Echo

By: Pam Munoz Ryan
Location: FIC RYA
Genre: Fantasy- Fairytale- Historical Fiction- Holocaust

Our fate is not yet sealed.
Even in the darkest night, a star will shine,
A bell will chime, a path will be revealed.

Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
 
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo. 

Friedrich in Germany lives with a visible birthmark that causes others to prematurely judge him as "genetically damaged." His world is dominated by Hitler's rise to power and the hysteria that ensues as citizens and families are divided by his plans.

Mike in Pennsylvania lives in an orphanage with his younger brother. His primary goal in life is to protect his brother and keep them together. 

Ivy in California is on the move. She faces discrimination on the basis of her Hispanic heritage and struggles to understand the hysteria stemming from the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The writing is excellent. The theme is so artfully woven throughout the narrative that the entire experience of reading the book becomes orchestral, with each character's section reading like a solo and all building to a joyous conclusion. - Samantha Goodreads.com

"Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and form, and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck."
Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.

"This may win her the Newbery. I loved the blended stories and magical realism but above all for me this was a book about siblings. A lovely read..."  Sarah