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Utah authors Shannon Hale and her husband, Dean Hale, just signed on to pen a young-adult novel about Marvel's nuttiest superhero: Squirrel Girl.
The publisher announced Friday that the Hales will co-write a young-adult novel about the comedic character — whose superpowers include the ability to talk to squirrels — as part of Marvel's new push to reach new readers. Earlier this month, at New York Comic Con, Marvel revealed that the Hales will write a Captain Marvel young-adult novel, as well.
Squirrel Girl was played for laughs in the corners of the comic-book universe since her debut in 1992. But this year, she's been enjoying the spotlight with her own comedic series, "Unbeatable Squirrel Girl," for the first time.
Soon after Marvel's announcement, Shannon Hale made her passion for the superhero clear on Twitter.
"A quick, easy test anyone can try: Do you hate Squirrel Girl? If yes," she tweeted, "then you have no soul."
The Hales aren't newcomers to the realm of superheroes. They co-write an illustrated series for young readers, called "The Princess in Black," and wrote the fantasy-adventure graphic novels "Rapunzel's Revenge" and "Calamity Jack."
Shannon Hale, a best-selling, Newbery Honor-awarded author of fantasy and realistic fiction, also dived into a superpowers-in-space tale with the 2014 young-adult novel "Dangerous."
Both of the Hales' superhero novels are slated to debut sometime next year.
Besides Captain Marvel and Squirrel Girl, Marvel has already published a Black Widow young-adult novel, "Forever Red," with a sequel on the way. The publisher also has an Iron Man book, by "Artemis Fowl" author Eoin Colfer, and a book about Rocket and Groot by Tom Angleberger — author of the "Origami Yoda" series — scheduled for 2016.
Twitter: @MikeyPanda