A cursed harpoon that can kill sea ghosts brings together a blacksmith's son and a forlorn spirit in the wondrous and enthralling middle-grade novel Graciela in the Abyss.
One hundred years ago, the "ruthless" fisherman Fernando Gonzalo and the "pitiless" blacksmith Ignacio Leon forged a weapon to kill sea spirits. Now, Ignacio's great-grandson, Jorge Leon, has found the weapon. The boy's unkind parents want to use it, but Jorge won't let them harm the spirits. He steals the harpoon with the intent to destroy it but, Fernando, now a vengeful ghost, attacks and reclaims the weapon, plunging Jorge beneath the waves.
During the struggle, Amina, a specter of the sea, is stabbed by the terrible harpoon, terrifying her friend, Graciela. When the severely injured Amina gives Jorge the ability to breathe underwater and asks Graciela to help him find and destroy the harpoon, Graciela begrudgingly agrees.
The awe-inspiring characters in this mesmerizing folkloric story exude a dazzling defiance against unjust power. Jorge, who thinks himself worthless, finds the might to disobey his parents; similarly, Graciela's Papá "had deemed swimming unladylike," yet still she swam. Newbery Medal winner and 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina (Merci Suárez Changes Gears) uses hypnotic prose to conjure an oceanic realm teeming with wonders that speak to the interconnectedness of land and sea. Anna and Elena Balbusso, who have together illustrated more than 50 titles, create enchanting mixed-media art featuring diaphanous shapes and layers of texture. The Balbusso twins' illustrations are as inky as the deep's dark waters. Seemingly insurmountable odds and grief bring suspense to a supernatural underwater tale as immersive, majestic, and alluring as the deep sea itself. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer