Book cover for Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina

Graciela in the Abyss

2026 Released
256 Pages
4-6 Hours
Ebook Unavailable
Audiobook Unavailable
Candlewick Press (MA)ISBN 9781536253009
Dive into the abyss with this stunning paperback, featuring printed edges that invite you into the deepest recesses of the ocean, where the sea ghosts lie.

"A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In the deepest recesses of the ocean, Graciela--once an ordinary girl--now makes sea glass and assists her friend, Amina, as she welcomes newly awakened sea ghosts from their death sleep. Though Graciela's spirit is young, she has lived at the bottom of the ocean for more than a hundred years. Meanwhile, in the mortal world on land, twelve-year-old Jorge Leon works in his family's forge. He's heard of the supernatural spirits living beneath the ocean's waves--tales that do nothing to quell his fear of the water. But when Jorge discovers a hand-wrought harpoon with the power to spear a sea ghost, he knows he must destroy it any way he can.

When the harpoon is accidentally reunited with its vengeful owner, unlikely allies Graciela and Jorge have no choice but to work together to keep evil spirits from wreaking havoc on both the living and the dead. If only the answer to saving what they care about didn't lie within the depths of the abyss . . . Newbery Medal winner Meg Medina and illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso have crafted a magical ocean fantasy for kids in this epic sea ghost adventure infused with Latin American folklore, which will leave readers wondering what power lies in the depths of the ocean--and inside each of us.

Meg Medina

Meg Medina was the 2023–2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and grew up in Queens, New York. An author of Cuban descent, Meg writes stories that celebrate Latino culture, as in The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind; Mango, Abuela, and Me; Burn Baby Burn; and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away. Her teen novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass won the Pura Belpré Award and was published as a graphic novel in 2023. Her middle grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears won the Newbery Medal—and led to two additional Merci Suárez novels: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her nonfiction titles include She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor and She Persisted: Pura Belpré.

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