News ► Scholastic to publish new Kingdom Hearts novel series, official character handbook

[Oracle Spockanort]

Scholastic will be publishing two new Kingdom Hearts books early 2020. The Official Kingdom Hearts Character Handbook is set to release will release February 4th, 2020 and the first volume in a middle grade Kingdom Hearts novel series is scheduled for a May 5th, 2020 release.

The middle grade Kingdom Hearts novel series will be written by Brooke Vitale, known for her children's books The Magic Is in You, Disney Who's Who, Olaf's Journey, and Happy Birthday, Mickey, and it can be preordered on Amazon for $7.99 in paperback or for $4.99 as an e-book.

An all-new original middle-grade series based on the hit Disney video game!

An original, canon story in the world of Disney's Kingdom Hearts that can only be found in the pages of this book! This first volume of a completely original middle-grade series combines Disney and Square characters with new heroes, in a new addition to the rich lore of this game. This first book in an all-new series is a must-read for fans of this hit game, and will tell a huge part of Kingdom Hearts lore that they have been clamoring for.

The character guide book will be written by Conor Lloyd and it can be preordered on Amazon for $7.99. 

Get to know all the characters from the hit Disney video game series Kingdom Hearts in this immersive, in-world official guide presented by everyone's favorite hero, Sora! Includes an awesome pullout poster.

Kingdom Hearts is a video game that brings together all your favorite characters. From Elsa, to Olaf, to Maleficent, to Xehanort, Riku, and Kairi, the biggest heroes and villains from Disney's Kingdom Hearts are all here in this action-packed guide! Presented by Sora himself, this guide has all of the info on the biggest stars of Kingdom Hearts. Plus, it comes with an epic pullout poster! This guide is a must-have for fans of this action-packed role-playing game.

All of this information is tentative and can change at any point.

Follow Kingdom Hearts Insider on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates on The World Ends With You, Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross], Kingdom Hearts 3 and all things Kingdom Hearts! 

 

[Zettaflare]

Original Canon storyline? A whole lot of possibilities there. An idea I have is centering on Kairi and Lea traveling to a Disney world during their training

 

[Sign]

I wonder, on a scale of 1-10, how mad Nomura was when he found out about this, if he has. Not even Kanemaki claims that her official novel adaptations are fully canon.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

We reached out for a comment on the novels from both Scholastic and Square Enix just to see what the deal was but we never got a response from either so...I'm publishing this. Scholastic edited the summaries to just say "Coming soon! Keep an eye on this spot for more details!" after we did email them, so...

I just want to know where Nomura stands on this haha

Original Canon storyline? A whole lot of possibilities there. An idea I have is centering on Kairi and Lea traveling to a Disney world during their training

I mean...It could honestly be anything in the series. There is so much within canon to cover.

 

[Soldier]

Ah scholastic, that name takes me back, it was where I got my first KH 2 manga book back when my elementary school hosted a bookfair. Such memories.

 

[reimeille]

A Scholastic Book Fair is where I got my first Kingdom Hearts manga back in the 6th grade, so I'm over the moon with this. I honestly don't even care what they cover, I'm just excited to read it. I'm more interested in if it'll be illustrated and by who!!

Also, I wonder who won the 1v1 fist-fight with Nomura to win the right to assert that the story's gonna be canon? Cause that's kind of a big deal!!

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

A Scholastic Book Fair is where I got my first Kingdom Hearts manga back in the 6th grade, so I'm over the moon with this. I honestly don't even care what they cover, I'm just excited to read it. I'm more interested in if it'll be illustrated and by who!!

Same!

Also, I wonder who won the 1v1 fist-fight with Nomura to win the right to assert that the story's gonna be canon? Cause that's kind of a big deal!!

Nomura is probably still in that fist fight right now tbh. He's very, very particular and picky about "canon"

 

[Zettaflare]

We reached out for a comment on the novels from both Scholastic and Square Enix just to see what the deal was but we never got a response from either so...I'm publishing this. Scholastic edited the summaries to just say "Coming soon! Keep an eye on this spot for more details!" after we did email them, so...

I just want to know where Nomura stands on this haha



I mean...It could honestly be anything in the series. There is so much within canon to cover.

I'd be happy with just some sort of untold story that was never covered in any of the games. I'd be fine with even an illustrated story about apprentice Xehanort and Eraqus

 

[reimeille]

I'd be happy with just some sort of untold story that was never covered in any of the games. I'd be fine with even an illustrated story about apprentice Xehanort and Eraqus

These are two of my favorite characters so honestly, this would be super cool. I always felt like their friendship could use a little more exploring... There are so many contestants for "huge part of Kingdom Hearts lore that [fans] have been clamoring for"; assuming that even means anything, because KH fans clamor for a uh, lotta things. The curiosity hnngghhh

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I'd be happy with just some sort of untold story that was never covered in any of the games. I'd be fine with even an illustrated story about apprentice Xehanort and Eraqus

Well, the first novel is going to be over 200 pages so it's gonna be something meaty at least 8D

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Well this is a welcoming surprise. Maybe this is canon solely because it's a retelling of pre-existing lore as opposed to the lore being recontextualised.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Well this is a welcoming surprise. Maybe this is canon solely because it's a retelling of pre-existing lore as opposed to the lore being recontextualised.

Oh lord I hope it isn't a retelling...We had enough of that with Tomoco.

I'd be happier with them recontextualizing the lore within a new story, either within the existing canon (i.e. filling in gaps) or by having a "canon" story that is within the universe of Kingdom Hearts but doesn't touch the main storyline.

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

This is... Interesting to be sure. I used to love reading Schoolastic books back in middle School, so I'm honestly kinda curious about the concept. Though the idea of a cannon story being in one of those is just halarious and random. It's probably like Alpha said in that it's just a retelling of established events, rather than anything new. If not, then one has to wonder what kind of story they're even planning to tell.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

It's totally going to be about a young kid named [insert name] who lives in a normal rustic city by the [insert distinctive feature about a location] has a strange dream about a world beyond their own. One day strange things start happening [insert name]'s town and a mysterious person appears in town with a strange weapon—the Keyblade. [insert older teen/young adult's name] takes [insert name] on as an apprentice as they navigate the mystery plaguing the town and are thrust into a journey neither of them ever expected.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

I felt a wave of dread the second I read "canon."

 

[SomeKHFan]

It's probably going to be a 200 page story about what Sora was meant to have for dinner

Seriously though, I would like to see something on Eraqus and Xehanort as apprentices. Although It could also be on Mickey's journey during KH1 before he meets Aqua. Or it could be something involving KHUX. We'll just have to see.

I would also get the paperback. Prefer physical books myself.

 

[Face My Fears]

I don't get this at all. Is this going to be the first KH book that won't be a retelling of something that already happened AND not influenced/controlled by Nomura (and something that will officially exist in the KH universe)? Also, is it a book meant for children?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I don't get this at all. Is this going to be the first KH book that won't be a retelling of something that already happened AND not influenced/controlled by Nomura (and something that will officially exist in the KH universe)? Also, is it a book meant for children?

We don’t know. We don’t know what it is about, if it is approved by Nomura or endorsed by SE, if it is ACTUALLY canon and not like Disney saying it is canon behind SE’s back, or anything beyond the fact that it is a series that exists.

It is a middle grade book—it is made at a reading level for middle schoolers. Essentially, it’s a book for pre-teens.

 

[Face My Fears]

We don’t know. We don’t know what it is about, if it is approved by Nomura or endorsed by SE, if it is ACTUALLY canon and not like Disney saying it is canon behind SE’s back, or anything beyond the fact that it is a series that exists.

It is a middle grade book—it is made at a reading level for middle schoolers. Essentially, it’s a book for pre-teens.

Do pre-teens nowadays even know what KH is?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Do pre-teens nowadays even know what KH is?

Yes, but that isn’t the point. The point is to expose them to the series through a new novel.