Graciela in the Abyss, Meg Medina
Graciela in the Abyss, Meg Medina
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Graciela in the Abyss

Author: Meg Medina

Narrator: Elena Rey

Unabridged: 5 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/01/2025


Synopsis

A sea ghost, a mortal boy, and a dangerous enchanted harpoon...A Newbery Medalist takes us far beneath the waves in this extraordinary foray into fantasy.

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 creator, 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 has crafted a thoughtful tale infused with magic and high-stakes adventure that will leave readers wondering what power lies in the depths of the ocean—and inside each of us.

About The Author

Meg Medina is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, which was also a Kirkus Prize finalist, and its sequels, Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool, as well as several award-winning young adult novels and picture books. About this novel she says, “To survive in the darkest depths of the sea, creatures must learn to make their own spectacular light. In so many ways, that ability mirrors what young people need on their journey of growing up.” The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Meg Medina lives in Richmond, Virginia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by DaNae on July 15, 2025

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

Goodreads review by Cecilia on August 22, 2025

Pure magic 5⭐️......more

Goodreads review by Emily on July 25, 2025

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 nar......more

Goodreads review by Kim on June 06, 2025

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......more

Goodreads review by Candice on April 10, 2025

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 cl......more