✨El Nino (2025)

By Pam Munoz Ryan

Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

4Rbooks                                           5/6                   grades          5-8

Amazon                                             4.3/5              grade level   3-7

Goodreads                                      3.87/5          

Common Sense Media               4/5                  ages 8+

244 pages

Synopsis

            It’s been a difficult two years for Kai, ever since his older sister, Cali, disappeared while surfing.  He sometimes sleepwalks and at other times has bad dreams. His mom keeps busy and is always checking on everyone’s emotions.  His dad dotes on his little sister and can’t seem to make time for Kai anymore.  This is especially disappointing as Kai has made the local swim team and could use help from his dad, a one-time swimming star.

            Kai used to be a good swimmer but is struggling now.  He starts strong but then has trouble keeping up his pace. He is worried that he will be the reason his team doesn’t win the biggest meet of the year.  

            One day he finds a library book his sister Cali had checked out.  It was about the legend of Califia, Queen of the isle of California. As he reads the book over and over, Kai begins to believe that maybe his sister isn’t gone but is living below the ocean as the new queen of the undersea realm.  He also believes that she is calling to him and needs his help to defeat the greedy memalians who want to unleash sorrow upon the world.

Are the worlds merging together, above the sea and below the sea, or is everything just in his mind as he tries to deal with his grief?

Parental Guidelines:    medium-low

Kai’s sister disappeared two years ago while surfing and has never been found. Only her surfboard leash washed ashore.

Kai is still dealing with the emotional impact of losing his sister.

A baby dolphin dies.  The mother tries for a long time to revive her by pushing her to the surface before letting go.

Kai nearly drowns while doing an open water swim with his team.

There is a fantastical battle in the undersea world between groups of mermalians.

Recommendation

            This is a new book by Newberry Award winning author Pam Munoz Ryan (Esperanza Rising). It is a fantasy interweaving the legend of the Queen Califia the Island of California (named after her) and its Amazonian inhabitants, and modern-day coastal living. Local cities like San Diego, Carlsbad, San Clemente, and Dana Point are mentioned in the plot.  Scientific facts about sea creatures and weather patterns (El Nino) are brought up regularly. Boating, surfing, and living at the beach play parts in the story, too.

Even though there are many sad and dark emotions running through this story, it was an enjoyable read that I can recommend to any personal, classroom, or school library.  It makes you think as it is hard to tell if the fantasy elements are meant to be “real,” or if they are just the imagination of Kai as he deals with his sister’s disappearance. I found that aspect fascinating and kept me curious as to the eventual outcome.

I thought the subject matter made it more of a middle school book, but I could see it being used as a classroom read by a fourth-grade teacher during California history lessons. It’s an easy read, but the vocabulary is excellent (Kai’s best friend, Spinner, like to read, including the dictionary).