Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is adapting her hit single “Girl on Fire” into a graphic novel for young adults, the Associated Press reports.
HarperCollins, which will publish the book next year, describes it as a “new, authentic, and poignant coming-of-age young adult graphic novel, about finding the strength within when your whole world changes in an instant.”
The novel, co-written by Andrew Weiner and illustrated by Brittney Williams, follows Lolo Wright, a 14-year-old girl with an absent mother who discovers she has telekinetic powers, catching the attention of a neighborhood drug dealer. “Girl on Fire is a young adult graphic novel about a girl who’s a flame,” HarperCollins said.
“When I wrote ‘Girl on Fire,’ I knew I was writing it for that girl in the way back row who needed someone to tell her there’s nothing you can’t do, that nothing is impossible,” Keys said. “When Andrew and I came up with the idea of translating the song into a young adult graphic novel, I knew that I wanted it to be about a girl coming to realize the strength she’s always had.”
Keys’ previous books include a poetry and lyrics collection, Tears for Water, and a memoir, More Myself, published by Flatiron last year.
Girl on Fire is scheduled for publication on March 1, 2022.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
