Star Wars book on Hans Solo who first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars portrayed by none other than Harrison Ford. 

“As a fan of Anakin Skywalker, the protagonist of the prequel trilogy, it is very important to understand the significance of other stellar characters like Solo and Darth Vader, the primary antagonist of the original film trilogy”, she added. 

Meanwhile, for Raed Messaoudi, it was a day of getting introduced to the epic space opera franchise that began with the eponymous 1977 film before quickly becoming a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. “I always knew of Star Wars but never quite got myself to liking it, but after today, I would be keen to read and watch more about this series,” said the grade eight student from Algeria while immersing himself for the first time in the world of Jedi knights, Sith lords, and epic space battles.

Star Wars, created by George Lucas, may be one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time but not everybody is ready to swear by it yet. “I am not a fan but I am quite intrigued after seeing some of the books after today,” said 15-year-old Rahaf Messaoudi, who joined her sibling to SCRF on Saturday.

"Star Wars has captured the imaginations of fans around the world for over four decades, and it’s not surprising to see fans flock to our stalls on a day like this,” said Manal Hidri, the Tunisian sales executive who’s claimed to have sold a ‘considerable number’ of Star Wars books this SCRF for Dar Kreidieh Publishing and Distribution LLC. “Star Wars has inspired generations of fans with its epic storytelling and richly imagined universe, and we're excited to offer festival attendees the chance to learn more about the books and comics. We are glad that we have been able to create a small little corner for fans of all ages to come together to celebrate their love for the iconic franchise and heroes true to the theme of the festival."

The annual festival themed 'Once Upon a Hero' will feature a diverse array of over 1,500 cultural, creative, and edutainment activities led by 265 esteemed guests representing 25 countries, alongside the participation of 186 publishers from 20 nations.