Every Monday, different bloggers link up to share books read that are for children and teens with Jen at TeachMentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders. Others link o share adult books with Sheila at Book Journeys who started the meme a long time ago. You'll discover so many great books. Come visit, and tweet at #IMWAYR. Thanks to Jen, Kellee, and Ricki for hosting!
I’ve loved Pam Munoz Ryan’s books a long time, read
them on my own and with numerous book groups. This new book, Echo, fills one
with such beautiful connections that one struggles to stop reading in order to
do work, cooking, other things that must be done. In this, music is a the brightest
thread that binds, the music of a magical harmonica. Or is it the strength of
family relationships? There are three main characters that, through the music
of a special harmonica, find that they can do the right thing, even when it’s
scary, even when it’s dangerous.
Otto, a little boy, finds himself lost in a forest, and encounters three
sisters with a sad tale of a prophecy that somehow he must follow. It may take
a long time, but Otto soon realizes that his journey, after being found, is
just beginning.
Three additional stories mesmerize with tales from the Holocaust, an
orphanage, and a migrant worker’s home. My only dismay is that while becoming
engaged in the stories, I am always left with wanting more. This book is
created in a different way, makes one wonder, worry and still enjoying the
telling with each page. I had tears when the first character played his
goodbyes on the harmonica: “Lullaby, and good night, with pink roses bedight. .
.” The ache of leaving something
precious occurs with each character, and yet they do leave for good reasons,
and they survive. There are many beautiful songs shared in the book, tightening
the thread that binds the story. I loved it.