Review: Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Quick Info:

Book type: Chapter Book

Target age: 8-12 years old

Recommended age: 7-10 years old

Plot: The “almost princess” of her kingdom, Solimar, decides to break the rules and see the monarchs migrating from their forest where she is given the responsibility of caring for the weaker monarchs who are now magically enchanted in her robozo. Before she can figure anything out her palace is ambushed by a greedy king while her father is out in an expedition. With the help of her old (and new) friends she decides it’s up to her to help her people.

Review:

This book was published in partnership with Disney so a lot of the magical elements are innocent in the sense of a Disney movie. Minus the magic elements it was clean but it was really hard to get through. I’m not the target audience but it was really slow and boring (especially in the beginning). The dialogue is a bit too formal and clunky and the flow is off—everything kind of stops moving when there’s dialogue. Solimar has a little “not like other girls” thing going on but it’s not too bad and was mainly during the scene where she would have to wear heels. I also didn’t understand the end instead of making it possible for a princess to be leader they instead make Solimar a “regent prince”. Not in the gender identity sense but I still didn’t get it. A sweet story for maybe an elementary aged girl, I can’t see anyone older enjoying it. The story had potential but the telling of it was awkward.

Opinion:

I would recommend this book to an elementary aged child but I feel it would be boring for any one older. It has a good message of taking care of the earth and animals and most children will be able to understand that the concept of “butterfly spirits” is just a plot device. I would have a conversation about “witches” with your child. Be sure to instill the belief in your daughters that it is okay to like “girly things” and that it doesn’t make her “cringy”

Content:

• A spiritual element about the power/ancestors of monarch butterflies

• A “good witch”

• Childish magic stems holistic remedies (ex: “Wave eggs ‘round the body to displace spells” & “Camphor stops the hair from receding”

• Potions (the grandma tries to use a love potion on her two cats so they can like each other)

• Friendly, talking enchanted dolls

• The villains of the story vanish in a swirl of magical wind after angering the ancestors of the butterflies

• In the end, instead of making it possible for a princess to be leader they instead make Solimar a “regent prince”. Not in the sense of male gender identity.

Excerpts:

Excerpts from books are a glimpse of the content that is found and are not every instance of un-Islamic and/or “iffy” content.

Context:

This excerpt gives a general gist of how the butterflies are spoken about in a “spiritual gist”.