Mattel and Alex Aster team up for Barbie young adult novel, ‘Barbie: Dreamscape’

This undated image released by Mattel Press shows author Alex Aster. (Jodi Reamer/Mattel Press via AP)

NEW YORK — The publishing arm of Mattel Inc. is teaming with million-selling novellist Alex Aster on a Barbie young adult novel in which the iconic doll embarks on a journey across “treacherous, magical lands.”

“Barbie: Dreamscape,” scheduled for July 28, is the first novel for young adults out of Mattel Publishing since the imprint was announced three years ago. The novel is not tied to the blockbuster 2023 “Barbie” movie and no screen adaptation is currently planned, according to Mattel.

The toy and family entertainment company is calling Aster’s book a “coming-of-age story” that finds Barbie declared “Fateless” at the graduation ceremony of the “enchanted” Swancrest Academy.

“To earn a Fate, she must journey across treacherous, magical lands in search of the mysterious beings who control the destinies of everyone in Heartland — and the buried truths that could change her world forever,” Thursday’s announcement reads in part. “Because to forge her own path, Barbie must step out of the box ... and into the unknown.”

The publishing imprint is focused on Mattel’s “extensive catalog of children’s and family entertainment franchises,” including Barbie, Hot Wheels and Polly Pocket. Earlier this week, Mattel Inc. announced it had created an autistic Barbie doll, part of the Fashionistas line committed to diversity.

Aster, a social media favorite best known for her “Lightlark” series and for the adult novel “Summer in the City,” said in a statement that Barbie dolls were a formative part of her childhood.

“I spent countless hours making up stories starring each of my dolls, and I still remember the excitement of opening a new box, adding another character to my tales, marveling at each accessory,” she said.

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press