51 pages • 1 hour read
Pam Muñoz RyanSolimar: The Sword of the Monarchs
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 21-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: “El Gran Mercado”
Trying to be “inconspicuous,” the group hikes into Puerto Rivera. They plan to find San Gregorio’s merchandise tent and watch for the king and Campeón. The city is crowded and has a party-like atmosphere. Solimar fears that anyone could be one of Aveno’s undercover guards. Solimar panics and almost runs when she sees two guards, but they do not recognize her. The friends locate the village’s tent, but not Solimar’s family. Berto and Solimar find San Gregorio’s camp, but still do not see the king or Campeón. They notice other men—Aveno’s guards—watching the camp. Solimar knows that their only hope is to intercept Campeón that night as he sneaks away to board the ship, La Quinta, which sails in the morning. They hide and wait.
Zarita helps Solimar relax. Lázaro signals someone’s approach: Solimar knows it is Campeón disguised as a worker. Berto intercepts him. Campeón is initially suspicious. He is then surprised to see Solimar, who tells him everything. They devise a plan: Campeón will ask the captain of La Quinta for reinforcements. Berto will scout, Lázaro and Zarita handle diversions, and Solimar will supervise and hide until it is time for her to act.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Diversions and Deceptions”
Berto thinks Campeón did the right thing by staying to help. Solimar is also glad, but sorry for ruining Campeón’s dream of travelling. As part of Campeón’s plan, King Sebastián changes places with a loyal subject named Arturo who rides away, followed by four of Aveno’s guards. They will ambush him thinking he is the king. Lázaro and Zarita deal with the guards left behind. Carrying Zarita in a harness, Lázaro causes mayhem in the market, stealing fruit and pastries and leading Aveno’s guards to the road, where Zarita will creepily pretend to curse them if they do not stop searching for Solimar.
The real King Sebastián greets Solimar and Berto. Sebastián is proud of Solimar’s courage and Berto’s heroism but warns that Solimar must be brave in the days ahead. He departs for the alliance meeting. Sebastián spreads false news that Campeón has left with the ship. Campeón will rescue Arturo, and later the king will join them. Berto and Solimar leave to join Campeón and the captain of the La Quinta and her crew outside town. Berto scouts ahead, and Solimar waits for Lázaro and Zarita. Solimar opens the rebozo, hears the chanting, and all but one of the butterflies leaves. Solimar hopes she can protect the last one.
Chapter 23 Summary: “The Near Future”
Days later, riders dressed as Aveno’s guards bring prisoners Solimar and Berto to King Aveno. Aveno is excited: When it stops raining, he will hold a public display showcasing Solimar’s magic. Berto joins the other castle hostages, while Solimar is held prisoner in her room. Chef Batista brings Solimar lunch and a secret note from Abuela telling Solimar to avoid eating the celebratory pastries.
Solimar warms the rebozo in the afternoon sun, hoping the last butterfly can survive King Aveno’s questions. Guards take Solimar to a sunny stage in the courtyard. Awnings provide shade for the audience of hostages and villagers. Guards eat Señora Batista’s sweets. Aveno, flanked by Juan Pedro, questions Solimar.
When Abuela rings a bell, the shade awnings drop, spilling ordinary household objects. The guards who ate pastries become enchanted and useless as they fall in love with inanimate items—the effect of Abuela’s small magical ability. Sebastián, Campeón, the crew of the La Quinta, and representatives from all the now-allied kingdoms arrive. They are united in their goals to protect the forest and the butterflies, and to arrest Aveno. Aveno takes Solimar’s rebozo to escape. An angry whirlwind sweeps out of the forest and circles Aveno and Juan Pedro. When it retreats, the men are gone. Monarchs descend from the trees, pull the rebozo into the sky, and the last butterfly emerges and flies off. The magic-less rebozo lands on Solimar, who happily realizes she cannot answer any of the villagers’ questions about their futures.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Princess of the World”
The entire kingdom turns out for Solimar’s quinceañera two weeks later. She wears a new version of her coral gown and Zarita sports a matching dress. Instead of dismissing the celebration as she did before, Solimar feels grateful for it. Berto is a part of her court. Solimar thwarts tradition and includes her mother in the ritual: Her father will perform the shoe ceremony and her mother will crown her. As the king proudly dances with Solimar—after changing her shoes to heeled but practical sandals—he explains that Berto’s valley will become a part of San Gregorio, and Sebastián will fund Berto’s reservoir project. Solimar wants him to use the river to transport goods to Puerto Rivera.
The king sends Campeón to tell her an important announcement. Campeón has signed on to the La Quinta for four years to travel the world. He plans to create a fleet of ships for San Gregorio to start importing and exporting worldwide. He and the king have skirted the law that declares only a prince can become king in San Gregorio and made Solimar prince regent. She will be first in line to the throne while Campeón is abroad. When she turns 18, Sebastián will step down and she will become king regent. Campeón does not necessarily plan to return to San Gregorio. He assures her she “will have a very big say” in running the kingdom (190). Solimar likes the sound of “King Solimar.”
Chapters 21-24 Analysis
In these final chapters, Solimar becomes “the heroine who saved the kingdom,” enters young womanhood, and with some magical assistance, saves the monarchs (185).
Through Solimar, the novel explores Girl Power: Finding Your Inner Strength. Her courage and determination dominate these chapters. Motivated by the need to save everything she holds dear, Solimar overcomes her fears of being captured in Puerto Rivera, succeeds in warning Campeón and her father, and becomes the lynchpin of the risky plan to take down King Aveno. Solimar embraces her resilience.
Returning to San Gregorio ostensibly as a prisoner, Solimar makes the ultimate sacrifice and voluntarily steps into the lion’s den. In this way, she shows that she is a worthy heroine. The risks are many: She endangers her own safety and that of Beto, risks being compelled to spill important information to King Aveno, and jeopardizes the life of the final monarch in the rebozo. In facing these potentially ruinous consequences, Solimar reveals both bravery and resolve. She portrays confidence in the face of adversity, holding “her head high” despite her fears as she meets Aveno (177). Solimar believes in herself.
Solimar feels increased confidence in her inner strength and convictions. This reflects her growth and coming of age. She matures over the course of her quest, recognizing the overarching importance of, and taking responsibility for, the safety of family, country, and conservation.
Campeón also shows his maturity. He unquestioningly gives up his dream of travel upon learning what is at stake. The king calls Campeón’s decision to stay and help Solimar and San Gregorio a “wise and responsible decision” (169). The message is clear: Duty and love of family take precedence over individual desires. The novel also suggests that doing the right thing is rewarded. Campeón still gets to pursue his goal of travel, though now he ties it to his duty, potentially using his time abroad to explore a beneficial import/export project for the kingdom. Self-discovery is a key component of coming of age; both Solimar and Campeón show that they have grown in self-knowledge and have a greater appreciation for their adult responsibilities.
The coming-of-age shoe ceremony marks Solimar’s official transition from childhood to womanhood. Notably, she does not change into the original ultra-fancy silver heeled shoes, which would reflect her role as a traditional princess. Instead, she dons instead a fancy, modified low-heeled river sandal. The hybrid shoes illustrate Solimar’s royalty and femininity, as well as her newfound empowerment.
Solimar says she risked so much “‘[f]or San Gregorio, our heart and our home’” (187). Solimar’s love of her kingdom and all its facets show her desire to enact positive social change. Solimar’s strength and commitment convince staid King Sebastián to circumvent the law and name Solimar prince, allowing her to be the leader they sense her to be. There is historical precedent for the title of prince going to a female: Elizabeth I referred to herself as a prince, believing that the masculine term gave her more authority with her subjects.
Critics may find it problematic that the king gives Solimar, a women’s rights proponent, the gendered title of prince. They may argue that changing the law to either allow princes or princesses to inherit the throne or introducing a non-binary term for the royal heir, would have broadened the scope of women’s rights in the kingdom, rather than for just Solimar. The novel does not explore this. It suggests that the outcome is positive, as Solimar will have rank and decision-making power in the kingdom.
The novel continues to examine The Importance of Preservation. King Sebastián’s alliance unites to stop Aveno’s “wanton stripping of the oyamel forests” and signals their “dedication to protecting the habitat of monarch butterflies” (181). Their choice reflects the kingdoms’ shared positive values: their commitment to conservation.
The vengeful whirlwind that sweeps away the bad guys has a deus ex machina quality. Deus ex machina is a Latin phrase that translates to “god from the machine,” and means that a godly or supernatural force steps in at the end of a work to wrap things up. In this case, the whirlwind supernaturally tidies up the unpleasant conflict. The magical wrath of the ancestral spirits and the emergence of the last butterfly also reinforce the value of nature and the importance of honoring, respecting, and protecting it. As the last butterfly leaves, Solimar fulfills her responsibility and comes of age.
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By Pam Muñoz Ryan
