In El Niño by Pam Muñoz Ryan, a new middle grade novel due out May 6, 2025 from Scholastic Press, former swim team star Kai Sosa must face the storm of grief that has long been gathering inside him just as a fierce El Niño storm develops off the coast. The cover, by Pura Belpré Award-winning illustrator Joe Cepeda, is seen here for the first time.
Before his sister Cali disappeared at sea, Kai was more at home in the water than anywhere else. But since she’s been gone, he’s never quite been able to get back to the person he was before, in or out of the water. He made a final promise to her—to retrieve her golden cuff bracelet—and hasn’t been able to rest easy until he keeps his word. One day at the library, he finds a book that Cali had checked out many times—about an underwater realm and a mysterious place called the Library of Despair and Sorrow. As he reads, the barrier between the world of the book and his life seems to dissolve. Among the strange signs he begins to see, dolphin pods and strange sea creatures appear, as if myth and reality are colliding.
A Kirkus Prize winner and Newbery Honor recipient (both for her middle grade novel Echo), Muñoz Ryan lives near the Pacific Ocean in San Diego. Living so close to the water, she said she’s always wanted to write a story based in an underwater world. She started a “mer story” while working on Echo and Mañanaland. Although the initial idea never quite took shape, she kept a box of research labeled “Mer,” filled with legends and myths about islands and lost worlds, including the story of how her home state California was named.
Using that as a starting point, she decided to write her own origin story for the area, weaving in elements of the Greek myth of a mysterious island inhabited by warrior women. “In my story, the island is submerged and inhabited by mermaliens, part humans and part sea creatures,” she said. “In the traditional myth, the Amazonian warriors guard treasure embedded in mountain cliffs; I wanted my mermalien warriors to protect and care for something more precious than gold. But what?”
Working through the pandemic, with sadness all around, she hit upon the idea of grief as something that could be surrendered and cared for as a respite for those weary of carrying it. “Those imaginings led me to create the Library of Despair and Sorrow, a sanctuary for the world’s suffering,” she said.
The blending of magic, myth, and reality is a hallmark of Ryan’s novels. In El Niño, she said, “The challenge was walking a fine line between what was happening to my character, Kai, and what he perceived was happening to him.”
Grief is another recurrent theme for Muñoz Ryan. “Many of my novels are about overcoming obstacles, loss, and putting one foot in front of the other during difficult times,” she said. For Kai, it’s something he must endure, but it also helps him find a new path in life. “I wanted this story to feel hopeful and redemptive, for my character and for readers,” she added.
El Niño has a double meaning. It means “the boy” in Spanish but also describes a climate pattern that is becoming more frequent. Melding weather science and myth gave the story more depth and meaning for her.
El Niño’s cover is Muñoz Ryan’s third collaboration with Cepeda. The first was Esperanza Rising, released in 2000, followed by Ryan’s picture book Mice and Beans. Cepeda is a Pura Belpré Honor winner for his picture book Rafa Counts on Papá. Muñoz Ryan said she and her editor Tracy Mack and art director Marijka Kostiw all collaborated on the visuals for the book. “It was exciting and inspiring to see the bookmaking evolve,” she said. “One of my favorite touches is the ink color choice. In my book The Dreamer, we had printed the type and illustrations [by Peter Sís] in green to reflect Pablo Neruda’s penchant for writing in green ink. For El Niño, Tracy and Marijka proposed printing the type and illustrations in blue to evoke the feel of the ocean setting.”
The cover art represents a scene that takes place toward the end of the book. “I love how dynamic, mysterious, and interpretive it feels, with the waves at sunset and Kai wearing the gold cuff that is so essential to the story and a poignant connection to his sister,” Muñoz Ryan said. And there’s a tantalizing surprise for the readers on the back cover: Kai’s legs morphing into a dolphin-like tail. That’s an indication of how the story’s dream-like approach will leave readers guessing. “I hoped to blur the lines between fantasy, reality, and mythology, and to leave room for the reader to wonder and draw their own conclusions,” she said.
