Graciela dans les abysses

by Meg Medina, Anna Balbusso (Illustrator), Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

Explorez le monde enchanté qui se cache au plus profond des océans...
Graciela habite dans les profondeurs de l'océan, cent ans après s'y être noyée. Désormais, elle aide son amie Amina à accueillir les fantômes marins nouvellement réveillés de leur sommeil éternel. Une mission de la plus haute importance !

Pendant ce temps, sur la terre ferme, Jorge travaille dans la forge familiale. Il a entendu parler des étranges créatures qui peuplent les mers – des histoires qui ne font rien pour apaiser sa peur de l'eau. Mais lorsqu'il découvre dans son jardin un harpon forgé à la main capable de tuer ces créatures, il sait qu'il doit le détruire à tout prix.

Réunis malgré eux, Graciela et Jorge n'auront d'autre choix que de travailler ensemble pour empêcher les esprits maléfiques de semer le chaos parmi les vivants et les morts. Sous la plume de la lauréate de la médaille Newbery et mis en images par des illustratrices multi-récompensées, voici un conte imprégné de magie et de poésie, qui laissera les lecteurs se demander quel pouvoir se cache dans les abysses... et en chacun de nous.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Ghosts, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2025

About the author

Meg Medina served as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her most recent middle-grade novel and first fantasy, Graciela in the Abyss, was a 2026 ALSC Notable Children’s Book and a CCBC Choices 2026 selection. Illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso, the novel was also awarded the prestigious 2026 Hamilton King Award by the Society of Illustrators. She is also the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, a 2018 Kirkus Prize finalist, and is followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her young adult novels include Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award, and was published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; Burn Baby Burn, which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. She is also the author of picture books No More Señora Mimí / No más Señora Mimí, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away / Evelyn del Rey se muda, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; Mango, Abuela, and Me, illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and Tía Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and biographies for young readers She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor and She Persisted: Pura Belpré, the latter with Marilisa Jiménez García. Meg Medina’s work examines how cultures intersect through the eyes of young people. She brings audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and qualities that are universal. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Reviews

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

An underwater fantasy - less Little Mermaid, more Deadwood Forest, (although I found the fox book more engaging).

This was fine, I struggled with the world building, I think having a hardcopy with the illustrations might help. While the two protagonists where sympatric I lacked true empathy for them - more my failing. The side characters felt one note - really good or really bad - which I found unusual for Medina.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 192/300

i received a finished copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. i am leaving this review voluntarily.

over a hundred years ago, graciela sunk to the bottom of the sea. now, she lives as a water spirit and makes sea glass and assists her spirit guide friend, amina, in welcoming souls like herself to the ocean. after amina saves jorge, a boy from the land who accidentally speared her, graciela wants nothing to do with him. determined to honor her friend and put a stop to the needlers, though, graciela sets out with jorge to steal back the dangerous harpoon.

i love mermaids, and mermaids who are more vicious than cutesy are even better, so this book seemed like a good fit for me! while i did think the world building could have been more in-depth, it was decent considering the size and other content of the book. i liked how each spirit had different jobs, such as graciela’s being making sea glass. there were also several illustrations throughout this book. these illustrations were so lovely and really helped me better visualize the characters and setting!

i’d recommend this to anyone looking for a MG fantasy set in the sea. i’d be interested in reading more of meg medina’s books!

[Emily McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

In life, Graciela is selfish and ungrateful, and following her tragic death, she becomes a “sea ghost” with the same imperfections until she is given an opportunity for redemption.

Medina likes to make sure readers don’t miss the important stuff. For example, when Graciela overcomes her flaw, the narrator highlights her unselfishness in a way that more sophisticated readers may find condescending.

This is a classic (and almost too perfect) plot and character arc, and I could definitely see this winning multiple awards. Teachers may consider it for classrooms for older readers, but it is a bit creepy, and some parents may object to the underwater spirits and afterlife.

As a tragic figure, Graciela was pretty unlikable; I never bonded with her or any other characters. I’m not putting this on my kids’ to-read list, but readers who enjoyed The Last Cuentista might like this one too.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure magic

5⭐️

[Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book. I really struggled to get into it. I hesitated several times about giving up on it. I didn’t find the characters endearing and, finally, I just couldn’t get into the story. I felt it didn’t have enough action and was too descriptive. It was difficult for me to get my mind around the world and characters. I think it was really the writing style that didn’t work for me. However, I sincerely believe it’s just me who didn’t like it. It might appeal to readers who enjoy stories set deep in the ocean, in the abyss—a poetic tale mixing the world of the living with that of the dead, and what happens when the two intersect.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous cover and super intriguing premise. Sea ghosts? Absolutely yes.

But Graciela is unlikeable in a very unlikable way. From the very beginning (it's not a spoiler because, hello, sea ghost) she dies because she's trying to spite her older sister. Her sister nicely cautions her away from the cliff. Graciela is like, stop bossing me around, and she falls off the cliff and dies. Then when she reawakens as a sea ghost, she's still jealous, disagreeable, and spiteful. Kinda like a Mary Lennox.

But then there's Jorge, who you immediately wrap your heart strings around because he has the unfortunate fate to have horrible parents (and ancestors, which plays a big part in the plot of the dangerous enchanted harpoon) when all he wants to do is make toys instead of weapons at his family's forge. He's kind, thoughtful, resourceful, and brave and is the perfect foil to Graciela.

The underwater characters and world-building was super cool and inventive. I thoroughly enjoyed this upper middle grade!

[Kailey Mgrdichian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous novel. I was entranced in the worldbuilding and the artwork. The characters grew on me and their character arcs were satisfying. Some of the writing was a bit more telling instead of showing, but it is more excusable as a middle-grade novel. The 230 pages were sharp and efficient.

I will absolutely be reading this to/with my future child. All ages can enjoy this magical journey.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un très joli conte jeunesse qui nous plonge dans une aventure aquatique pleine de rebondissements !

Graciela est une jeune fille téméraire, qui va tomber du haut d'une falaise et devenir, cent ans plus tard, un esprit aquatique. Car les océans sont remplis d'esprits de personnes mortes en mer, et chacune a un rôle important à jouer dans l'équilibre de l'écosystème. Graciela est une âme encore jeune, avec peu de pouvoir, mais elle apprécie son métier de vitrier, elle polit les morceaux de verre jetés avant de les ramener à la surface. Mais tout son univers va basculer lorsqu'elle va mettre en danger Amina, sa gardienne et sa nouvelle sœur, et qu'elle va rencontrer Jorge, un forgeron sensible qui découvre un harpon maudit.

Accompagné de magnifiques illustrations, c'est un conte plein de poésie, d'émotions et d'aventure. Graciela va évoluer, apprendre de ses erreurs, Jorge va apprendre à s'affirmer... Et le contexte aquatique est vraiment original et intéressant. J'ai beaucoup aimé imaginer les évènements maritimes comme des manifestations de ces esprits : la brume, les vagues, les tempêtes, les courants. Un sous-texte écologique important aussi, qui nous pousse à appréhender cet autre monde différemment.

[Agathe Glnt · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai bien aimé mais pas outre mesure, c’est un roman écrit pour un public plus jeune mais je pense qu’il est vraiment top pour celui-ci.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether she’s creating stories for the youngest children, middle grade students, or teens, Meg Medina writes with compassion and respect, and creates such compelling characters. I loved getting to know Graciela and Jorge as they battled evil forces. The underwater world building was fantastic.

Thanks to Candlewick Press and Edelweiss for the digital ARC.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina was a whole experience. Imagine falling into a magical, eerie, totally surreal world that feels like a mix of Latin American folklore, emotional therapy, and one long, trippy fever dream and that’s Graciela in the Abyss.

Graciela aka Chela is going through it. Her family is fractured, her grief is heavy, and her anger? Unchecked. So when she runs away and ends up in the mysterious, mythic El Abismo, a place her family warned her about, things get weird. In the best way.

We're talking about shadowy ancestors, whispering vines, talking rivers, and a literal abyss full of memory and magic. It’s part fantasy, part coming-of-age, part emotional excavation. Chela has to confront generations of family secrets, pain, and rage and decide who she wants to be on the other side of it all.

💕What I loved:
▫️The writing is absolutely gorgeous poetic without being too heavy.
▫️Chela isn’t your usual likable main character, and that’s what makes her so real.
▫️The vibes? Dark, dreamlike, witchy, and full of heart.
▫️And the story never shies away from hard stuff like grief, generational trauma, and complicated family love.

If you love books that make you feel and think, that explore identity and healing through magical storytelling this one will sit with you long after you finish it.

⚡️Thank you Candlewick Press and Meg Medina for sharing this book with me!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a long time to finish this new and special book by Meg Medina, not because it wasn't a great story set in a new world, but because I've just been too busy! Be sure to find and meet Graciela, who died too soon, yet finding her way in a new world of an ocean society, exquisitely imagined by Medina and, occasionally, imaginative illustrations by Anna and Elena Balbusso. The pictures show well how this world is elusive from the story of a world under the sea we earthlings might "feel" once in a while but never see. They've also created a map of the realm at the beginning. Medina has created that world for us readers to imagine. It has similarities to ours, those who are good and brave even in great danger, but not perfect, and those who seem only to "be" in order to bring mischief and danger. There are earthlings, too, and a boy, Jorge, who brings joy because of his goodness, his way of knowing what is needed to do good things, to right wrongs. Meg has added a complete glossary at the back for words from "The Sea Spirit Realm". I know that young readers will be enthralled with this enchanted adventure.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for my copy!

[Kathleen Fogarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read anything by author Meg Medina, but this book stands out in a very amazing way. It took her a long time to finish it, and I think the reason is the characters are so deeply drawn, and the world that it inhabits is so beautiful with new colors and language and a way of life beyond death. Graciela comes to her death early as a girl And over the course of 100 years she waits until her spirit becomes a water spirit with the help of Amina and many other characters. The story takes a new turn when a young boy finds a magical harpoon and tries to toss it into the ocean where it begins to have disastrous effects. I love the character of Jorge. He’s a boy who has been treated very badly by his family and he comes to become a good friend with Graciela as they work on a major project together. The story rolls along beautifully and has a satisfying heartfelt ending..
I highly recommend this book to everyone. Three cheers for Meg Medina.!!

[Atticus Odell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as my first book for Battle of the Books 2025-26, though I had been wanting to read it before the Battle of the Books season started. It’s an interesting story. It has great and inventive wordbuilding, with all sort of details about sea spirits’ jobs and powers and etc. The plot was also interesting. It was a little morbid, especially toward the end, but I guess to become a spirit, you gotta die, so… it was on the shorter side but honestly it feels just right. I got bored a times but for the most part, I wanted to keep reading. (Okay to be fair I wanted to finish it so I could read the books I had just picked up at the library: Between Shades of Gray, I Am Malala, and The Radium Girls😅) Jorge’s such a good character and I’m glad he lived a long life, but, at the end of the book, it was kinda weird to see the illustration of him, an old man spirit, acting like besties with Graciela, a 13-year-old girl spirit, so I think that maybe Medina could have made it so that all spirits look the same age, but whatevs. So yeah, it was a pretty good book!

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting story of Graciela, who died at age 13 and lives at the bottom of the sea with her friend Amina. Graciela grinds sea glass and accompanies Amina to awakenings- where Amina helps newly deceased people ease into life in the sea.

Jorge is the son of a blacksmith. His parents are greedy and cruel. Jorge learns about a harpoon his ancestors made that wreaks havoc in the sea. He is determined to out an end to it.

Graciela is selfish and her selfishness causes many problems for Amina and Jorge. It takes the entire book for Graciela to become a better person, but the epic underwater battle against the Needlers is nail-biting.

A captivating undersea fantasy adventure.

[Jasmine Eubank · Rating 2 out of 5]

read this with my kiddos in a book club and thought it was a cute story.

[Misha Lowenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

a story about loss and gain, about death and life, and learning one of the hardest lessons of all..how to let go. a children's story based in the ocean.

[Cristina Menendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to enjoy this new fantasy novel by Meg Medina. The main character is a dead child who transformed into a spirit mermaid after she drowns. If that sounds weird, you might want to read the original The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. The second main character is a kid with abusive parents who have a harpoon that can kill spirits. They want to use it to get pearls spirits have.

It felt like the book didn't get started until I was about an hour and a half in (I listened to the audiobook), and the pacing is really slow. It never really settled into a flow, it felt like. It's an interesting idea, though!

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook

I didn't care for this one. Too much fantasy and hard to follow.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked:
The author creates a remarkable world beneath the sea after Graciela dies in the prologue. The narrator sounds like an old storyteller speaking to the readers. People who die in the ocean become spirits and choose a specific job they’ll do. Immediately after dying, Graciela meets Amina, a Spirit Guide who’s chosen to help new spirits adjust to their eternal roles. Spirits make the world more bearable for the living by keeping the sea in a “delicate balance”. Everything has a counterpart. Some spirits control the fogs, others maintain the sea currents to guide ships, while other spirits ease minds. However, spirits can also cause terrible storms, whirlpools, and other dangers. Needlers are mischievous, and other spirits tend to avoid them. One Needler and his crew become the main antagonists.
Graciela’s character is mischievous and daring, but she’s also insecure. She chooses to become a Glazier and loves to transform pieces of glass into art. Her beautiful creations are left near shore where humans will discover and enjoy them. Graciela searches for bits of glass on the sea bottom and sometimes ventures into risky waters. She still has brief memories of life on land and misses being with her older sister. These remembrances create a subtle, internal struggle. Instead of being paired with a new spirit guardian after her death, Graciela stays with Amina, and they become close, like sisters. This brings Graciela comfort, but she fears the day Amina will be called away to join the Almas and lead all of the spirits. This fear leads Graciela to make a story-altering decision.
The story follows the paths of two characters, Graciela and Jorge. Alternating chapters describe Graciela’s life under the sea and Jorge’s difficult life as the son of a malicious blacksmith and his wife. Jorge is the opposite of his despicable parents, but his kind heart endures. All of the characters, spirits and humans, know the story of the harpoon that can kill spirits. Jorge discovers its hiding place and knows right away that it’s something evil. He tries to destroy it but is forced to conceal it where it will never be found. However, that decision leads to a fateful night at sea.
What didn’t work as well:
Other than Jorge and Graciela, the characters aren’t fully developed and simply serve their purposes. Readers may have trouble connecting with Graciela, as her personality isn’t as defined and positive as Jorge’s. Many of Graciela’s decisions only serve her self-interests, although she eventually learns to care about the entire world under the sea.
The final verdict:
Young readers may be captivated by the undersea world and characters. The mission to destroy the malevolent harpoon builds to a dramatic climax and a satisfying resolution. I recommend you try it out for yourself.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Graciela wants to go on a picnic to celebrate her 13th birthday a long time ago, but doesn't listen to her sister Letitcia and is swept off a cliff into the ocean and drowns. There, she is awakened by Amina, who offers to be her guide. Many people who die watery deaths are living there, serving a variety of purposes, from mind erasers, to shell musicians, to glaziers. Graciela is a glazier, and grinds bottles into sea glass. She is very fond of Amina and worried that Amina will leave her and she will be all alone. We also meet Jorge, who lives about a hundred years later, whose father works as a blacksmith. His parents are very mean, and when Jorge finds an old harpoon and tries without any luck to destroy it after learning a bit of its story from Ernesto, whose family was ruined by the harpoon after they tried to catch a sea spirit with it. Jorge's family lets him drift off to sea in a boat, hoping he dies, after he takes the harpoon. Throwing the weapon overboard, he accidentally wounds Amina. He dies, and ends up in Graciela's world. Amina does recover, and the three try to destroy the weapon in the abyss. They are successful, but there is a price. We see Jorge at the end of his life, and learn that he was the only one to survive the Great Eruption, and once he dies, he goes to be with Graciela. The story has beautiful but somewhat creepy illustrations.

This is the type of lyrical, heartprint book, like Eggers' The Eyes and the Impossible, that will win the Newbery and be beloved by teachers and librarians. It does have creepy moments, but not the sort of ones that my students ask for. It has a fairy tale feel to it, and a lot more philosophy than action. I'd read it before adding it to a school library, to see if it would do well with your students.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“IF was a word for impossible or unlikely things, Graciela had reasoned.
IF I were alive again.
IF I had not fallen from the cliff.
IF I had not made a stupid mistake.
‘I promise,’ she said.
It was a lie.” (24)

On the morning of her thirteenth birthday, Graciela and her old sister Leticia picnicked on the bluff when, wishing for a more exciting life and enticed by the ocean, Graciela peered over, fell, and drowned. One hundred years later, she awoke.

She was now a Sea Spirit with a Guide named Anima who had become like a sister to her. But when she intercepts a message from the Almas inviting Anima to join them, she has a lapse of conscience and hides the message, not wanting to lose another sister.

Meanwhile, on land Jorge Leonis, the blacksmith’s boy lives with parents who scold and belittle him. He loves inventions, especially making toys. “Joyful things fed the empty spots inside a person. At least that’s what toys did for him.” (39) When he finds an old harpoon created by his ancestor Fernando, made to catch sea spirits for their pearls (teeth), he tries to destroy it and, failing, he throws it into the sea, piercing Anima and falling into the abyss.

What follows is an adventure when Jorge and Graciela, who does not really trust Jorge, try to recover the harpoon from Fernando and his band of Needlers and save Anima so Graciela can right her wrong. “Maybe nothing was ever certain. Maybe you had to have the courage to go forward anyway.” (168)

And what is to become of Jorge who has not drowned and become a spirit.

Readers will delight in this beautifully-written fantasy-adventure full of fantastical characters as they learn about trust and friendship.

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graciela in the Abyss is a modern fairy tale that will enchant and delight readers! Graciela is a sea spirit tasked with creating sea glass and helping her friend Amina welcome new spirits to their world, but she fears the day when Amina will leave her and join the Almas (rulers of the sea world). Jorge Leon is a mortal boy who works in his family’s forge on land; he enjoys making small creative toys from metal scraps, but his parents discourage his passion as a waste of time. Their destinies are thrust together when an ancient evil harpoon that can kill sea spirits resurfaces and threatens both their worlds. Graciela and Jorge must adventure together to the depths of the ocean to find and destroy the harpoon, but the journey is perilous and Graciela has reason to mistrust Jorge. Temptation, danger, and secrets abound. 

As a standalone fantasy adventure, this book excels at worldbuilding, character development, pacing, and detail. Exquisite illustrations, particularly of the underwater world, make the title shine even more. I would personally love to see companion titles that explore other parts of the Sea Spirit world! I’m so curious about other professions for sea spirits like Fog Haunters, Mind Easers, etc. Characters are cued Latinx and Portuguese. 

Meg Medina has created an entire underwater Sea Spirit world (complete with a map, a glossary of terms, etc) that will ignite reader imaginations. Highly recommended! Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[daj.nura.w.ksiazki · Rating 5 out of 5]

🐚🪸

Na skutek nieszczęśliwego wypadku nastoletnia Graciela spada z klifu i tonie. Sto lat później, na dnie oceanu, budzi się ze snu śmierci i odkrywa, że stała się właśnie częścią nowej społeczności. Zadaniem dziewczyny jest teraz wytwarzanie szkła morskiego, a jej opiekunką zostaje Amina, która na co dzień wita nowe dusze po przebudzeniu.

Tymczasem na powierzchni Jorge Leon, dwunastolatek pochodzący z rodziny kowali, na swoim podwórku znajduje ukryty harpun, którego mroczny wygląd skłania chłopca do zgłębienia jego historii. Gdy Jorge odkrywa, że mordercza broń jest w stanie poskromić morskiego ducha, postanawia ją zniszczyć.

🧜🏻‍♀️✨

Cóż to była za historia!

Jako wielbicielka morskich klimatów nastawiłam się na nią bardzo pozytywnie i ani trochę się nie zawiodłam. W odpowiedni nastrój już w pierwszych chwilach wprowadziła mnie piękna okładka, mapka i ilustracje, a treść dopełniła całości.

,,Graciela z głębin" to opowieść o przyjaźni, skutkach ludzkiej chciwość i próbach odkupienia win przodków. Historia jest piękna, ale też miejscami brutalna.

Meg Medina prezentuje czytelnikom barwny, ale często też bezlitosny podwodny świat. Staje się on domem dla osób, które zginęły na morzu. Niektóre z nich szybko i dobrze odnajdują się w nowej rzeczywistości, inne znacznie gorzej.

Książka wywołała u mnie dużo emocji, bardzo ją przeżywałam.

Wielka polecajka!

🌊🌬️

[współpraca reklamowa z @wilga_young]

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graciela in the Abyss is a modern fairy tale that will enchant and delight readers! Graciela is a sea spirit tasked with creating sea glass and helping her friend Amina welcome new spirits to their world, but she fears the day when Amina will leave her and join the Almas (rulers of the sea world). Jorge Leon is a mortal boy who works in his family’s forge on land; he enjoys making small creative toys from metal scraps, but his parents discourage his passion as a waste of time. Their destinies are thrust together when an ancient evil harpoon that can kill sea spirits resurfaces and threatens both their worlds. Graciela and Jorge must adventure together to the depths of the ocean to find and destroy the harpoon, but the journey is perilous and Graciela has reason to mistrust Jorge. Temptation, danger, and secrets abound.
As a standalone fantasy adventure, this book excels at worldbuilding, character development, pacing, and detail. Exquisite illustrations, particularly of the underwater world, make the title shine even more. I would personally love to see companion titles that explore other parts of the Sea Spirit world! I’m so curious about other professions for sea spirits like Fog Haunters, Mind Easers, etc. Characters are cued Latinx and Portuguese.
Meg Medina has created an entire underwater Sea Spirit world (complete with a map, a glossary of terms, etc) that will ignite reader imaginations. Highly recommended!

[Michael Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meg Medina’s Graciela in the Abyss is a haunting and tender voyage into a world where the boundary between the living and the dead shimmers like moonlit water. Beneath the ocean’s surface, Medina builds a realm both beautiful and unsettling one shaped by memory, longing, and the quiet labor of second chances.

Graciela is a compelling guide through this underwater afterlife: gentle, curious, and marked by the mystery of a human life left behind. Her friendship with Amina and her careful work welcoming newly awakened sea ghosts give the story a poignant, almost ceremonial rhythm. Above the waves, Jorge León provides a vivid counterpoint grounded in the heat of his family forge, fearful of the sea yet brave enough to confront it when fate places a dangerous harpoon in his hands.

Medina weaves these two lives together with assurance, exploring themes of fear, responsibility, and the courage required to protect what we love. The Balbusso sisters’ illustrations add a lyrical, shadowed beauty that deepens the novel’s atmosphere.

Part adventure, part ghost story, and wholly heartfelt, Graciela in the Abyss respects the emotional intelligence of young readers. It reminds us that even in the darkest depths, compassion can be a form of light and that heroism often begins with reaching across impossible distances.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Not great. Not bad. The characters are not particularly appealing. I found Graciela really obnoxious and annoying for most of the book. She does eventually evolve, but since the story is quite short and there’s not a whole lot of time to learn to like her, I just didn’t. Though the ending is kinda sweet, I just didn’t particularly enjoy this book and will not be interested in reading again. (That’s a note to my future self.) There’s just not a lot of substance to the story and it didn’t grab me like so many really good books do.

I tend to rate books by whether I would want to read them again and again. 5 stars for absolutely I will want to read again and again…4 stars for books I find very good but perhaps not something I will read again. 3 stars for books I found just eh. Not good, not bad. Mediocre. But others may find them more enjoyable, I just didn’t. And anything less is just too bad of a read to ever think much about again.

Take it as you like and make your own decisions, but this 55yr old lifelong bookworm and reader of MANY excellent children’s books didn’t find this book particularly noteworthy.

P.S. is it just me or did Jorge’s parents give off strong vibes of being exactly like Matilda’s parents (Ronald Dahl.)??? Seriously, like the same personalities exactly.

[Mana traverse les Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au vu du résumé, je m’attendais à avoir un récit sur l’héritage et le deuil… et c’est bien ce que j’ai trouvé, en plus sombre que prévu !

D’une certaine façon, l’ambiance pesante, cruelle et impitoyable m’a fait penser à celles dégagées par Les Monstres de Rookhaven de P. Kenny ou Gallant de V. Schwab, publiés chez le même éditeur. Le récit est très sombre et parle de beaucoup de sujets lourds comme le deuil, la perte, le devoir et la peur… le tout dans les profondeurs, peuplées d’esprits.

Côté personnage, Graciela n’est pas une enfant de cœur : elle est égoïste, jalouse, mais a un bon fond qui ressort dans les situations qui le demandent. J’ai bien aimé la dynamique qu’elle entretient avec Jorge : l’évolution du personnage au contact du garçon est belle et véhicule un message important aux enfants. Jorge lui, est bien plus effacé, conditionné par la violence familiale dont il cherche à se soustraire. Les adultes, quant à eux, ne sont pas les plus gentils : si le parti pris est intéressant puisqu’on retrouve des personnages particulièrement sombres et cruels, il était également un peu triste de ne voir aucune évolution dans la façon de penser de ces parents…

Bref, c’est une lecture spooky que je vous conseille pour l’automne ou pour cet été si vous souhaitez rester au frais ! 😊

[Makayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A beautifully eerie underwater tale, Graciela in the Abyss is unlike anything I’ve read in middle-grade fantasy. Meg Medina blends ghost story with a fable-like quest, creating a narrative that feels both ancient and urgent.

Told from dual perspectives—Graciela, a spirit trapped in a mysterious underwater world, and a boy who finds himself connected to her—this story explores power, grief, injustice, and redemption. Medina doesn’t simplify hard truths for her younger readers; instead, she hands them a morally layered story and trusts them to navigate its depths.

The writing is lyrical and haunting, and the worldbuilding is rich with glowing sea creatures and sunken secrets. The illustrations add another layer of enchantment, making it feel like a story passed down through generations.

It’s quiet in some ways, but never dull—emotionally charged, deeply empathetic, and a reminder that even in the darkest places, there’s light to be found.