Masked singer
Shuri is getting her own book.
The Black Panther character brought to life in Marvel movies by Letitia Wright will be at the center of Shuri, a middle-grade novel written by Nic Stone (Dear Martin).
Shuri will kick off a multiyear partnership between Scholastic and Marvel to introduce new original stories featuring Marvel superheroes to young readers. The second book in this collaboration will launch a series: Avengers Assembly, by Preeti Chhibber.
“Marvel’s characters mean so much to our fans because they inspire us to embrace our individual power,” Sana Amanat, vice president of content and character development at Marvel, said in a statement. “As the first title we’re launching with Scholastic, Shuri is the perfect character to highlight this message. She may be a Wakandan princess, but what makes Shuri the ultimate hero is her unique sense of intelligence, responsibility, and determination, ideals that resonate with all of us.”
EW can exclusively reveal the synopsis for Shuri: “Starring one of the most beloved and respected characters in the Marvel Universe, Shuri: A Black Panther Novel follows Shuri as she races against time to rescue the nation of Wakanda. For centuries, the Chieftain of Wakanda (the Black Panther) has gained his powers through the juices of the Heart Shaped Herb, which grows only in Wakanda. Much like Vibranium, the Heart Shaped Herb is essential to the survival and prosperity of Wakanda. But something is wrong. The plants are no longer growing, and their supply is running short. It’s up to Shuri to travel from Wakanda in order to discover what is killing the Herb, and how she can save it.”
Stone made a memorable debut in 2017 with her New York Times best-selling YA novel Dear Martin; she’s since written Odd One Out and Jackpot, the latter of which publishes Oct. 15.
“The first time I saw Black Panther, I fell hard for the witty STEM genius girl who totally stole the whole show (don’t @ me). As I left the theater, all I could think about was how amazing it would be to one day write a book about her, a la Jason Reynolds’ Miles Morales,” Stone told EW in a statement. “Imagine my shock eight months later when I received an email asking if I’d be interested in doing just that. I literally screamed in an airport. Getting to work on this project has been a dream come true.”
Check out the official cover below, exclusive to EW. Shuri will hit shelves in summer 2020.
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Directed by Ryan Coogler, the 2018 superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the king who rules over the Afrofuturist paradise of Wakanda.
