Nubia: Too Real

Illustrated by Robyn Smith
Paperback
$16.99 US
6"W x 9"H
On sale Sep 02, 2025 | 208 Pages | 9781799500179
Grades 8-12
FOC Jan 6, 2025
From critically acclaimed author L.L McKinney and brought to life with delightful, vivid art by Robyn Smith and Manou Azumi, highly anticipated sequel, NUBIA: TOO REAL follows Nubia as she explores her Amazonian identity, learns the importance of self-acceptance and the enduring power of true friendship!

After a turbulent school year, Nubia is both thrilled and anxious as she embarks on a transformative summer training with the Amazons on Themyscira! Amid the mounting pressure of expectations, she grapples with feeling like an outsider, letting the weight of her self-doubt strain her most important relationships. 

Just when she thought her life couldn’t get more complicated, her biggest fear threatens the safety of everyone on Paradise Island. Will Nubia rise above the chaos and embrace her true self as the hero she was destined to be?
Named one of The Root’s and BET’s 100 most influential African Americans, LL McKinney, is an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWoCWritersHear. Her works include the Nightmare-Verse books, Nubia graphic novels through DC, Marvel’s Black Widow: Bad Blood, and more.

Robyn Smith is a Jamaican cartoonist known for her mini-comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town, illustrating Nubia: Real One (written by LL McKinney) and Wash Day Diaries (written by Jamila Rowser) which won the 2022 LA times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel.  She has an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has also worked on comics for College Humor, Nike, and The Nib. She loves cake and her cat, Benson, and holds onto dreams of returning home to the ocean. 

Manou Azumi is a self-taught Haitian-American artist hailing from Las Vegas. She began her journey as a cashier but made her breakthrough into the comic industry with the series *Vixen NYC*, the longest-running DC comic featuring a Black female lead. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Manou has a deep passion for fashion, spending her free time curating her wardrobe and discovering new pieces. She’s also a fan of video games, anime, and campy '80s movies.
Praise for Nubia: Real One

"Witty, powerful, and revolutionary..." ––Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of the Belles series

"An essential superhero story for this moment." ––Kirkus, starred review

"Nubia’s humorous awkwardness will resonate as readers marvel at her strength and sense of duty in a world that fails to protect her." ––Publisher's Weekly starred review

"A thrilling, timely, and thoroughly engaging full-length debut for a classic comic hero. No superhero collection is complete without Nubia." ––School Library Journal starred review

About

From critically acclaimed author L.L McKinney and brought to life with delightful, vivid art by Robyn Smith and Manou Azumi, highly anticipated sequel, NUBIA: TOO REAL follows Nubia as she explores her Amazonian identity, learns the importance of self-acceptance and the enduring power of true friendship!

After a turbulent school year, Nubia is both thrilled and anxious as she embarks on a transformative summer training with the Amazons on Themyscira! Amid the mounting pressure of expectations, she grapples with feeling like an outsider, letting the weight of her self-doubt strain her most important relationships. 

Just when she thought her life couldn’t get more complicated, her biggest fear threatens the safety of everyone on Paradise Island. Will Nubia rise above the chaos and embrace her true self as the hero she was destined to be?

Author

Named one of The Root’s and BET’s 100 most influential African Americans, LL McKinney, is an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWoCWritersHear. Her works include the Nightmare-Verse books, Nubia graphic novels through DC, Marvel’s Black Widow: Bad Blood, and more.

Robyn Smith is a Jamaican cartoonist known for her mini-comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town, illustrating Nubia: Real One (written by LL McKinney) and Wash Day Diaries (written by Jamila Rowser) which won the 2022 LA times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel.  She has an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has also worked on comics for College Humor, Nike, and The Nib. She loves cake and her cat, Benson, and holds onto dreams of returning home to the ocean. 

Manou Azumi is a self-taught Haitian-American artist hailing from Las Vegas. She began her journey as a cashier but made her breakthrough into the comic industry with the series *Vixen NYC*, the longest-running DC comic featuring a Black female lead. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Manou has a deep passion for fashion, spending her free time curating her wardrobe and discovering new pieces. She’s also a fan of video games, anime, and campy '80s movies.

Praise

Praise for Nubia: Real One

"Witty, powerful, and revolutionary..." ––Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of the Belles series

"An essential superhero story for this moment." ––Kirkus, starred review

"Nubia’s humorous awkwardness will resonate as readers marvel at her strength and sense of duty in a world that fails to protect her." ––Publisher's Weekly starred review

"A thrilling, timely, and thoroughly engaging full-length debut for a classic comic hero. No superhero collection is complete without Nubia." ––School Library Journal starred review

Books for Native American Heritage Month

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting books that detail the history of Native Americans, and stories that explore Native American culture and experiences. Browse our collections here: Native American Creators Native American History & Culture

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more