Summary

This lower middle grade fantasy set in an ancient Mesoamerican world builds hope and courage rising from destruction.

Soledad is a victim of the Phoenix’s evil plagues, just like the rest of her former village. But she’s also different. She’s hiding with her mother’s flute, which the Phoenix is determined to find.

After a friend’s betrayal, she flees along a new path, high into the mountains, where she discovers the truth about what has really happened to her people. She realizes her knowledge, together with the power of the water and the magic of the flute, can help them all.

But this realization brings a whole new danger. Before she can unite her people and face the Phoenix, Soledad will have to find the strength to forgive and learn again how to trust.

My Review

Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix is a wonderfully deep and exciting story for middlers. I loved how the author wove in Christian imagery like hearts of stone and flesh.

The voice is a bit formal but totally works for Soledad’s world. It would not have worked with more contemporary words and phrases. The short chapters help keep the story flowing.

The main character, Soledad, has run away when The Phoenix sends curses to her village. This has saved her from coming under his power, but her sister and many villagers have been turned to stone and placed in the forest.

Soledad’s mother had served The Phoenix. She was killed in the first plague, but that is off page.

The emotions Soledad struggles with are real. She loves her mother. She hates her mother. She feels guilt for leaving her sister, who was turned to stone. Her best friend, Marco, betrays her when she goes to the stream for water, so that adds a layer of emotion.

But when Marco is released from The Phoenix’s power, he comes to find Soledad and help her. He finds her at a waterfall and stream with healing powers. Together, they make a plan to help their people.

When they meet new friends called ruin dwellers, they band together to fight The Phoenix and heal the village.

Soledad comes to the knowledge of God. She learns to forgive and how forgiveness restores hope and joy.

I love how she learns this through action and realization. An adult did not teach it to her. The author has done this beautifully; as we know in our stories for children, the characters need to learn things organically.

In Summary

Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix is an exciting read for middlers that will not only entertain but also show them the power of forgiveness and hope.

About the Author

Mindy Baker writes character driven picture books with read-aloud potential. She likes to embed seeds of truth within the story lines of her books. Mindy resides in Indiana with her husband and three children where she is a high school Spanish teacher. She has been involved in full time ministry with her husband for twenty years. She is passionate about her faith, family, people, travel, books, and living life to the full. She can never turn down a cup of coffee, especially if it is shared with an old or new friend. You can connect with Mindy on her website: www.mindybakerbooks.com.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicken Scratch Books
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 4, 2025
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953743534
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 6

GIVEAWAY!

Leave a comment on this post by October 23 to enter to win a copy of Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix.

Pam Halter is a former home-schooling mom, has been a children’s book author since 1995, a freelance children’s book editor since 2006, and was the children’s book editor for Fruitbearer Publishing until January 2023. She’s the author of Fairyeater, a YA fantasy, and the Willoughby and Friends picture book series (available on her website.) Pam has also published short stories in Ye Olde Dragon Books , the Whitstead Anthologies and Renewed Christmas Blessings. Her first short story won Readers Choice in Realmscapes.  

Pam lives in Southern New Jersey with her husband, Daryl, special needs adult daughter, Anna, and four cats. When she’s not writing, Pam enjoys spending time with her grands, reading, quilting, gardening, cooking, playing the piano, Bible study, and walking long country roads where she discovers fairy homes, emerging dragons, and trees eating wood gnomes.