MG magical realism and mythology - El Niño, by Pam Muñoz Ryan

El Niño, by Pam Muñoz Ryan

From the publisher, Scholastic Press: available May 6, 2025

Kai Sosa comes from a long line of competitive swimmers. And this is his summer to prove his own prowess on an elite invitational team, even if he is the weakest link. He hopes to carry the Sosa torch in a competition against the infamous Sea Wolves.

But recently, he's been haunted by a puzzling dream. One where he sees his dead sister, Cali, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by dolphins. When he wakes, it's hard to hold back the dam of feeling he's been working so hard to contain the past two years. But he must, because feeling will mess with his race times.

Then one day, while surfing with a friend, Kai encounters a mysterious sea creature as big as he, with long black hair and a fluked tail, that insistently pokes his board. Kai is sure his mind and the sea are playing tricks, until the sea creature finds Kai twice more. When a school assignment about the weather phenomenon El Niño leads him to the local library-and a book Cali had checked out multiple times, about dolphins and a mythic Amazonian queen who once ruled over an underwater realm-Kai's grip on reality begins to fissure. What are the sea creature and the book trying to tell him? In a climactic head-to-head faceoff with the Sea Wolves, everything becomes clear as Kai tests his strength, unleashes the dam, and discovers that sometimes the only way to hold onto what we love is to let it go. 

I really enjoyed the folk lore in this story. I appreciated the struggles the characters faced with the death of a sister and daughter.

I was a bit confused in one area, but after reading the next part, it all became clear. Just in case you read and wonder, is this happening?

Relatable characters since you can see where each of them are coming from and why they react the way they do. The swim training, surfing, and the ocean and what’s beneath are characters in the story, too.

There’s mystery and a journey with a goal propelling Kai to the end.

There are many ways to cope with death, and this highlights how different people react and deal.

My favorite book of Pam Muñoz Ryan is The Dreamer.