January 1, 2021
Grades 5-8 Back for a second installment, Princess Shuri finds herself up against the ultimate challenge--passing her exams! At least, that's what she thinks, until a series of strange and seemingly unrelated disappearances of girls worldwide occurs. When one of the missing girls turns out to be a friend of K'Marah, her best friend and Dora Milaje-in-training, and some cyber snooping reveals that she is on the short list to be taken next, exams take a back seat. Catapulted into another unauthorized adventure, Shuri and K'Marah shirk their responsibilities for a challenge of another sort--saving the world's brightest science-minded girls from the throes of evil. Lovers of the series will appreciate the continuity in characters and the slight nods to the previous installment's events, but readers jumping in with book two will likely feel lost. The pacing here is excellent, offering brief, unsettling moments of anticipation as Shuri moves between her studies and heroic escapades. Though exciting, the writing sometimes mutes the vibrancy and decadence of Wakandan culture and Black vernacular. Still, this will be a surefire hit for those looking for action and girl power!
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March 12, 2021
Gr 3-7-Shuri, Wakanda's tech-genius princess and King T'Challa's pesky little sister, is back in this second title in the "Black Panther" series. Though training takes up most of the royal teen's time, she still keeps a watchful eye on any threats to Wakanda from the outside world using her multi-point digital surveillance system, Panther Reconnaissance Operative Watch Lattice (PROWL). It alerts her to an upcoming technology conclave that she wants to attend with her brother, but soon it is warning her of serious problems in the world beyond Wakanda: Young girls with STEM talents are being abducted. When one of those closest to the princess becomes a victim, Shuri must draw on all of her training, her innate abilities, her courage, and her faith in the power of friendship to rescue the girls and put things right. With prose and a storyline aimed at a younger audience, the narrative arc is true to the spirit of the original comics. There are crossover appearances by a number of Marvel universe characters beyond the "Black Panther" series. VERDICT Fans of the comics, not to mention middle graders who love strong female protagonists using their brains as well as their bravery to save the world, will appreciate this latest in the popular series; recommended for junior high collections.-Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior Coll., Brenham, TX
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Princess Shuri of Wakanda is back in this sequel to Shuri (2020). A few months after Shuri and her best friend, K'Marah, saved Wakanda's beloved heart-shaped herb, the confidence placed in Shuri by others (especially her mother, Queen Ramonda) doesn't appear to have grown. Third-person narration again alternates with Shuri's first-person mission logs to chronicle the princess's life. Studious Shuri seems primarily focused on her academics. She lies about K'Marah to protect herself, neglecting to show her friend much empathy when she notices K'Marah behaving strangely. She resists acting when she first learns about worldwide disappearances of gifted young girls in STEM fields. Dismissing K'Marah's concerns, despite some nagging guilt, Shuri follows Wakanda's noninterventionist approach and convinces herself that two young girls like themselves couldn't possibly have an impact on a problem with a global scale--until K'Marah eventually pressures her into action. The writing in this sequel is stronger than in the first installment, and this time around Shuri reads as less American. The theme of missing girls from countries around the world--including Pakistan, France, Kenya, the U.S., and the Philippines--is important, although the identity of the perpetrator complicates matters. Fans of the first volume will enjoy returning to Wakanda. (Science fiction. 9-12)
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