Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

After visiting a forest of monarch butterflies, future Princess Solimar is gifted with the ability to see the near future and finds she has also been anointed as protector of the butterflies themselves. This enchanting adventure from Newbery Honor book author Pam Muñoz Ryan is infused with Mexican culture and, of course, magic, as Solimar uses her gifts to help save her kingdom.

"Award-winning author Ryan has masterfully crafted a story using cultural elements from Mexico with a generous sprinkling of magic. In this story of courage, determination, and ingenuity, readers will cheer on Solimar in her arduous journey to save what is near and dear to her heart." —Booklist


"I advise you to tell no one about the gift unless you trust them implicitly."

Ever since Solimar was a little girl, she has gone to the ouamel forest bordering her kingdom to observe the monarch butterflies during their migration, but always from a safe distance. Now, on the brink of her quinceañera and her official coronation, Solimar crosses the dangerous creek to sit among the butterflies. There, a mysterious event gives her a gift and a burden—the responsibility to protect the young and weak butterflies with her magical rebozo, or silk shawl.

Solimar is committed to fulfilling her role, and has a plan that might have worked. But when her father, the king, and her brother, the prince, leave on an expedition, a neighboring king overthrows the kingdom and holds everyone left in the village hostage. It takes all of Solimar's courage to escape and then embark on a dangerous journey to save her kingdom, but she's not alone. Her pet bird, Lázaro, the butterflies she protects, and a magical rag doll, Zarita, are with her. Then, at a precarious moment, she meets a river boy who knows the rapids.

Even with help, can Solimar save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the monarchs from a greedy king?

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368078443
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/31/2023
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	31,180
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is a New York Times bestselling 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.

Pam's Hometown:
Lives in North San Diego County in Encinitas, CA

Cities where Pam is well-known:
Was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA until college.
Boston, MA
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Long Beach, CA

Pam's social media handles:
Twitter @pammunozryan
Instagram pammunozryan
Facebook Pamela Ryan

Editorial Reviews

Award-winning author Ryan has masterfully crafted a story using cultural elements from Mexico with a generous sprinkling of magic. In this story of courage, determination, and ingenuity, readers will cheer on Solimar in her arduous journey to save what is near and dear to her heart.—Booklist

Award-winning author Ryan has masterfully crafted a story using cultural elements from Mexico with a generous sprinkling of magic. In this story of courage, determination, and ingenuity, readers will cheer on Solimar in her arduous journey to save what is near and dear to her heart.—Booklist

Full of energy and egalitarian ideas, Solimar gently but firmly resists some aspects of San Gregorio’s gender roles while honoring the kingdom’s traditions and protecting its ecological wonders...Ryan emphasizes cooperation and mutual assistance among individuals and communities; both Solimar and her kingdom are ultimately stronger for the friendships they forge.—BCCB

Full of energy and egalitarian ideas, Solimar gently but firmly resists some aspects of San Gregorio’s gender roles while honoring the kingdom’s traditions and protecting its ecological wonders...Ryan emphasizes cooperation and mutual assistance among individuals and communities; both Solimar and her kingdom are ultimately stronger for the friendships they forge.—BCCB

The story is rich with vibrant imagery, suspense, and humor...Muñoz Ryan has given readers a strong and appealing Latinx heroine, while weaving in beautiful elements of culture, ancestry, family values, and gender equality.—School Library Journal

The story is rich with vibrant imagery, suspense, and humor...Muñoz Ryan has given readers a strong and appealing Latinx heroine, while weaving in beautiful elements of culture, ancestry, family values, and gender equality.—School Library Journal

Though the story is written about a teen, the engaging plotline and whimsical elements will appeal to a younger audience. An energetic romp with a conservation motif.—Kirkus Reviews

Though the story is written about a teen, the engaging plotline and whimsical elements will appeal to a younger audience. An energetic romp with a conservation motif.—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

02/11/2022

Gr 3–6—Solimar is turning 15, preparing to have her quinceañera and be crowned as princess of San Gregorio. Her older brother, Campeó, is the heir apparent to the kingdom, though he doesn't wish to be. Meanwhile, her parents, the king and queen, are in danger from the neighboring king, who wishes to take their land. On their land is the magical oyamel forest, known for the migrating monarch butterflies. When Solimar crosses the river to see the butterflies, they magically settle upon her. After she returns home, her rebozo (a scarflike shawl) starts to glisten and Solimar learns she has inherited an unusual power. She is able to see into the near future while wearing the rebozo, making her a target and a risk to the butterflies and those she loves. It's up to Solimar to single-handedly save the butterflies and the entire kingdom, including her family. But difficulties abound, including a kidnapping and travels down the treacherous Rio Diablo river with her sidekicks Quetzal, Lazaro, an enchanted doll named Zarita, and a young boy named Berto in tow. Solimar's relationship with her abuela is touching, and the characters are all well developed. The story is rich with vibrant imagery, suspense, and humor. VERDICT Muñoz Ryan has given readers a strong and appealing Latinx heroine, while weaving in beautiful elements of culture, ancestry, family values, and gender equality.—Michele Shaw

School Library Journal

2022-04-13
A girl’s determination, combined with a little bit of magic, has the power to save kingdoms and the ecosystem.

Solimar is the daughter of Mexican royalty—though she won’t become a princess until she celebrates her quinceañera in a few weeks. While her family seems to excel at fulfilling the royal duties, Solimar pushes back against expectations—especially gender roles—and yearns for adventure. An encounter with the beautiful monarch butterflies that migrate annually through Solimar’s kingdom leaves her with a gift—her rebozo, or shawl, which now appears to be covered in butterfly wings, grants her intuition about the future. The newfound ability may also be draining the butterflies’ energy, so Solimar must keep it a secret to preserve them. A rival king discovers her power and plans to exploit it along with the butterfly territory through underhanded deals and hostage taking. Solimar manages to escape and must make a treacherous journey to foil the plot. The story moves briskly from problem to resolution. The text gives a nod to the colonialism that has impacted Mexico, mentioning the original borders of the country as well as Solimar’s Spanish and Indigenous heritage. Solimar’s mother is European and Indigenous and has dark brown skin; Solimar is described as having dark brown eyes and short black curls. Though the story is written about a teen, the engaging plotline and whimsical elements will appeal to a younger audience.

An energetic romp with a conservation motif. (information about monarch butterflies) (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews