Book Review: 'Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl' Brings Theme Park Lore to Life

If there’s one thing I love, it’s interconnected storytelling, and with their latest middle grade series, Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Disney is bridging the gap between publishing and the built-in lore of their theme parks. 

The first book in the series, Julie Kagawa’s Shinji Takahasi and the Mark of the Coatl, kicks off the globe-trotting adventure in delightful fashion. The story follows Shinji Takahasi, a preteen boy who lives with his aunt Yui after losing his parents when he was very young. Yui has an eye for adventure and spends much of the year wandering the world in search of artifacts, taking the homeschooled Shinji along for the ride.

While in a market one day on an errand, Shinji wanders into a shop and comes across a small figure of a Coatl - or winged serpent - that he feels is calling to him. He purchases it, and is immediately accosted by grown men in suits demanding he turn the figure over to them. Shinji refuses and a fight ensues, during which he is separated from his aunt and taken by the men. But not before the figure disappears, manifesting instead as a tattoo on his arm. 

He wakes up at the headquarters for an organization called Hightower, who claim to want to help him remove the tattoo from his arm and take possession of the idol in the interest of keeping everyone safe. Shinjio doesn’t believe a word they say and escapes with the help of a girl named Lucy. 

Knowing Hightower will be of no help, the two flee across the country to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, who specialize in this sort of thing. With the help of the eclectic team at SEA, Shinji and Lucy travel to Mexico to return the figure to the temple where it belongs before the curse placed on it takes hold of Shinji. 

For those immersed in Disney Parks lore, the name “Society of Explorers and Adventurers” is probably ringing a few bells. The fictional organization pops up across Disney properties, appearing in some form or another at every theme park except for Shanghai. The book is peppered with little references to existing attractions that are fun to try and pick out. Besides the obvious Jungle Cruise references, I caught nods to Tokyo Disneysea’s Tower of Terror and Hong Kong Disney’s Mystic Manor. Anyone more immersed in the lore than I am will find many more I’m sure.

Any fan of Disney Parks knows two things. The first is that the parks have their own internal, interconnected lore that spans properties, attractions and even continents. The other is that the vibe for certain rides or themed sections can be termed at best a product of its time and at worst thoughtless or appropriative. 

Shinji Takahashi is aware of this when it comes to SEA, which at face value has some serious colonialist overtones, with a turn of the century, European explorer vibe. Rather than gloss over it, the book tackles these things head on, acknowledging that the past mode of operation was to take things from the land they belonged it and bring them elsewhere for study or display. Kagawa changes the mandate of the organization for the better, to one of conservation and respect for the cultures of origin. 

Whether or not readers are huge Disney parks fans, or are aware of the history of SEA, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is a fun, engaging read that will satisfy the craving for adventure but also provide a primer on fascinating, underdiscussed cultures, traditions and mythologies. 

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl is available April 5, 2022. 

Special thanks to Disney Books for the advance copy for review purposes.