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Graciela in the Abyss

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( 366 ratings, 77 reviews)
Brief Description
Dive into the abyss with this stunning paperback, featuring printed edges that invite you into the deepest recesses of the ocean, where the sea ghosts lie."A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Deep under the sea, Graciela—once an ordinary... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Dive into the abyss with this stunning paperback, featuring printed edges that invite you into the deepest recesses of the ocean, where the sea ghosts lie.

"A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)


Deep under the sea, 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 and illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso have 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.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781536253009

Publisher: Candlewick Press,U.S.

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 July 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Candlewick Press,U.S.

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Anna Balbusso
  • Illustrated by Elena Balbusso

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 369g

Pages: 256

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.

Anna and Elena Balbusso, also known as the Balbusso Twins, are an award-winning Italian sister artist team living in Milan. Their illustrations have been published throughout the world in various media, including more than fifty books. Their artwork has received more than ninety international honors and awards, including the Stevan Dohanos Award from the Society of Illustrators. They live in Milan, Italy.

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