Marvel is partnering up with a major publishing brand to bring new stories featuring classic characters to young readers.

Today, Marvel announced a multi-year deal with Scholastic to introduce new original stories featuring Marvel’s most iconic superheroes to young readers around the world.

With a shared commitment to representing all types of characters and stories, Marvel and Scholastic will work together to craft exciting, relatable stories with characters who resonate with the millions of kids Scholastic reaches.

Starting in 2020, Scholastic will publish two new Marvel novels, starting off with Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, written by New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone, followed by an original middle grade series, Avengers Assembly, by Preeti Chhibber.

“Marvel is always looking for best-in-class partners to develop new and exciting ways to experience the Marvel Universe, and Scholastic is the perfect partner to do this. We couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Sven Larsen, Director, Licensed Publishing, Marvel. “As two brands dedicated to storytelling for every kind of reader and fan, the combined strength of this collaboration will be truly one of a kind – with a super power to bring together the next generation of fans through the joy of reading and Marvel.”

The news of this deal comes off the previous announcement of several Marvel one-act educational plays being introduced through a partnership with Samuel French. Marvel is clearly looking to showcase its catalogue beyond the traditional comic book medium.

“Marvel’s characters mean so much to our fans because they inspire us to embrace our individual power,” said Sana Amanat, Vice President of Content & Character Development, Marvel. “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.”

The press release also noted the excitement from Scholastic’s end, as Debra Dorfman, Vice President and Publisher, Global Licensing, Brands and Media, Scholastic said in a statement:

“The Marvel Universe is vast, inclusive and iconic with a great range of multi-faceted characters, and Scholastic and Marvel share a commitment to bringing diverse characters to life. Shuri, Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl, etc. are all “ordinary” characters with extraordinary powers – and there are a lot of stories to be told!”