BWW Previews: THE RISE OF KYOSHI Will Continue AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER In Novel Form

Nickelodeon recently announced a partnership with publisher Abrams Children's Books to bring the world of its hit TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender to life with a series of Young Adult novels. The ATLAB series concluded in 2008, then spawned a companion series entitled The Legend of Korra set 70 years later. The series has lived on in graphic novel form and yesterday, it was announced that Netflix will be creating a live action series with the show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Reaction to the news was mixed, with fans remember the critically panned live action movie adaptation from M. Night Shyamalan in 2010.

The new YA series will center around Avatar Kyoshi, who lived long before Aang (The protagonist of the original animated television series) and has made appearances in the series as one of the past Avatars. The first book, THE RISE OF KIYOSHI, launches on July 16, 2019. It was written by F.C. Yee and series co-creator DiMartino. Last year, Yee debuted his first novel, THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO, based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. DiMartino began writing novels in 2016 with the launch of his middle-grade series REBEL GENIUS.

Avatar Kyoshi lived for over 230 years, and while fans of the series have met her in flashbacks, little is known about her life. The two book series will expand her role and flesh her out. Social media started buzzing as soon as the news broke, with fans excited for the project.

Andrew Smith, senior vice president and publisher of Abrams Children's Books, told https://ew.com/books/2018/08/29/avatar-the-last-airbender-novels/, who first broke the story,

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Michael Dante DiMartino, Nickelodeon, and critically acclaimed author F.C. Yee to add to the canon of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Bringing Kyoshi's previously untold story to life in original novels will be a major pop culture event, not only for fans of the show, but also for readers hungry for a new epic YA saga. The Rise of Kyoshi has all the hallmarks of what YA readers love - bold storytelling set in a rich landscape with a strong heroine at the forefront!"

Here is the current summary for the novel, out July 16, 2019 from Abrams Children's Books:

F. C. Yee's THE RISE OF KYOSHI delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world's history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation.

The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, THE RISE OF KYOSHI maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

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