(4.5)
A middle grade fantasy full of action and adventure. Solimar is reminiscent of Mirabel from Encanto. Both young girls overcome various obstacles to save their family.

Excellent addition to Pam Munoz Ryan’s middle grades offerings. Solimar is a strong girl who loves her family and country. Read this fast paced novel to learn more about her story. I highly recommend for fans of Ryan’s Esperanza.

Solimar is a princess blessed with monarch butterfly magic that settles in her rebozo. The shawl allows Solimar to answer questions with the truth of anything that will happen in the future and helps her protect the butterflies. Just before her Quinceañera and when her father and brother are out of town, a bad king arrives and takes everyone hostage. Solimar, her parrot, and her talking doll manage to escape with the help of her Abuela and a curandera. She travels by river toward where her brother and father will be and is rescued from a waterfall by an inventor boy named Berto who joins her journey. This is a magical adventure about a strong girl coming into her own…and saving the kingdom as she does.

I really enjoyed this fairytale like story. At the beginning princess Solimar sneaks into a butterfly forrest and receives a magical gift. This gift allows her to tell the future, but it has limitations. It also puts her and her kingdom in a bit of danger. Solimar heads out on an adventure to ultimately save the kingdom. I thought it was a fast paced and lovely story. I did think that Solimar read a bit younger than she was supposed to be and I would have liked more descriptions of this Mexican inspired fantasy world, but overall it was a delightful read.

As soon as I finished reading this ARC, I ordered it straight away for my students. I teach at a predominantly Black and Latino school, which is why I am always looking for new titles with BIPOC heroes. This book featured great characters, magical realism and a coming of age story. My students love Esperanza Rising and was excited to read her newest title.

Pam Munoz Ryan is an incredible storyteller, but for me the fantasy SOLIMAR fell short. That said, for me ECHO was a tour de force, and the bar is set high. There are important themes --feminism and the view that a female was less able than a male; environment and the protection of the monarch butterfly; and the never ending conflict between good and evil. The plot , set in a castle in Mexico, is predictable, and somewhat slow, with the king's unscrupulous Minister and a greedy neighboring King who intends to conquer the kingdom. When Solimar visits a forbidden area of the forest and the butterflies rest on her rebozo, she is given the gift of being able to predict the future. One point of contention, for this reader, is that Solimar is 15, but she seems to behave on the younger side. With an uncomplicated plot, a castle and royalty, abuelas and healers, magic and monarch butterflies, and a bit of adventure, this title will appeal to many in the 4th-5th grades.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the digital arc.

I love all of Pam Munoz Ryan’s book, but this one is unique. I loved all of the Mexican cultural elements that I learned from the book. The strong and brave Solimar will inspire readers with her confidence. This is a great book for showing how much you can learn about a culture from storytelling.

There's a lot to like in this story filled with magical realism, set in a mythical post-Spanish conquest Mexico. Solimar It was nice to read a book with this setting that included a smattering of Spanish words, but not so many that it will put off non-native English (or Spanish) readers. Between the magic of the Monarchs, the ingenuity of her companion Berto, Solimar's own bravery, and non-stop adventure, this is sure to appeal to younger middle grade readers. I could easily picture this as a Disney movie.

I loved, loved, loved this story from Pam Munoz Ryan!! She never disappoints. Solimar is an up-and-coming princess and she really doesn't want the job. When her brother runs away, it is up to her to save the kingdom when they are overtaken by the enemy. Does Solimar have what it takes? Does she have the magic of the butterflies on her side?

Amazing adventure story with a strong Latinx lead - what more could you ask for? I will forever read anything Pam Munoz Ryan writes.

I found this fairly forgettable, although I liked the adventure that Solimar and Berto had in the Mexican rivers. I felt that the book was too short to really feel high stakes, which is what I think the author was going for.

What a wonderful middle grade novel. I loved it as an adult and would have loved it so much more as a child. Everything was wonderful; the all knowing abuela, animal friends, Solimar's magic and a brother who wants to find himself. my heart is bursting

Can a princess-to-be save her family, the kingdom and the future of the kingdom’s treasured monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king?

Pam Muñoz Ryan's Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs will excite and uplift readers as they join the young Solimar in this tale of a magical, fictional kingdom in Mexico where longing, adventure, transformation and discovery are at the fore.

On the brink of her Quinceañera – the celebration of a young girl’s 15th birthday – 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. Solimar, being the brave princess-to-be that she is, sets out to warn her father and brother of the dangers that await.

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs is written for ages 8 to 12 but may be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It is simply a beautiful story. On its face, the tale is fast paced and contains all the exciting elements of a traditional adventure story: a princess, a kingdom, a villain, witches, magic and a quest.

However, one of the best parts about Solimar is that it features a Mexican heroine, picturesque imagery of the fictional kingdom of San Gregorio (much of which I am sure is inspired by a very real and very beautiful Mexico), and many cultural and linguistic references. The author does a thoughtful and impressive job of weaving in Spanish language and cultural events and celebrations into the English-language version of this book. I am not Mexican and do not speak Spanish, but I was able to follow along easily and was excited to learn many new things along the way. These sorts of lessons and this type of sharing is valuable to all readers.

Another equally inspiring aspect of this story is that Solimar is a princess who wants to be king. She struggles against tradition and “how things have always been.” She has an endearing heart-to-heart with both her Abuela (grandmother) and her brother about this desire (similarly against tradition, her brother, Campeon, has no desire to be king) and what it would mean to truly have a voice. Her Quinceañera and the princess title do little to inspire Solimar in the beginning, but she quickly discovers that it is personality, persistence, bravery and character that make a leader great.

Together with two loveable sidekicks – a quetzal name Lazaro and a charmed doll named Zarita – as well as a resourceful young friend named Berto, Solimar charts her own course. The transformation aspect of the story, blissfully depicted by the Monarchs, their significance to the kingdom, and Solimar’s relationship with them, is both moving and magical. Ultimately, there is something for everyone in Pam Muñoz Ryan's latest work.

Exciting and uplifting, inspired and inspiring, Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs is a book not just for young readers, but for all of us.

This story follows Solimar, a princess-to-be who wants to be more. She wants to be given all the opportunities and responsibilities as her brother, but because she is not a boy she is told this will never happen. Until one day she is bestowed the power of Protector of the Monarchs and a neighboring King invades their land while her father and brother are away. Now Solimar must find a way to save not only the butterflies, but her family and entire kingdom.

I loved the heritage and culture in this book! The imagery was beautiful and I loved the inclusion on Spanish throughout.

Berto was definitely my favorite character. He was spunky and confident and really tugged at my heart strings.

Personally I wasn’t able to connect to Solimar very well. I felt a lot of the dialogue was very robotic and had trouble really getting into the book.

Although this book wasn’t for me, I do think it’s an adorable story and can definitely teach kids about loyalty, perseverance, strength, not letting others tell you who to be and never giving up on your dreams.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Pam Muñoz Ryan never disappoints. A fascinating look at a wonderful world of magic and family. Solimar benefits from the wisdom of others to protect her family and create a future for herself.

I really loved this book! It was really enjoyable and fun. I liked how all of the characters were realistic and different from each other. I also liked how the book tied into real events like the butterflies. I think it was a good mix of fantasy with real things. It had me hooked from the start! I overall really enjoyed reading this book.

Middle grade readers that enjoy the Rick Riordan Presents series will love this book from Pam Muñoz Ryan about a 14-year-old Solimar who is given the gift (or curse) of being able to see the near-future. It's a quick read that is full of wonderful lessons and magic for middle grade readers.

Solimar is a smart young princess who has ideas for the future of her kingdom of San Gregorio, but in her kingdom, only her brother, Constantino, can become king. Constantino wants to travel and see the world rather than be king. Then with a little magic and a plot by King Aveno, things are about to change in San Gregorio. What does the future hold for Solimar?
#Solimar #NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an EARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This was a decent book for lower elementary school readers! Solimar is getting ready for her quinceañera where she makes the transition to womanhood when she is blessed with the gift of being able to tell the near future. Almost right after she gets this gift, her kingdom, including her family, is taken over by a nearby king with ulterior motives. Solimar is the only one who escapes and has to go on a journey to save them with a talking doll, her pet bird, and a boy named Bento!

This was incredibly fast paced and had some important themes in subplots throughout the book such as politics and patriarchal societies. However, the character of Solimar read way younger than she was presented as. The story also felt a bit too fast for me, but I don’t think that young readers would pick up on that. Overall, good for really young readers.

Solimar was a fun and quick read. It had likeable characters and an exciting adventure. There were times where I felt things were rushed or not explained enough, but overall I think kids will really love this one!