Solimar and her family are getting ready to celebrate her Quinceañera and her official coronation. She decides to visit the oyamel forest and sit among the monarch butterflies. As she witnesses the monarch's annual pilgrimage, she experiences an magical occurrence that causes her to receive a magical gift. She realizes that she can predict the future and has become the protector of vulnerable butterflies.
As her father and brother leave to go on a journey, a mutiny occurs. A neighboring king decides to invade their castle and take the remaining villagers hostage. Solimar managed to escape the king's grasp but, she will need to warn her father and brother. Will Solimar be able to rescue her family while protecting the butterflies?
I found the book to be beautifully written but, I wish they included an appendix or dictionary. There were a lot of terms that are unique to the Mexican culture that other people might not be familiar with. The book is written for a younger audience but, I did I felt like the book could have been targeted to an older audience. I can see this book turning into a Disney movie and being loved by the audience.
**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy in exchange for my honest opinion**
About The Book:
Title: SOLIMAR: THE SWORD OF THE MONARCHS
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Pub. Date: February 15, 2022
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible,
B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Middle-grade
fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising, will find a new
Mexican heroine to love in Solimar and a fresh, magical story!
On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Solimar visits
the oyamel forest to sit among the monarch butterflies. There, the sun pierces
through a sword-shaped crevice in a boulder, which shines on her and sends the
butterflies humming and swirling around her.
After the magical frenzy, she realizes she's been given a gift―and a burden:
she can predict the near future! She has also become a protector of the young
and weak butterflies. This alone would be a huge responsibility, but tragedy
strikes when a neighboring king invades while her father and brother and many
others are away. The remaining villagers are taken hostage―all except Solimar.
Can this princess-to-be save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the
monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king?
Written for ages 8 to 12 by the Newbery Honor Medal winner of the highly
acclaimed novel Echo.
About Pam Muñoz Ryan:
Pam Muñoz
Ryan is a New York Times best-selling author and U.S. nominee
for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She has written over forty
books, including Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi León, Riding
Freedom, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and Echo,
a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of the Kirkus Prize. She is the author
recipient of the National Education Association’s Human and Civil Rights Award,
the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and is twice
the recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal and the Willa Cather Award. Other honors
include the PEN USA Award, the Américas Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book
Honor, and the Orbis Pictus Award. She was born and raised in Bakersfield,
California, but now lives near San Diego with her family. Many of her stories
reflect her half-Mexican heritage.
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Giveaway Details:
3 winners
will receive a finished copy of SOLIMAR: THE SWORD OF THE MONARCHS, US Only.
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