Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Received as an ARC.

Otto found himself lost in the woods alone in a circle and surrounded by three sisters. He became their messenger to free their bondage to the circle by saving a soul on the brink of death. Friedrich hears music in his head and composes with a baton that only he can see. He sways his hands to the melody as passerbys look at him oddly. Friedrich has a harmonica whose tones are so perfect and so beautiful that the music lifts him up from his world and sets his soul free. Friedrich was born with a large birthmark on his face which was imperfect to the Nazi regime of Germany. Friedrich’s father had been taken and he and his uncle made plans to leave Germany. Mike and Frankie loved to play piano with their Grandmother. She took care of them after their mother died, but she was aging and could no longer care for them. Mike and Frankie were taken to the Bishop’s Home for Friendless and Destitute Children because it had a beautiful piano that the boys’ grandmother hoped that they would play. The keys remained silent though, but music was made through a harmonica and led them away from the group home and let them soar in the melody. One day the boys left the group home, but trouble stirred and they planned to leave. As Mike was climbing down a tree and reached for the harmonica that had fallen from his pocket, he slipped and fell. Ivy just moved to California and her new home is settled in an orange grove on the property of a Japanese family who were forced to an internment camp. Ivy learns about prejudices against her Hispanic heritage as well as against the Japanese. She sees the war come between friendships. She sees people who are cruel and manipulative. Ivy worries about her own brother and wears his jacket as protection until he comes back home. Kenny takes leave from the war to settle his father’s affairs and Ivy plays him a song from her harmonica. She gives him the harmonica to take with him to shed a little bright light in the midst of war. Her harmonica sheds more than just a bright light onto Kenny’s life. As the prophecy is fulfilled and the curse lifts, the three sisters rejoice at finally returning home while the music of the harmonica swirls the destinies of it’s players and crescendos into the tears of the sisters’ happiness.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan was, in one inadequate word, amazing! Echo surpassed a novel and went straight into a journey. It was a journey from the dark woods and through three people’s lives and then twisted everyone together to make a prophecy come true. The storyline was just incredible and I just can’t believe the way everything came together so beautifully. The story was like the songs from the harmonica itself. Echo is truly unique. I don’t remember ever reading a book like this before and strongly recommend this book to everyone. I think that the older the reader is, the more they will truly understand what is happening in the book. I really can’t say enough good things about this book except you must read it - Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.

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