Review Detail

Princess Shuri, who readers might know from the film Black Panther, takes the lead in this original chapter book. A short book, under 60 pages, this chapter book is made for children aged 5-9, but older readers will likely enjoy it as well. Princess Shuri is trying to upgrade her Kimoyo Beads, but she can’t seem to get it right. Ignoring the encouragement of her brother, she heads to New York City to visit her friends Miles and Gwen. But when she gets there, Stark Center has been turned into a circus act. And Shuri is the only one who can fix it.

The book is set up very nicely for young readers. With large print as well as images, it allows readers to engage with the story. The images are gorgeous, brimming with activity and vibrancy even without having color in them. The images also match the text on either the page they’re on or the one right before it. This allows younger readers to connect the action they’re reading about with the image they’re seeing.

Shuri’s adventure to visit her friends and having to defeat the Ringmaster is fun. She has to figure out the problem and the solution on the fly and with no help from anyone else. It’s encouraging, seeing someone so young push herself to be better and solve the problem. She knows she can, she just has to keep the motivation to solve the problem.

The message in this book is also really important for kids. The importance of pushing past walls, continuing with things you love regardless of struggles or other people’s opinions. It can’t be said enough for young kids who might feel easily influenced by their peers. The fact that this book also made that message clear for scientific and artistic pursuits was even better. It didn’t prioritize one or the other, both were given importance.

SHURI TAKES CONTROL is a fun and gorgeous exploration of Shuri’s character and the need to persevere past difficulties. Shuri is a enjoyable character and seeing her problem solve how to defeat the Ringmaster was a lot of fun.