Weekly Reads: Echo

Echo is the newest children's book by Pam Munoz Ryan, and it immediately received possible Newbery buzz, so I added it to my list. It is a big book, clocking in just shy of 600 pages, but it is a very fast read. The story is historical fiction (which I typically loathe), told in 3 separate parts (which I typically hate), but for some reason I really really enjoyed it. I would recommend this for fans of historical fiction, those that love books that are interwoven in the same way that the movie Crash was portrayed, or anyone just looking for a really well written story.

My rating: 4 stars.


Summary from goodreads:

Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.

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. 
 
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.