Book Recommendations for the Characters of She-Ra

The new season of She-Ra is finally here and that means the Best Friends Squad is getting back together again!

After the emotional events of season three, it’s a brave new world for the characters of She-Ra, as each takes on new responsibilities and challenges for season four. Judging by the trailer, there will be new characters, new adventures, and—gasp!—new haircuts.

We hope they’ve had some time to read a book or two since the finale ended. Here’s what we recommend they pick up when they have some spare time:

Best Friends Squad

Adora/She-Ra: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Adora is just your average girl and former Horde soldier, but a chance encounter in the woods leads her to become She-Ra, defender of Etheria! In The Princess and the Fangirl, the stakes are a little bit lower, but we’re sure Adora can totally relate to average fangirl Imogen and superstar Jess Stone as they assume each others' identities for the weekend to save the day. . . For the honor of Starfield!

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Glimmer: Girl Squads by Sam Maggs

Glimmer has spent her whole life dreaming about reforming the Princess Alliance and spends most of the first season convincing the other princesses to join the rebellion. She’s supportive of all of her friends, including her newfound princess girl gang, which is why we think she’d be all about Girl Squads and its biographies of amazing groups of women who support each other and work together.

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Bow: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Despite what his dads think, Bow. Loves. Pirates. Meeting shanty-loving buccaneer Sea Hawk? One of the greatest days of his life. Bow has spent years trying to protect his parents from his adventurous spirit, which is why we think he’d appreciate reading Daughter of the Pirate King. Not only is it about a totally badass teenage pirate captain (Bow’s dream job?), but one who doesn’t have to hide her real identity from her father.

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

The Horde:

Catra: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Catra is Adora’s ambitiously bitter (or bitterly ambitious) nemesis and former BFF. They have a love-hate relationship to end all love-hate relationships, with season three taking a real dark turn towards the end. But Catra needs to learn how to forgive and move on, which is why we’re recommending Rainbow Rowell’s hate-to-love fantasy novel Carry On. If Simon and Baz can make it work while simultaneously saving the world, surely Catra and Adora can learn to get along. Right?

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Hordak & Entrapta: The Martian by Andy Weir

One of the most pleasant surprises of season three was the newfound friendship between Hordak and Entrapta. Hordak is trapped on Etheria, just trying to survive (well, and also conquer the planet). Entrapta loves science—often prioritizing it over the relationships in her life. Both of them would find something in Andy Weir’s The Martian. Hordak would no doubt relate to Watney’s struggles to survive on a hostile planet after being accidentally abandoned by his crew, while Entrapta would surely get a kick out of the science behind Watney’s survival. After they finish reading, they can discuss their findings in Hordak’s lab over dinner and some casual interdimensional portal-building.

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Shadow Weaver: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Formerly a sorceress and mentor to Glimmer’s father, King Micah, Shadow Weaver’s attempts to graft magic with one of Etheria’s runestones have resulted in a powerful, but ultimately broken, version of her former self. Surely, she can relate to the struggles of the characters in Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy as they also are tempted to use ancient and forbidden magic to try and save their worlds from destruction.

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound