Shuri (Shuri: A Black Panther Novel #1)

Gr 5-7—Princess Shuri takes center stage in this action-packed novel from Stone. Challenge Day is about to arrive in Wakanda and the heart-shaped herb has been poisoned. While no one doubts that T'Challa will be victorious and the herb won't be needed to create a new Black Panther should someone defeat him, Shuri, 13, can't help but worry. She's been told that female warriors don't challenge the sitting Black Panther but become Dora Milaje, his protectors. Shuri sets off on a covert mission with her best friend and Dora Milaje-in-training, K'Marah, to find the source of the poison and figure out how to reverse its effects. With help from Storm of X-Men, Shuri and K'Marah must figure out a way to save Wakanda from its enemies. Known especially for her intelligence in the Marvel universe, Shuri does not disappoint and will delight readers with her showcasing of her lab and her inventions, including the Panther Mobile, later renamed the Predator. Interspersed throughout the narrative are Shuri's Mission Log notes. VERDICT Recommended for Black Panther fans and newcomers alike, this is a first purchase for all collections.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

At 13, Princess Shuri has already accomplished so much as a scientist that she's on the path to becoming Wakanda's minister of technology and advancement. Even with all of her achievements, though, her mother and T'Challa--her brother, king of Wakanda and the current Black Panther--still treat Shuri like a child who doesn't truly understand the propriety required of her. When the heart-shaped herb that ignites the Black Panther's powers begins rapidly dying, Shuri is appalled at her family's surprising lack of urgency regarding the problem. Frustrated, she and K'Marah, a protector in training, set off on a secret mission to find what's killing the plants and how to stop it before the last herb dies out forever. Girl power reigns supreme in this novel companion to the Black Panther universe, and Stone (Clean Getaway) engagingly portrays the mind of a genius, teenage princess (complete with mission log-esque journal entries). In Stone's handling, Shuri takes center stage and exhibits her intelligence, wit, and unique strengths while showing that a princess is more than enough to save a nation. Ages 9-12. (May)