Echo
By Kate Pavao,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Tales of injustice masterfully blend with a dash of magic.
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Based on 2 parent reviews
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What's the Story?
In ECHO, author Pam Muñoz Ryan strings together three very different stories of young people facing injustices, all of which are tied together by a fantastic prophecy and a magical harmonica. In Germany in the 1930s, Friedrich's father is arrested by the Nazis and sent to a labor camp after having a Jewish friend over to play music with him. Friedrich, also a talented musician, fears he will have to be sterilized, and perhaps even euthanized, because of a birthmark on his face. In Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, Mike and his younger brother are living in an unloving orphanage where they're hired out to work and must wear raggedy clothing. They're adopted by a strange rich woman, but when they learn she might be sending them back, Mike must make plans for them to stay together. Then, in the 1940s, Ivy moves with her farmworker family to Southern California, but once there she learns she must attend the inferior school for Mexicans. She also learns about the injustices suffered by Japanese families, such as the farm's owners, who are sent to live in internment camps. All the main characters have musical ability, and when they're playing a magical harmonica they feel better about themselves and inspire others with the beauty of their music. Eventually readers learn more about how their interwoven stories connect.
Is It Any Good?
This is a long book, but it's so rich and beautiful readers may be surprised to finish it in a few days, or even one day. There's history to learn and important messages about the pain of injustice and the importance of hope -- and music -- even in the darkest times. But readers may find what moves them most are the small, tender moments, such as when Friedrich and his older sister Elisabeth can't sleep, and their father opens their bedroom doors, brings out his cello, and "tells them to say farewell to their troubles because they were about to fly away on the wings of music."
Readers will fall for each of these protagonists -- as well as the boy from the fairy-tale-like framing story who sets it all in motion. And while they'll be more than satisfied by the clever ending, they'll be sad to leave these kindhearted characters behind.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about history. What did you learn about the 1930s and '40s in this book? Did anything surprise you?
What do you think of the magical ideas in Echo, which contrast with the historical details? Does it bother you that the author mixed fantasy and fact, or do you appreciate her style?
Ivy's orchestra teacher believes that "everyone needs the beauty and light of music, especially during the worst of times." Do you agree or disagree with this idea?
Book Details
- Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Press
- Publication date: February 24, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 592
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Newbery Medal and Honors
- Last updated: October 26, 2021
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