Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan (190 Pages)

Summary: 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?

Opinion: This is a fast paced and short fantasy read for upper elementary to middle school aged kids. This book does skip from scene to scene on occasion and very much focuses on progressing the book rather than providing detail. Even so, the characters are well developed and demonstrate positive growth. Though, there is a character named Zarita who is a doll that I found to be disturbing and she definitely took me out of the book a bit. That being said, I enjoyed this read overall especially the main two characters.